EPA Finalizes Virginia's Coal Combustion Residuals Permit Program: State to Take Over Coal Ash Permitting
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on October 20 the final approval of the Commonwealth of Virginia's coal combustion residuals (CCR) permit program. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin signed the Federal Register notice of approval the same day; when it takes effect, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (VADEQ) program will operate in lieu of the federal program, with the state issuing permits for CCR disposal in surface impoundments and landfills. After review, EPA determined that Virginia's program meets the standards for approval; because the state did not include certain items in its application, it is a partial program, and the corresponding federal requirements continue to apply to those items.
"Today's approval reflects the Trump EPA's commitment to cooperative federalism and permitting reform, both central to Powering the Great American Comeback," said EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin. "By putting Virginia's experts in charge of managing their own resources, landscapes, facilities, and communities, we're making sure local knowledge guides environmental protection and economic growth." EPA Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator Amy Van Blarcom-Lackey said the approval gives the commonwealth authority to oversee coal ash disposal under a program that meets federal standards, provides greater regulatory certainty, and protects public health and the environment. EPA said Virginia is the sixth state to have its CCR permit program approved, and that across President Trump's two terms the agency has set the stage for 10 states to receive CCR program approval.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 位于弗吉尼亚州 James River 畔的 Chesterfield 燃煤电站（资料图）。Edbrown05 摄，CC BY-SA 2.5 授权图片，经 Wikimedia Commons 发布／The Chesterfield Power Station, a coal-fired plant on the James River in Virginia (file photo). Photo: Edbrown05, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
