US eases Obama-era coal ash pollution rules for utilities
Source: Associated Press
Matthew Brown, Associated Press
Updated 11:18 pm CDT, Wednesday, July 18, 2018
DENVER (AP) — The Trump administration on Wednesday eased rules for handling toxic coal ash from more than 400 U.S. coal-fired power plants after utilities pushed back against regulations adopted under former President Barack Obama.
Environmental Protection Agency acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler said the changes would save utilities roughly $30 million annually.
The move represents the latest action by Trump's EPA to boost the struggling coal industry by rolling back environmental and public health protections enacted under his predecessor.
It pushes back the deadline to close problematic ash dumps and gives state regulators flexibility in how they deal with the massive waste piles that result from burning coal for electricity.
Read more: https://www.chron.com/news/us/article/US-coal-ash-pollution-rules-eased-after-industry-13085835.php
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Residents in the Romanian town of Copsa Mica in the late 1980s.
Dictator Nicolae Ceaucescu's reliance on coal, but with few environmental safeguards, gave the town and the valley around it some of the dirtiest air in the world. It has since recovered.
And neither will Trumpcescu, the way they're carrying on.
As for Copsa Mica, the coal-fired plants were shut down, and the place looks a lot better today, with lots of Old World charm:
