The USEPA recently announced that coal-ash regulations that were passed in 2015, but not enforced from 2016-2020, will now be enforced. Coal-fired power plants will no longer be allowed to dump waste coal-ash into unlined ponds and utilities must soon provide plans to close unlined ponds. Coal-ash is toxic due to high concentrations of heavy metals (cadmium, arsenic, mercury) and natural radioisotopes from the coal that was burned. Numerous spills and leakages from ash ponds have caused serious environmental damage and contamination of surface/groundwaters in the U.S. There are about 500 unlined ash ponds in the U.S., which receive millions of tons of coal-ash each year, and millions more tons are land-filled yearly. MN has 21 coal-ash ponds at 7 coal-fired plants, while the remaining 10 coal plants land-fill their ash waste. Fifteen of these ponds are at least 30 years old and probably are not lined with impermeable membranes, and they may not have leachate collection systems.

Source: US News: 1/11/22; Earthjustice