"Report: EPA Didn't Properly Assess Coal Ash Risks"

"The federal government promoted some uses of coal ash, including wallboard or filler in road embankments, without properly testing the environmental risks, according to a report from the Environmental Protection Agency's inspector general.

The inspector general's report released Wednesday said sites where coal ash was used for earthworks, like road embankments or berms, 'may represent a large universe of inappropriate disposal applications with unknown potential for adverse environmental and human health impacts.'

The EPA is considering imposing stricter regulations for coal ash, or fly ash, a byproduct of burning coal at power plants. The rule changes were prompted by a 2008 environmental disaster at a Tennessee power plant that released more than 5 million cubic yards of ash into a river and nearby lands."

Dylan Lovan reports for the Associated Press March 24, 2011.