WASHINGTON, Oct. 16 -- Today, former coal lobbyist and EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler finalized another rollback of clean water protections, which will allow utilities to keep dumping enormous quantities of toxic coal ash into unlined, leaking, and structurally unsound coal ash ponds -- putting tens of thousands of families at risk. With the goal of allowing coal plant owners to skirt their moral and financial responsibility to vulnerable residents, particularly pregnant women and young children, the rollback will also threaten ponds located in the groundwater, floodplains, and unstable areas.
The finalized proposal, known formally as the "Disposal of Coal Combustion Residuals Part B," will allow many unlined coal ash ponds to operate i...