Tuesday, August 21: Coal ash - the toxic mess that remains after coal is burned at power plants - is the second largest industrial waste stream in the U.S. For decades, it has been dumped in unlined pits from which harmful contaminants make their way into surface waters and groundwaters across the country.
Today, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit agreed with Sierra Club, led by Senior Attorney Bridget Lee, and its partners that abandoned coal ash dump sites must be subject to minimum national requirements and that the U.S. EPA’s rules governing the disposal of coal ash are not stringent enough to protect human health and the environment. The court vacated parts of the rule and ordered EPA to revise the rule in a manner consistent with the ruling - that is, to account for the real risks posed by disposing of coal ash in unlined pits. In addition to upholding critical safeguards, the court’s ruling limits the ability of the Trump Administration to succeed in its attempts to weaken the rule.
Read the press release here.