Coal-fired power plants are, for the first time, telling the EPA whether their coal waste is seeping into groundwater, potentially providing fuel for lawsuits.
Utilities that own coal ash ponds and landfills are reporting the results of last year’s groundwater contaminant monitoring tests, as mandated by the Environmental Protection Agency. But if the reports show that the utilities are contaminating the environment, that could open them up to lawsuits from environmental groups and others, according to Lisa Hallowell, senior attorney at the Environmental Integrity Project.
“It’s going to be a very important enforcement tool for us,” Hallowell told ...