By Mara Hvistendahl
...Among the surprising conclusions: (click here) the waste produced by coal plants is actually more radioactive than that generated by their nuclear counterparts. In fact, the fly ash emitted by a power plant—a by-product from burning coal for electricity—carries into the surrounding environment 100 times more radiation than a nuclear power plant producing the same amount of energy....
Scott Pruitt is the worst EPA director ever. His idea about helping business stay out of trouble with the government to prevent fines, etc., is to change the law to allow the pollution. It is immoral practice by Pruitt. It sells out the best interest of the American people to easy profits for business. He wants to allow radioactive waste to be dumped in rivers and tributaries. This is one of the reasons why.
September 19, 2017
By Ken Silverstein
...“This decision is a galling giveaway to industrial polluters, (click here) even by this Administration’s standards of pandering to industry at the expense of the public,” said Earthjustice attorney Lisa Evans, in a release. “The EPA is sending a crystal-clear message to families across the country: our job is to protect wealthy polluters, not you and your children. These toxic dumps should have been cleaned up decades ago. Americans will not stand idly by as the EPA puts their health and safety at risk—and neither will Earthjustice or our partners. We will fight for these critical safeguards.”
At present, most coal combustion residual is buried in landfills, although those sites must keep a safe distance from surface and groundwater supplies. For coal ash buried on utility grounds, the ponds need to be properly lined to keep the waste from bleeding out.
Coal power plants produce about 140 million tons of coal ash a year, at roughly 1,100 sites in 37 states. The waste contains arsenic, mercury and selenium that is harmful to human health and the environment.
