ANIMAS HIGH SCHOOL MODEL SENATE

Committee: Climate Change

Principal Authors: Hailey Redding (Mike

Lee) Kyle Colley (John Hoeven)

Bill No:

Submission Date: 11/11/2016

Title of Bill: Act To Resolve the Issue of Coal Ash and Carbon Emissions in the U.S.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE ANIMAS HIGH SCHOOL MODEL CONGRESS
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Preamble: Whereas coal ash contains arsenic, mercury, lead, and over a dozen other heavy
metals, many of them toxic, and since disposal of the growing mounds of coal ash is
creating grave risks to human health, and since toxic constituents of coal ash are blowing,
spilling, and leaching from storage units into air, land, and human drinking water, and
since this poses an acute risk of cancer and neurological effects as well as many other
negative health impacts, and since coal ash is one of the largest types of industrial waste
generated in the United State with nearly 130 million tons of coal ash generated in 2014,
and since coal has the highest carbon content of all fossil fuels, and since carbon dioxide
emissions from coal combustion represented 24.5 percent of total U.S. greenhouse gas
emissions in 2012, and since about 37 percent of the total U.S energy-related CO2
emissions of 5,271 million metric tons in 2015,
SECTION 1: Requires coal companies to implement the use of carbon filters on
smokestacks to reduce CO2 emissions from the burning of coal and other fossil fuels
within the company by up to 90%.
Sub-SECTION A: Exempts companies emitting less than a limit of 3 million
metric tonnes of carbon emissions per year.
Sub-SECTION B: Authorizes state agencies to impose a fine of $10,000
USD per metric tonne of carbon dioxide emissions over the limit of 3 million
per year.
SECTION 2: Authorizes states to adopt and implement coal combustion residuals (coal
ash) permit programs
Sub-SECTION A: requires states to certify that
such program meets the specifications of this Act
Sub-SECTION B: requires states to maintain either an approved program for
the disposal of hazardous waste from households or small quantity generators or an
authorized state hazardous waste program
SECTION 3: Requires such coal combustion residuals permit programs to
apply the revised criteria established by this act to owners or operators of
structures that receive such residuals

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SECTION 4: Authorizes a state agency responsible for implementing a program to

require (1) action to correct structural deficiencies at coal combustion buildings
according to a schedule, and (2) closure of a structure if such deficiencies are not
corrected according to such schedule
Sub-SECTION A: Sets forth revised criteria for program structures with
respect to: (1) design, groundwater monitoring, corrective action, closure, and
post-closure; (2) location restrictions in floodplains, wetlands, fault areas,
seismic impact zones, and unstable areas; (3) air quality; (4) financial
assurance; (5) surface water; and (6) record keeping.
SECTION 5: Directs said state agency to require structures to address wind dispersal of
dust by requiring cover or by wetting coal combustion residuals with water to a moisture
content that prevents wind dispersal, facilitates compaction, and does not result in free
liquids.
Sub-SECTION A: Authorizes structure owners or operators to propose
alternative methods will provide comparable or more effective control of dust.
SECTION 6: Sets forth revised criteria for: (1) run-on and run-off control systems for
landfills and other land-based units other than surface impoundments that receive coal
combustion residuals; and (2) runoff control systems for surface impoundments that
receive coal combustion residuals.
SECTION 7: Requires the time period and method for a structure's closure to be set forth
in a closure plan that establishes a deadline for completion and that takes into account the
site-specific characteristics of such structure.
Sub-SECTION A: Directs the closure plan for a surface impoundment to
require the removal of liquid and the stabilization of remaining waste as
necessary to support the final cover.
SECTION 8: This bill shall go into effect 90 days after passage.