New Wastewater Guidelines , Are Forcing Coal-Fired , Power Plants to Close.
FOX reports that some coal-fired power plants in the United States have been forced to shut down due to stricter pollution controls on their wastewater.
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According to state regulatory filings, dozens of plants across the country have decided to stop burning coal as a result of more stringent federal wastewater guidelines.
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The new rule requires power plants to clean coal ash and toxic heavy metals from wastewater before its dumped into streams and rivers.
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According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the new guidelines will affect 75 coal-fired power plants in the U.S. .
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the new guidelines will affect 75 coal-fired power plants in the U.S. .
The Sierra Club states that at least 26 plants in 14 states have already said they will have to stop burning coal.
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21 of those plants reportedly plan to shut down, while five said that they may switch to natural gas.
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The free ride these plants have been getting is ending in a lot of ways.
, Zack Fabish, Sierra Club lawyer, via FOX.
And them choosing to retire by 2028 probably reflects the reality that a lot of the subsidies they have been getting in terms of being able to dump their wastewater into the commons, they are not going to be able to do that in the future.
, Zack Fabish, Sierra Club lawyer, via FOX.
The EPA estimates that the new guidelines will reduce the discharge of pollutants into the nation's waterways by approximately 386 million pounds per year.
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The EPA estimates that the new guidelines will reduce the discharge of pollutants into the nation's waterways by approximately 386 million pounds per year.
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Meeting those guidelines will reportedly cost plant operators about $200 million per year collectively.