Protect Our Communities: Speak Out Against Dangerous Coal Pollution Rollbacks

Re: Proposed Rule, Hazardous and Solid Waste Management System: Disposal of Coal Combustion Residuals From Electric Utilities; Legacy/CCRMU Amendments, Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OLEM-2020-0107

Dear Administrator Zeldin: I am writing to urge you to maintain strong federal coal ash protections and preserve the 2024 Legacy CCR Surface Impoundments Rule to ensure cleanup of hundreds of dirty and dangerous coal ash sites across the country. Coal ash contains mercury, cadmium, chromium, and arsenic – pollutants linked to cancer, neurological damage, and serious illness. Over 90% of coal ash disposal sites contaminate groundwater, and even the industry’s own data shows widespread pollution above EPA health standards, threatening drinking water for millions of Americans. This proposed rule guts the safeguards communities depend on. It weakens cleanup and closure requirements, creates loopholes that let polluters avoid monitoring and corrective action, and eliminates the requirement to prove that dumping massive amounts of coal ash on land is safe. These rollbacks put public health at risk to benefit the corporations that made the mess in the first place. Investor-owned electric utilities profited from burning coal for decades. It's time they clean up their mess. Limiting enforcement flexibility and allowing site-by-site carveouts enables ongoing contamination to go unchecked – leaving neighboring communities to live with poisoned water and air while polluters escape accountability. Our communities deserve clean air and clean water. President Trump promised to have the backs of working Americans. EPA should deliver on that promise – not carry water for the coal industry that created this coal ash crisis. Thank you for considering my comments.