Request for 120-Day Comment Period for Phase 2 Coal Combustion Residuals Proposal and for a Public Hearing in Guayama, Puerto Rico

A coalition of 77 public interest groups is urging the EPA to extend the public comment period for the Phase 2 Coal Combustion Residuals (CCR) proposal to 120 days and to hold a public hearing in Guayama, Puerto Rico. The groups argue that the complexity of the rules and the severe local impacts of coal ash waste piles and fill projects in Puerto Rico necessitate greater public accessibility and time for expert review. They highlight that 91 percent of coal plants reporting groundwater data under the 2015 CCR Rule have contaminated groundwater exceeding federal health standards.

• Coal combustion residuals (CCR), including fly ash, bottom ash, scrubber sludge, and boiler slag, constitute one of the largest toxic waste streams in the U.S., with coal-fired plants producing over 110 million tons of this waste annually from burning more than 800 million tons of coal.
• A report by Earthjustice and the Environmental Integrity Project indicated that 91 percent of coal plants providing groundwater monitoring data under the 2015 CCR Rule showed contamination with toxic pollutants, such as arsenic, cobalt, lead, lithium, molybdenum, radium 224 and 226, and selenium, exceeding federal health standards.
• The requesting groups argue that a 120-day comment period is necessary because the EPA intends to publish five proposed rules regarding CCR regulation in July 2019, which would overwhelm the resources of impacted communities and nonprofit groups.
• The coalition specifically requests a public hearing in Guayama, Puerto Rico, because the Phase 2 proposal addresses coal ash waste piles and the use of coal ash as fill, practices that have caused significant harm to the air, water, and health of low-income communities in southeastern Puerto Rico.
• The request for a 120-day period is based on a previous commitment made by the EPA to the U.S. Court of Appeals (D.C. Cir.) on November 19, 2017, which the groups claim the agency reneged on by providing only 45 days for comment on a March 15, 2018, proposed rule.

APA

Earthjustice (2019). Request for 120-Day Comment Period for Phase 2 Coal Combustion Residuals Proposal and for a Public Hearing in Guayama, Puerto Rico. https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/public20interest20groups20request20pr20hearing2020extension207.15.19.pdf

Chicago

Earthjustice. Request for 120-Day Comment Period for Phase 2 Coal Combustion Residuals Proposal and for a Public Hearing in Guayama, Puerto Rico. 2019. https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/public20interest20groups20request20pr20hearing2020extension207.15.19.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Earthjustice |title=Request for 120-Day Comment Period for Phase 2 Coal Combustion Residuals Proposal and for a Public Hearing in Guayama, Puerto Rico |date=15 July 2019 |url=https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/public20interest20groups20request20pr20hearing2020extension207.15.19.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{earthjustice2019request, author = {{Earthjustice}}, title = {{Request for 120-Day Comment Period for Phase 2 Coal Combustion Residuals Proposal and for a Public Hearing in Guayama, Puerto Rico}}, publisher = {Earthjustice}, year = {2019}, month = jul, url = {https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/public20interest20groups20request20pr20hearing2020extension207.15.19.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }