EPA’s Proposals Would Allow Coal Plants to Pollute Our Water

WASHINGTON - The Environmental Protection Agency is proposing to allow coal-burning power plants to dump more toxic substances into waterways and companies to keep open unlined, hazardous coal ash ponds. 

The following is a statement from Jon Devine, director of federal water policy at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC):

“These two measures are the latest example of the Trump administration rewarding polluters at the expense of all of us who rely on clean water. These dangerous attacks on the environment and our public health cannot be allowed to stand.”

“EPA’s proposal on water discharge from power plants would expose millions of people to a toxic brew of mercury, arsenic, lead and selenium – pollutants that can cause neurological disorders and cardiovascular disease, and increase the risk of cancer. Coal plants are the largest source of these pollutants; it’s long past time to get them to clean up their act.” 

The following is a statement from Becky Hammer, deputy director of federal water policy at NRDC:

“Coal ash dumps are already leaking toxic pollution into our groundwater supplies across the country. As the dangerous spills in Tennessee and North Carolina dramatically demonstrate, these toxic dumps are contaminating our communities and harming our health. Allowing them to stay open risks causing serious harm to public health, particularly in low-income communities and communities of color.”

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The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is an international nonprofit environmental organization with more than 3 million members and online activists. Since 1970, our lawyers, scientists, and other environmental specialists have worked to protect the world's natural resources, public health, and the environment. NRDC has offices in New York City, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Bozeman, MT, and Beijing. Visit us at www.nrdc.org and follow us on Twitter @NRDC.