A new bill—H.B. 756— that would require disposal of coal ash or combustion residuals (CCR) to be as rigorous as municipal solid waste (MSW) was introduced by Rep. Robert Trammell (D) in the Georgia legislature on January 14, 2020.[1] In December 2019, Georgia became the second state allowed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to run its own coal ash permitting program which will allow the state flexibility in how it cleans up the toxic waste. Georgia Power's current plans for closing its ash sites includes leaving CCR in unlined ponds. By contrast, MSW in Georgia is disposed in landfills with both bottom liners and collections systems for leachate.

Recently, concerns over the risk of groundwater contamination have grown and a number of states have mandated coal ash cleanup. North Carolina, for example, ordered Duke Energy to excavate roughly 72.5 million metric tons of CCR.[2] There has been no such order in Georgia, though a 2018 report on the coal-fired power plants in the state found that groundwater was contaminated near all but one site.

[1] http://www.legis.ga.gov/Legislation/20192020/187853.pdf

[2] https://news.duke-energy.com/releases/duke-energy-north-carolina-regulators-and-environmentalists-reach-agreement-to-permanently-close-all-remaining-ash-basins-in-north-carolina