Richard Gupton Senior Vice President, Public Policy & Counsel at Ag Retailers Association explains the EPA-proposed revisions to regulations of coal ash that could impact ag retailers, their farmer customers and the availability of gypsum in the latest AgPro Podcast.
ARA is encouraging retailers to submit comments by the Oct. 15 deadline.
The proposed changes to the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) are related to the disposal of coal combustion residuals (also referred to as coal ash.)
Coal ash is a source of Flue Gas Desulfurization (FGD) gypsum. This gypsum is used as a fertilizer and a soil amendment to provide calcium and sulfur.
As Gupton explains, the revision to the regulation could change when the product is being distributed, stored and applied. Agricultural retailers typically temporarily store gypsum for three or four months during a key time of the growing season with piles reaching around 10,000 tons.
He also says if the coal ash is not able to be repurposed for FGD gypsum or its other uses (such as additives in the food industry), the coal ash could be disposed in a landfill.
Ag retailers can submit comments via the Ag Retailers Association’s Take Action site. Comments are due by Oct. 15.
