Excellent series on coal ash regulation from Institute of Southern Studies
The Institute of Southern Studies is running a series on the regulation of coal ash. Tomorrow’s installment will be about the re-use of coal ash in building materials and other products.
The Jacksonville Electric Authority received approval from the state of Florida in 2005 to sell its coal ash as a road material. EZBase is used as both a road bed covered with a top coat of asphalt or other material, and it is compacted heavily and used in an uncovered state.
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection has discovered numerous instances where EZBase roads not covered by a sealant were installed incorrectly. When the material isn’t properly compacted it is washed off the road in heavy rains, contaminating the soil in swales. When it’s dry, the coal ash dust is airborne and people living nearbycomplain of cars and houses and outdoor patios covered with the toxic dust.