EPA rolls out 'strongest limits ever' on toxic wastewater from coal-fired power plants
Source: CNN Politics
CNN — The Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday proposed a new rule for regulating wastewater from coal-fired power plants that are stronger than previous rules in the Obama and Trump administrations.
“Coal-fired power plants discharge wastewater that can contain toxic metals and other pollutants that contaminate our vital water sources,” EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan told reporters Tuesday. “I’m proud to share the agency is proposing the strongest limits ever on wastewater discharges from coal-fired power plants.”
The wastewater proposal follows an announcement in January that the EPA plans to stop six coal-fired power plants from continuing to dump coal ash – a toxic byproduct of coal-fired electricity – into unlined ponds, which can leach into groundwater and nearby waterways. Wednesday’s proposed rule would regulate three types of wastewater generated at coal fired power plants. It also addresses wastewater stored in coal ash ponds.
Regan said the EPA estimates the strengthened rule would reduce this toxic pollution by over 580 million pounds per year. The proposed rule would largely not impact coal-fired power plants that already plan to stop burning the fuel by 2032, Assistant Administrator for the EPA’s Office of Water Radhika Fox said – since those plants would be able to comply with the rule “without significant investment.”
Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/08/politics/epa-wastewater-coal-power-plants-climate
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