EPA proposes stricter regulations on toxic coal ash from power plants

The EPA plans to force some utilities to clean up older piles of toxic coal ash at their power plants to prevent contamination of groundwater.
The proposed rule follows a legal petition by environmental groups last August asking the EPA to end exemptions to its 2015 coal ash rule.
The new proposal requires the safe management of coal ash that has been dumped in areas that are currently unregulated.
Coal ash contains hazardous pollutants including arsenic, chromium, lead, and mercury, which have been linked to cancer, heart and thyroid disease and other illnesses.
The rule comes just days after the EPA proposed what could become the first-ever rules aimed at curbing carbon dioxide from new and existing power plants.