DENVER (AP) -- A public hearing on whether the Environmental Protection Agency should regulate coal ash disposal under rules for hazardous waste has drawn more than 100 speakers.
Some power producers at the hearing Thursday in Denver said they fear regulating coal ash as hazardous would discourage companies from using it in roads or roofs, even though the EPA has said it doesn't want to block those uses.
Meanwhile ranchers from New Mexico and Montana who live near coal ash waste ponds say they're worried about their health. They say it's time for federal regulation.
Concerns over disposal of coal ash gained urgency after a huge spill at a Tennessee Valley Authority plant in 2008.
The EPA plans more hearings before making a decision.
