Coal Residuals Reuse and Management Act of 2013

Floor Speech

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Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, this is the final amendment to the bill, which does not kill the bill or send it back to committee. If adopted, it will immediately proceed to final passage, as amended.

This bill is about coal ash. Coal ash is a toxic substance. It contains lead, selenium, mercury, cadmium, and arsenic. Coal ash is a deadly poison, and it must be kept out of America's drinking water.

This bill needlessly puts millions of Americans at risk by doing nothing to prevent coal ash from contaminating groundwater, surface water, and the greatest supply of freshwater on the Earth--the Great Lakes. The Great Lakes provide drinking water to more than 30 million people. Over 1.5 million jobs are connected to the Great Lakes and more than $60 billion in annual wages.

My amendment protects the Great Lakes from improper and dangerous storage of coal ash. This amendment ``requires that all wet disposal structures meet criteria for design, construction, operation, and maintenance sufficient to prevent contamination of surface and groundwater.'' This amendment recognizes that the Great Lakes are unique.

Mayors and Governors in eight States are working together to maintain this vital ecosystem and economy for families, businesses, and future generations--even while this House considers an 80 percent cut to the Great Lakes Restorative Initiative.

In addition, the Federal Government coordinates our efforts to protect, conserve, and restore the Great Lakes with our partner, Canada.

The great United States has both a national and international interest in keeping these lakes clean and safe. Protecting the Great Lakes should be a priority for this Congress. I am certain it's a priority for the 30 million people who drink Great Lakes water. Without this amendment, they will be at risk of drinking cancer-causing toxins. Right now, coal ash is placed in unlined ponds, some that are leaking, leaching, and spilling into our soils, lakes, rivers, and aquifers.

In 2011, near Milwaukee, a bluff collapsed, sending a utility company's coal ash directly into Lake Michigan. Residents could no longer drink their local water because of severe health threats imposed by the coal ash.

Should a utility company be able to store tons and tons of coal ash in an unregulated ravine? The answer is, simply, ``no.''

Unless Congress changes how coal ash is stored, the Great Lakes and America's drinking water will continue to be at risk. Congress can do something right here, right now by passing this amendment.

If you want clean and safe drinking water, vote for this amendment. If you want to protect the Great Lakes, vote for this amendment. And if you want to protect recreation, manufacturing, and service jobs, vote for this amendment. If you have the courage to stand up to the polluters and say no longer will I allow coal ash to be inadvertently put in our drinking water, causing cancer for millions of Americans, vote for this amendment.

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