{"id":3890,"date":"2026-04-15T02:53:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-15T02:53:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/?p=3890"},"modified":"2026-04-17T18:55:54","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T18:55:54","slug":"sierra-club-rallies-public-engagement-as-trump-epa-rolls-back-coal-ash-rules","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatevdo.com\/?p=3890","title":{"rendered":"Sierra Club Rallies Public Engagement as Trump EPA Rolls Back Coal Ash Rules"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Millions of cubic yards of dangerous coal waste imperil North Carolina water.<\/strong><\/p>\n

RALEIGH, North Carolina<\/em> \u2014 More than 133 million cubic yards of coal ash at North Carolina coal-fired power plants, with 40.2 million cubic yards at the Duke Energy\u2019s Roxboro plant alone, could more seriously impact local waterways after\u00a0the EPA moved last week to seriously weaken rules<\/a>\u00a0that have protected waters from toxic coal ash for over a decade. In response, the Sierra Club is urging North Carolinians to share concerns at an upcoming EPA hearing and submit public comments.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is an absolutely awful idea,\u201d said\u00a0Mikaela Curry, Sierra Club Beyond Coal Campaign Manager and North Carolina Resident.\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cDuke made nearly $5 billion last year, they can more than afford to do the right thing by communities and monitor their coal ash pollution to make sure it\u2019s not poisoning people\u2019s water. \u201d<\/p>\n

The toxic byproduct of rinsing ash and residue from coal plants is a slurry containing combinations of arsenic, beryllium, boron, cadmium, cobalt, lithium, radium, selenium and molybdenum \u2014 heavy metals and other pollutants linked to cancer, heart and thyroid disease, reproductive failure. Some can even inflict permanent brain damage on children. Without stringent regulations and monitoring, these chemicals can make their way into North Carolina\u2019s precious rivers, streams, lakes and groundwater \u2014 potentially impacting drinking water.<\/p>\n

Duke Energy was\u00a0the first signatory<\/a>\u00a0on a January 2025 letter asking EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin to roll back coal ash pollution standards. Now, a year later, that same EPA is moving to oblige, which clean water advocates say would result in less accountability for Duke Energy and likely more polluted water near the utility\u2019s seventeen coal ash sites in North Carolina.<\/p>\n

Sierra Club is encouraging members, supporters, and concerned residents to submit comments and attend the public hearings hosted virtually by the EPA. Interested people can register for the virtual hearing scheduled for May 28 from 9am\u20135pm ET<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0submit comments to the EPA online here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n

About the Sierra Club<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Sierra Club is America\u2019s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person\u2019s right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action.\u00a0For more information, visit\u00a0www.sierraclub.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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