Groups sue Environmental Protection Agency over coal ash

By TRAVIS LOLLER
Associated Press

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A coalition of environmental groups is suing the Environmental Protection Agency over its refusal to regulate some older coal ash dumps. A lawsuit filed in federal court in Washington D.C. on Thursday seeks to compel the EPA to review and revise regulations plaintiffs say are “inadequate to protect human health and the environment.” The suit specifically cites a rule exempting some older landfills from regulation. The plaintiffs estimate there are around 300 landfills in 38 states that are exempt from regulation, including groundwater monitoring. The lawsuit says that newer, regulated landfills have reported unsafe levels of arsenic and other chemicals in nearby groundwater.