The coal ash spill from the Duke Energy power plant in 2014 contaminated the Dan River, prompting the EPA to establish rules for coal ash disposal. These rules aimed to prevent groundwater contamination and required monitoring of disposal sites. The regulations from 2015 were found inadequate due to loopholes and minimal enforcement under the Trump administration. However, under President Biden, the EPA expanded these rules to cover all coal ash landfills, introducing reporting deadlines and remediation plans for utility companies.
The coal-fired NRG Waukegan Generating Station in Waukegan, Illinois, on September 28, 2018, faced scrutiny due to the delay in base-level reporting and monitoring.
It was the third-largest coal ash spill in U.S. history, where nearly 40,000 tons of coal ash and 27 million gallons of contaminated wastewater poured into the Dan River.
Following the Duke Energy disaster, the EPA finalized federal rules for coal ash disposal, aimed at preventing groundwater contamination with technical guidelines.
During Biden's presidency, the EPA expanded the 2015 regulations to include all coal ash landfills, requiring utility companies to report groundwater contamination by February 2026.
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