HOUSTON: Sixteen coal ash pits in Texas are leaking contaminants, including arsenic, boron, cobalt and lithium, into groundwater, according to a report released on Thursday by the Environmental Integrity Project (EIP).
Coal ash is the residue left after coal has been burned to generate power, and can include sludge from plant exhaust stacks. Coal ash is placed in pits or ponds next to coal power plants.
The report from the national environmental group also said a federal rule governing coal pits would not prevent groundwater contamination.
"A history of weak regulatory oversight has led to this problem, and only a stronger regulatory framework can fix it," the report said. "Unfortunately, neither the federal Coal Ash Rule nor Texas's proposed coal ash program rise to that challenge."
US President Donald Trump has pushed for looser regulations for coal plants as part of a campaign pledge to boost coal production.
A 2016 federal law allows states to develop their own coal ash regulations. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality issued a draft coal ash program in August.
The EIP was one of three environmental organizations that asked a federal court in September to invalidate a coal ash program adopted by the state of Oklahoma.
In a Thursday news conference, Abel Russ, an attorney and co-author of the report, said Texas may face a legal challenge to its coal ash program.
"If the Texas rule is weaker than the federal standard, it's safe to assume there will be a legal challenge," Russ said.
A spokeswoman for the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality was not immediately available to discuss the proposed coal ash program.
Three of the power plants covered by the EIP report were shuttered in 2018, but the coal ash pits remain.
Texas receives 24 percent of its electrical power from coal.
Comments
Comments are closed for this article.