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H.R. 2396: Ensuring Safe Disposal of Coal Ash Act

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H.R. 2396: Ensuring Safe Disposal of Coal Ash Act

117th Congress · introduced 2021-04-08 · Environmental Protection · Latest: Referred to the Subcommittee on Environment and Climate Change.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

  1. Where it came from: introduced 2021-04-08 · official record
  2. Who proposed it: Rep. Cohen, Steve [D-TN-9] · what a sponsor is
  3. What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
  4. Where it stands now: Referred to the Subcommittee on Environment and Climate Change. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
  5. If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

Ensuring Safe Disposal of Coal Ash Act

Plain summary

Ensuring Safe Disposal of Coal Ash Act This bill updates the requirements related to state permit programs for the regulation of coal combustion residuals units, as administered by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Specifically, the EPA must revise its regulations related to approved state programs for regulating coal combustion residuals units to include any criteria necessary to protect human health and the environment, including the health of vulnerable or disproportionately exposed subpopulations. The regulation revisions must include specified requirements, for example, requiring meaningful public participation in the issuance and renewal of all permits or other prior approvals. The EPA must promulgate regulations that (1) set forth minimum requirements for state and federal coal combustion residuals permit programs, and (2) require owners of closed coal combustion residuals disposal sites to identify the locations of such sites and record the information in the public record to ensure that the locations are known and can be located in the future. Under the bill, the EPA must also implement a requirement for a public hearing in the approval process for establishing a state permit program; review state permit programs at least once every 5 years (the current requirement is once every 12 years); review such programs not later than one year after it revises applicable criteria for federal regulations related to coal combustion residuals units; and include a reasonable period of time, not to exceed 180 days, for a state to correct deficiencies with respect to its permit program.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Ensuring Safe Disposal of Coal Ash Act

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Cohen, Steve [D-TN-9] · 19 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Darren Soto (D-FL), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Janice D. Schakowsky (D-IL), Nanette Diaz Barragán (D-CA), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Diana DeGette (D-CO), Henry C. "Hank" Johnson, Jr. (D-GA), Jared Huffman (D-CA), Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY), Adriano Espaillat (D-NY), Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Bradley Scott Schneider (D-IL)

Sponsor's campaign money: Rep. Cohen, Steve [D-TN-9] reported raising $785,039 (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (2)
Bill
A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).
Rulemaking
The process agencies use to write regulations that carry out laws passed by Congress or a legislature. Usually an agency publishes a proposed rule, takes public comments, then publishes a final rule.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Record fed-us-cong117-hr2396 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong117 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong117