JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) Federal regulators say Missouri’s plan to oversee the disposal of toxic waste from coal-fired power plants fails to adequately protect human health and the environment.
St. Louis Public Radio reports that the Environmental Protection Agency said in a letter to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources that several provisions in Missouri’s plan are weaker than the 2015 federal coal ash rule.
Some provisions allow the DNR to waive requirements for utility companies to clean up groundwater contamination or monitor groundwater for toxic chemicals if they can show that it doesn’t affect drinking-water supplies or harm the environment.
Contamination has been detected near many coal ash ponds and landfills in Missouri.
DNR officials declined to comment on the letter from the EPA.
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