It appears U.S. Rep. David McKinley has pulled off quite a feat.

Just a few years ago, the Environmental Protection Agency was poised to declare coal ash a hazardous waste. That would have opened the door to harsh EPA regulations that could have driven up the price of electricity and had numerous other undesirable consequences for the economy.

But McKinley, R-W.Va., grabbed that ball and ran with it, for what appears to be a touchdown.

Coal ash is a byproduct of electricity generation at coal-fired power plants. It is used for a variety of purposes, including manufacture of some construction materials. As McKinley, an engineer, pointed out, coal ash is a component of much of the concrete used to construct highways.

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