HB 657

Abstract

Department of Energy; waste coal piles; report. Directs the Department of Energy, in cooperation with public institutions of higher education serving the coalfield region of the Commonwealth, to identify the approximate volume and number of waste coal piles present in the area and options for cleaning up such waste coal piles, including potential use in electricity generation. The Department of Energy shall report its findings and recommendations to the General Assembly by December 1, 2022. The bill also directs the Department of Environmental Quality to convene a working group to evaluate opportunities for the development of public infrastructure projects at current or proposed sites for the storage of coal ash in the Commonwealth. The working group shall report its findings and recommendations to the General Assembly by December 1, 2022. This bill is identical to SB 120.

Department of Energy; waste coal piles; report. Directs the Department of Energy, in cooperation with public institutions of higher education serving the coalfield region of the Commonwealth, to identify the approximate volume and number of waste coal piles present in the area and options for cleaning up such waste coal piles, including potential use in electricity generation. The Department of Energy shall report its findings and recommendations to the General Assembly by December 1, 2022.

Department of Energy; waste coal piles; report. Directs the Department of Energy, in cooperation with public institutions of higher education serving the coalfield region of the Commonwealth, to identify the approximate volume and number of waste coal piles present in the area and options for cleaning up such waste coal piles, including potential use in electricity generation. The Department of Energy shall report its findings and recommendations to the General Assembly by December 1, 2022. The bill also directs the Department of Energy to convene a working group to evaluate opportunities for the development of public infrastructure projects at current or proposed sites for the storage of coal ash in the Commonwealth. The working group shall report its findings and recommendations to the General Assembly by December 1, 2022. This bill is identical to SB 120.

Public utilities; waste coal. Provides that renewable energy and renewable energy standard eligible sourcesinclude energy derived from waste coal, which the bill defines asusable material that is a byproduct of previous coal processing operations.Additionally, the bill provides an exception to the requirement thatall electric generating units located in the Commonwealth that emitcarbon as a by-product of combusting fuel to generate electricityare closed by December 31, 2045, for any coal-fired electric generatingunits owned and operated by a Phase II Utility located in the coalfieldregion of the Commonwealth that co-fires with biomass.