U.S. EPA Power Plant Effluent Rule Allowed to Go Into Effect
On October 9, 2024, the Eighth Circuit refused to block new U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) wastewater limits for coal-fired power plants. In Southwestern Electric Power Co., et al v. EPA, et al, multiple states, trade groups, and utility companies challenged EPA’s May 2024 Supplemental Effluent Limitations Guidelines and Standards for the Steam Electric Power Generating Point Source Category (ELG Rule).
U.S. EPA Proposes New Wastewater Discharge Limits for Coal-Fired Power Plants
On Wednesday, March 8, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed more stringent effluent limitations guidelines and standards for coal-fired power plants, which it estimates will cost $200 million annually while reducing pollutant discharges by approximately 584 million pounds per year. The proposed guidelines and standards update those published in 2015 and 2020 and focus on limiting the migration of toxic metals such as selenium, mercury, and arsenic to drinking water, recreational water, and aquatic life from the following types of wastewaters generated by coal-fired power plants: flue gas desulfurization wastewater, bottom ash transport water, and combustion residual leachate. The proposal includes additional standards for legacy wastewaters previously discharged to surface impoundments.
