Environmental Groups to Sue EPA Over Coal Ash

Several environmental groups plan to sue the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), charging inadequate regulation of coal ash.

Led by New York-based Earthjustice, the groups told the EPA in a letter that they intend to sue the agency in federal court for insufficient oversight on coal ash disposal, improper testing and measurement of toxicity, and insufficient protections of ground water and surface water.

“It is well past time for the EPA to perform its duties under [the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, or RCRA] to complete a timely review and to revise regulations that fail to protect human health and the environment,” the letter stated. “Thus … we will ask the court to direct the EPA to complete its review of the regulation of coal ash as soon as possible and to determine whether revision of such regulations are ‘necessary’ to comport with the goals of the act.”

Other groups endorsing the letter besides Earthjustice were Appalachian Voices, Chesapeake Climate Action Network, Environmental Integrity Project, French Broad Riverkeeper, Kentuckians for the Commonwealth, Moapa Band of Pauites, Montana Environmental Information Center, Physicians for Social Responsibility, Prairie Rivers Network, Sierra Club and Southern Alliance for Clean Energy.