On Thursday, May 18, 2023, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed new regulatory requirements for inactive coal combustion residuals (CCR) surface impoundments at inactive electric generating units. EPA had promulgated standards for new and existing CCR landfills and surface impoundments that exempted inactive surface impoundments at inactive facilities in April 2015. However, in August 2018, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit vacated the exemption and remanded the issue to EPA after environmental nongovernment organizations objected to the treatment of inactive impoundments at inactive facilities that may still pose a risk of introducing toxic substances into ground and drinking water.

(more…)