New Legislation a Dangerous Giveaway to Coal Industry

A coalition of environmental groups criticizes the Coal Ash Recycling and Oversight Act of 2012, claiming it lacks enforceable deadlines for closing coal ash dumps and prohibits the EPA from setting federal safeguards, thereby leaving communities near contaminated sites at risk.

• The Coal Ash Recycling and Oversight Act of 2012 is characterized as a 'sham' because it lacks enforceable deadlines for permitting or closing coal ash dumps, employs weak cleanup standards, and imposes a permanent ban on the EPA's ability to establish federally enforceable safeguards.
• Coal ash disposal has caused significant environmental and residential damage, exemplified by a December 2008 spill at the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Kingston Fossil Plant that released one billion gallons of toxic ash, destroying homes and contaminating drinking waters.
• Approximately 200 coal ash dump sites have contaminated water sources with pollutants including lead, selenium, and arsenic.

APA

Earthjustice (2012). New Legislation a Dangerous Giveaway to Coal Industry. https://earthjustice.org/press/2012/new-legislation-a-dangerous-giveaway-to-coal-industry

Chicago

Earthjustice. New Legislation a Dangerous Giveaway to Coal Industry. 2012. https://earthjustice.org/press/2012/new-legislation-a-dangerous-giveaway-to-coal-industry.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Earthjustice |title=New Legislation a Dangerous Giveaway to Coal Industry |date=3 August 2012 |url=https://earthjustice.org/press/2012/new-legislation-a-dangerous-giveaway-to-coal-industry |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{earthjustice2012new, author = {{Earthjustice}}, title = {{New Legislation a Dangerous Giveaway to Coal Industry}}, publisher = {Earthjustice}, year = {2012}, month = aug, url = {https://earthjustice.org/press/2012/new-legislation-a-dangerous-giveaway-to-coal-industry}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }