Businesses find it difficult to function in an on-again, off-again regulatory environment. While government rules may change from time to time, some consistency is essential.

Members of Congress should provide that clarity regarding the ash that is a residue of burning coal at power plants and other industries.

Among the most outrageous acts of President Barack Obama’s war against coal and affordable electricity was that involving coal ash. At one point, the Environmental Protection Agency revealed a plan to regulate coal ash as a hazardous material.

Had the agency proceeded, it would have forced up prices for electricity as well as a number of products, ranging from drywall to concrete, that commonly use coal ash as a material.

Doing so would have flown in the face of research indicating coal ash is not a hazardous material. Even the EPA itself, in 1993, 2000 and last December, reached that conclusion.

While the EPA’s December regulation classifies coal ash as a non-hazardous substance, EPA left the door open to change that. During a hearing by the House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee a few days ago, EPA?Assistant Administrator Mathya Stanislaus was asked about it. Stanislaus refused to say whether coal ash is viewed as a hazardous material.

Congress should provide legislation to ensure that coal ash is regulated realistically and scientifically, not at the whim of EPA officials who believe coal is a dirty word.