Coal Ash for American Infrastructure Act

Resource Recovery and Market Use: The bill allows for the creation of a beneficial use management plan which can include a plan for the recovery of critical minerals from the coal combustion residuals (Section 2, paragraph 1, clause B, subclause iii, Roman numeral III).

Protection Against Premature Closure: Designated beneficial use staging units are not subject to requirements to close for failure to remove residuals before the specific deadlines set in the beneficial use requirement (Section 2, paragraph 6, clause B).

Regulatory Certainty for Infrastructure: The bill prevents States or political subdivisions from enforcing laws or executive orders that mandate the closure of a staging unit that is in compliance with this subsection (Section 2, paragraph 9).

Strict Compliance Requirements: To be approved, a coal combustion residuals unit must meet specific requirements regarding being a surface impoundment or landfill, being lined according to specific federal standards, and satisfying groundwater monitoring requirements (Section 2, paragraph 2, clause A).

Mandatory Removal Deadlines: Owners and operators are required to remove at least 25 percent of the stored coal combustion residuals within specific timeframes, which vary depending on whether the unit stores fewer than or more than 1.5 million cubic yards (Section 2, paragraph 4, clauses A and B).

Prohibition on Accumulation: A designated beneficial use staging unit is prohibited from receiving any new coal combustion residuals (Section 2, paragraph 5).