Coal ash bill likely dead on arrival in Senate

If Reid doesn’t want to move forward with it, the bill would need unanimous consent — a high bar — or a cloture motion to bypass the committee process.

The chance either of those scenarios will come to fruition are slim. 

The bill also faces a roadblock at the committee level. 

Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), who chairs the committee of jurisdiction for the bill, told The Hill she flat out opposes the coal ash measure.

“It hurts the environment. It’s a brutal piece of legislation,” Boxer, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee chairwoman, told The Hill in the Capitol.

She added that it’s “definitely not coming to the floor” because Reid “doesn’t want to bring anything up that hurts the health and safety of the people.”

Reid’s office did not return a request for comment.

Democrats in the House argued that the bill posed environmental risks by disarming the EPA’s ability to regulate coal ash, potentially freeing power plants to flout safety concerns.

The bill’s House backers, which included 39 Democrats, wanted to get in front of potential EPA rules to list coal ash as a hazardous waste, saying such a move would hinder its use in the construction industry.