Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) released the following statement today applauding the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) series of actions aimed at protecting Americans from toxic coal ash:
“Coal ash pollution is an insidious public health threat and I applaud the Biden Administration for taking decisive action to protect Americans from exposure to this toxic substance. Coal ash has contaminated drinking water and endangered lives in communities across the nation for far too long, but today’s announcement is a commitment to turn the tide. With this announcement, EPA will begin the process of closing unlined coal ash ponds to prevent contamination from seeping into groundwater. It also lays the foundation for further regulatory action and puts polluters on notice.
“Nowhere is this news more welcome than in our environmental justice communities, who have borne the brunt of exposure and deserve immediate remediation. I join them in celebrating this action and look forward to continuing to work with the Biden EPA to eliminate toxic coal ash exposure once and for all.”
EPA’s announcement includes a notice of violation for the Applied Energy Systems (AES) coal plant in Guayama, Puerto Rico – a twelve story tall coal ash site that causes particularly devastating contamination when hurricanes and severe storms hit the island. The Committee held an environmental justice hearing last Congress that examined the impact the AES site was having on frontline communities.
