<p>The National Green Tribunal Thursday directed the Centre to file its response on a plea challenging a government notification permitting the use of coal with ash content higher than permitted earlier in thermal power plants.</p>.<p>A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Adarsh Kumar Goel asked the Ministry of Environment and Forests, the Ministries of Coal and Power and the Central Pollution Control Board to clarify its stand within two months by e-mail.</p>.<p>“The applicant may furnish a set of papers to MoEF, CPCB and Ministries of Coal and Power and file an affidavit of service within a week,” the bench said, while posting the matter for hearing on January 8 next year.</p>.<p>The tribunal was hearing a plea filed by a trust, Say Earth, against Notification dated May 21, 2020 issued by the MoEF under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, permitting the use of coal with ash content higher than permitted earlier.</p>.<p>The environment ministry in May decided that it will no longer regulate the ash-content of coal used by thermal power plants and issued a notification that overturned its January 2014 regulation that made it mandatory for all coal-based power plants located 500 kilometres or more from the pit-head or coal mine to use raw or blended or beneficiated coal with no more than 34 per cent ash content.</p>.<p>Under the new notification, thermal power plants will be able to use coal irrespective of ash content and will be liable for proper disposal of coal ash and meeting emission standards set by the apex pollution monitoring body.</p>.<p>The plea stated that the Thermal Power Plants (TPPs) are the largest fresh water withdrawing industry and also account for 60 per cent of the total industrial emissions of particulate matter. </p>.<p>“Such emissions are more by the TPPs using coal with high ash content and to remedy the situation, MoEF has issued notifications from time to time restricting use of coal with ash content beyond specified extent, laying down standards of emissions of Sulphur Dioxide (SO2), Oxides of Nitrogen (NOx), Mercury (HG) emission and 100 per cent fly ash utilisation by December 31, 2017,” the plea said.</p>.<p>The petition claimed that the impugned notification has been issued without following the due procedure and without any expert study of impact on the environment. </p>.<p>This will result in additional ash generation when already generated ash is not being utilised and environmental degradation will increase manifold, it said.</p>.<p> “The main reason, according to the impugned notification, is the need for utilization of domestic coal on account of unprecedented Covid-19 pandemic. Such reason, even if valid and compelling, should not override all the environmental considerations,” the plea said. </p>
<p>The National Green Tribunal Thursday directed the Centre to file its response on a plea challenging a government notification permitting the use of coal with ash content higher than permitted earlier in thermal power plants.</p>.<p>A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Adarsh Kumar Goel asked the Ministry of Environment and Forests, the Ministries of Coal and Power and the Central Pollution Control Board to clarify its stand within two months by e-mail.</p>.<p>“The applicant may furnish a set of papers to MoEF, CPCB and Ministries of Coal and Power and file an affidavit of service within a week,” the bench said, while posting the matter for hearing on January 8 next year.</p>.<p>The tribunal was hearing a plea filed by a trust, Say Earth, against Notification dated May 21, 2020 issued by the MoEF under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, permitting the use of coal with ash content higher than permitted earlier.</p>.<p>The environment ministry in May decided that it will no longer regulate the ash-content of coal used by thermal power plants and issued a notification that overturned its January 2014 regulation that made it mandatory for all coal-based power plants located 500 kilometres or more from the pit-head or coal mine to use raw or blended or beneficiated coal with no more than 34 per cent ash content.</p>.<p>Under the new notification, thermal power plants will be able to use coal irrespective of ash content and will be liable for proper disposal of coal ash and meeting emission standards set by the apex pollution monitoring body.</p>.<p>The plea stated that the Thermal Power Plants (TPPs) are the largest fresh water withdrawing industry and also account for 60 per cent of the total industrial emissions of particulate matter. </p>.<p>“Such emissions are more by the TPPs using coal with high ash content and to remedy the situation, MoEF has issued notifications from time to time restricting use of coal with ash content beyond specified extent, laying down standards of emissions of Sulphur Dioxide (SO2), Oxides of Nitrogen (NOx), Mercury (HG) emission and 100 per cent fly ash utilisation by December 31, 2017,” the plea said.</p>.<p>The petition claimed that the impugned notification has been issued without following the due procedure and without any expert study of impact on the environment. </p>.<p>This will result in additional ash generation when already generated ash is not being utilised and environmental degradation will increase manifold, it said.</p>.<p> “The main reason, according to the impugned notification, is the need for utilization of domestic coal on account of unprecedented Covid-19 pandemic. Such reason, even if valid and compelling, should not override all the environmental considerations,” the plea said. </p>