(AGENPARL) – mar 06 febbraio 2024 Issued: Feb 6, 2024 (1:22pm EST)
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EPA Reaches Settlement with Greenidge Generation LLC on Actions to Address
Compliance with Coal Ash Regulations
Settlement Advances EPA’s National Enforcement Priority of Protecting
Communities from Coal Ash Contamination
WASHINGTON (Feb. 6, 2024) – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) announced a settlement under the Agency’s Coal Ash (Coal Combustion
Residuals) program with the Greenidge Generation LLC, an electrical generating
plant in Dresden, New York. This settlement, the first under EPA’s National
Enforcement and Compliance Initiatives, commits Greenidge to address
groundwater monitoring issues and to ensure the proper closure of a coal ash
surface impoundment under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. The
company will also pay a fine of $105,000.
Produced primarily from the burning of coal in coal-fired power plants, coal
ash, also referred to as Coal Combustion Residuals (CCR), is a large
industrial waste stream by volume and can contain harmful levels of
contaminants such as mercury, cadmium, arsenic, and cobalt. Prior to 2015, the
management and disposal of coal ash was not regulated at the national level;
instead, it was regulated to varying degrees, if at all, by some states under
various programs.  Historic disposal occurred through placement in unlined
surface impoundments and landfills.  Without proper containment and
management, contaminants from coal ash can pollute waterways, groundwater,
drinking water, and the air.
“Coal ash contamination wreaks havoc on the environment and drinking water
systems, particularly in overburdened communities,” said David M. Uhlmann,
Assistant Administrator for EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance
Assurance. “EPA is committed to ensuring that coal ash surface impoundments
and landfills operate and close in a manner that protects public health and
the environment. This settlement is an important step forward in the federal
government’s nationwide effort to ensure coal burning plants clean up the
harmful effects of the toxic waste they produce.”
“EPA is working to ensure that companies comply with environmental
regulations designed to protect public health, our lands and water
resources,” said EPA Region 2 Regional Administrator Lisa F. Garcia. “This
settlement requires Greenidge to cease using, and close, its surface
impoundment and to monitor groundwater at the facility to protect surrounding
communities and determine whether further steps are required.”
Greenidge burns natural gas to generate electricity for its bitcoin mining
operation, and also provides energy to the state’s electricity grid.
EPA alleges that Greenidge did not meet certain requirements under the coal
ash program, including:
Failure to comply with certain groundwater monitoring system requirements.
Failure to adequately prepare annual groundwater monitoring and corrective
action reports.
Failure to timely prepare initial closure and post closure plans for its coal
ash impoundment.
The settlement requires Greenidge to assess groundwater contamination from the
coal ash impoundment at its facility. Greenidge will conduct groundwater
sampling and analysis, evaluate groundwater flow to determine if additional
wells are needed, and update and implement a closure plan for the coal ash
impoundment. Ultimately, if groundwater monitoring reveals contamination above
the federal groundwater protection standards, Greenidge will be required by
self-implementing regulation to design and implement a corrective action
program to address the contamination.
To address the risks from disposal and discharge of coal ash, including
leaking of contaminants into groundwater, blowing of contaminants into the air
as dust, and the catastrophic failure of coal ash surface impoundments, in
April 2015, EPA established national rules for coal ash management and
disposal.  These rules establish a comprehensive set of requirements for the
safe handling and disposal of coal ash from coal-fired power plants, which
established technical requirements for coal ash landfills and surface
impoundments.
EPA is increasing its efforts and working with its state partners to
investigate compliance concerns at coal ash facilities around the nation to
ensure compliance and protect the health of communities overburdened by
pollution such as coal ash residuals.
For more information on coal ash and the Agency’s coal ash program
activities, please visit EPA’s Coal Ash (CCR) website.
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