Christine Ho, christine.ho@sierraclub.org
Washington, D.C. – Today, the United States Supreme Court denied big polluters’ request to pause historic safeguards that would hold the coal industry accountable and improve public health for communities across the country.
In April, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized the first-ever legacy coal ash rule that closed a loophole and finally required coal-burning power plants to extend their cleanup efforts to ponds and landfills left to leak after the plant retired and ash dumped outside of marked landfills. At the time of the announcement, at least 320 coal plants were taking advantage of this loophole and leaving behind dangerous toxins in their communities.
Coal ash contains multiple hazardous pollutants, metals, carcinogens, and neurotoxins, which are linked to health conditions like cancer, heart and thyroid disease, and reproductive failure, and can inflict permanent brain damage on children. Utilities often dispose of coal ash by dumping it in unlined ponds, landfills, and mines where toxic pollution such as mercury, lead, and arsenic can leak into groundwater.
Shortly after the EPA’s announcement this spring, coal companies and Republican-controlled states took legal action in an attempt to continue shirking responsibility for their coal-burning practices. Last month, a panel of judges on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously denied their request to pause implementation of these critical safeguards.
In response, Sierra Club Chief Energy Officer Holly Bender released the following statement:
“For too long, the coal industry has left communities to suffer from the negative health effects of coal ash exposure. The EPA’s legacy coal ash rule will protect the health and well-being of everyday Americans by preventing big polluters from walking away from the damage they cause and requiring them to address the threat to our health that coal burning poses.
“We are pleased to see that the Supreme Court has allowed this rule to stay in place, and we are prepared to fight against any future attempts to walk back the progress we have made. Our communities have waited long enough for justice. They deserve to live healthy, safe lives, free from the devastating effects of coal plant pollution.”
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About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.