Coal Ash (Coal Combustion Residuals, or CCR)

Coal combustion residuals, commonly known as coal ash, are created when coal is burned by power plants to produce electricity. Coal ash is one of the largest types of industrial waste generated in the United States. In 2012, 470 coal-fired electric utilities generated about 110 million tons of coal ash.

EPA supports the environmentally sound recycling of coal ash and has developed regulations on the safe disposal of coal ash in landfills and surface impoundments.

Learn More
About Coal Ash

What is coal ash?
Why is EPA regulating coal ash?

EPA Regulations
on Coal Ash

Regulations for the safe disposal of coal ash
Wastewater discharge regulations for steam electric power plants

Coal Ash
Reuse

This is a picture of an intersection of one road going under another with lots of cars moving along the roadways used for the reuse of coal ash section to show concrete.

How and why is coal ash reused?
Frequent questions about reuse

Internet Sites Hosting Compliance Information

This is a picture of a coal ash facility

List of publicly accessible Internet sites
Finalized initial open dump inventory

Coal Ash Impoundment
Assessments

this is a picture of a large pond containing coal ash known as a surface impoundment

Summary of the assessment effort

Frequent
Questions

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Frequent questions about the coal ash disposal rule
Frequent questions about implementing the coal ash disposal rule
Frequent questions about beneficial use of coal ash
Frequent questions about the relationship between the CCR Rule and the Clean Water Act permit requirements

Coal Ash (Coal Combustion Residuals, or CCR)

Learn More About Coal Ash

EPA Regulations on Coal Ash

Coal AshReuse