SB 120

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 HB 657.

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, the Department of Environmental Quality, and the Department of Transportation's Research Council, in cooperation with engineering schools of public institutions of higher education in the Commonwealth, to convene a working group to evaluate opportunities for using coal ash for construction purposes for public infrastructure projects. The working group 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 HB 657.

Public utilities; waste coal. Provides thatrenewable energy and renewable energy standard eligible sources includeenergy derived from waste coal, which the bill defines as usablematerial 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 emit carbon 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.