Is fly ash harmful to the environment?
The federal EPA and the Illinois EPA have concluded that beneficial uses of these wastes pose no significant risk and no additional national regulations are needed. This determination affects more than 110 million tons of fossil fuel combustion wastes that are generated each year nationally, virtually all from burning coal. Since 1993, Federal Regulations have treated the four major large-volume coal combustion wastes – fly ash, bottom ash, boiler slag and flue gas desulfurization products – as solid wastes that do not warrant regulation as hazardous wastes under Subtitle C of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. On May 22, 2000, EPA published a final Regulatory Determination that retained the hazardous waste exemption for coal utilization by-products. EPA has concluded that coal combustion wastes do not warrant regulation as hazardous under Subtitle C of Resource Conservation and Recovery Act and retained the hazardous waste exemption for these wastes. In Illinois, the Illinois