Former President Trump’s decision to weaken regulations on coal ash has been rolled back by President Biden, in a clear move to put the environment back on the country’s agenda.
In late July, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it would strengthen certain limits for coal plants that use steam to generate electricity.
During his administration, President Obama had introduced regulations to limit contamination of water sources like streams, lakes and underground aquifers, a move then overturned by Trump.
On his first day in office, Biden signed an executive order directing the EPA to review all regulations and policies undertaken by the previous administration and rescind or revise any that do not protect public health and the environment; this recent decision is a part of that larger decision.
EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan says the agency “determined that moving forward with implementing the existing regulations would ensure that water resources are protected now, while we quickly move to strengthen water quality protections and further reduce power plant pollution that can contain toxic metals such as mercury, arsenic, and selenium”.
Dry Cargo International