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U.S. NEWS Wednesday 3 July 2019

In this Jan. 14, 2016 file photo, a drainage pipe that was the
original culprit of a coal ash spill that was one of the worst in U.S.
history is seen at the Dan River Steam Station in Eden, N.C.
Associated Press

U.S. won't impose In this April 25, 2019 photo, Hawaii's Mauna Loa volcano, background, towers over the summit

rule to protect against crater of Kilauea volcano in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island.

coal ash spill costs Alert level increased at world's

largest volcano in Hawaii

By MATTHEW BROWN Utilities and other com-
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — panies in 2017 produced
The Trump administration more than 111 million tons By CALEB JONES riod of increased activity to see 50 to several hun-
said Tuesday that it won't (101 million metric tons) of Associated Press occurred around 2004, but dred earthquakes per day
require electric utilities to coal ash, primarily from HONOLULU (AP) — Federal the USGS Volcano Alert — not per week — ahead
show they have money to burning the fuel for power officials raised the alert lev- Level system was not yet in of an eruption, USGS vol-
clean up hazardous spills generation, according to el Tuesday for the world's place at that time. canologist and geologist
from power plants despite the American Coal Ash largest active volcano, Ha- "Advisory" is the second of Frank Trusdell said.
a history of toxic coal ash Association. Much of the waii's Mauna Loa, which four alert levels and means "It's above background,
releases contaminating riv- ash is recycled or used for last erupted in 1984. scientists have detected but it isn't the amount of
ers and aquifers. industrial purposes such The U.S. Geological Survey elevated activity or unrest. earthquakes we would
Environmental Protection as concrete additives, but changed the level from The next level, "watch," expect to see prior to an
Agency officials said Tues- huge volumes end up in "normal" to "advisory" fol- means there is heightened eruption," Trusdell said.
day that modern industry long-term storage. lowing a steady increase activity with more poten- Mauna Loa's smaller neigh-
practices and recently Coal ash disposal went in earthquakes and ground tial for eruption or that an bor to the south, Kilauea,
enacted regulations are largely unregulated until swelling that began in eruption is ongoing but has long been the world's
sufficient to shield taxpay- a 2008 spill at a Tennes- March. poses little threat. The high- most active volcano.
ers from potential cleanup see Valley Authority power An eruption is not imminent, est level, "warning," means It made headlines last year
costs. plant in Kingston, Tennes- but scientists are closely a dangerous eruption is im- as molten rock exploded
The finding comes after see. A containment dike monitoring Mauna Loa be- minent or underway. from its flank in one of its
the EPA last year reversed burst and flooding cov- cause of its reputation for An alert-level change is not largest eruptions in record-
a related proposal under ered less than half a square "evolving very quickly" and something the USGS does ed history. More than 700
President Barack Obama mile (nearly 1.2 square ki- sending lava far and wide, lightly, said Janet Babb, Big Island homes were de-
that would have imposed lometers), dumped waste USGS research geophysicist an agency geologist and stroyed and thousands of
new financial requirements into two nearby rivers, Ingrid Johanson told The As- spokeswoman. It must bal- people were displaced.
on the hardrock mining in- destroyed homes and sociated Press in a phone ance the need to keep Trusdell said there is histori-
dustry. brought national attention interview last month. people informed and the cal evidence of a "general
In both cases, industry lob- to the issue. "Lava can go from the rift risk of causing panic. "A correlation" between the
byists pushed back against In 2014, an estimated down to the ocean on the lot of discussion goes into two volcanoes.
requirements that could 39,000 tons (35,380 metric west side of Mauna Loa it because it has ramifica- "If you look at the long-term
have meant higher costs tons) of coal ash spewed on the order of a couple tions," Babb said. eruptive history of both vol-
for companies. into the Dan River after hours," Johanson said. "The Mauna Loa currently is ex- canoes, when one volca-
The Associated Press re- a drainage pipe running rate of the eruption is just periencing 50 to 75 earth- no in the past was active, it
ported last year that major below a waste dump col- really fast." quakes a week, a steady seems like the other volca-
utilities across the nation lapsed at a Duke Energy Mauna Loa has erupted 33 increase since March when no was quiet," Trusdell said.
have found evidence of plant in Eden, North Caroli- times since 1843. there was a pronounced Kilauea stopped erupting
groundwater contamina- na. The toxic sludge turned Its lava flows have change. And the bulg- for the first time in more
tion at landfills and ponds the river gray for more than stretched to the south and ing of the ground, known than 30 years in 2018.
used for decades as dump- 70 miles (112 kilometers). west coasts eight times and as deformation, indicates But "it is not as if Kilauea is
ing grounds for coal ash. Those accidents helped neared Hilo, on the east magma is entering the vol- stealing Mauna Loa's vol-
Heightened levels of pol- spur new EPA regulations side, seven times. During cano's plumbing system. ume," he said. "It has more
lutants — including arsenic in 2015 that were intended its last eruption, lava flows Yet gas emissions have to do with the interaction
and radium in some cases to increase oversight of the came within 4.5 miles (7.2 been low and steady in and the buttressing of the
— were documented at industry. kilometers) of Hilo, the Big recent months, and "that volcanoes."
plants in numerous states, Under Trump, the EPA is in Island's largest city. tells us that there isn't mag- "With the eruption over in
from Virginia and Montana the process of revising the The alert level on Mauna ma rising to very shallow (Kilauea's) east rift zone,
to Alaska. 2015 coal ash rules.q Loa was last raised to ad- depths," Johanson said. maybe the flank will stop,"
visory in 2015. A similar pe- And scientists would expect Trusdell said. q