News Tip: EPA easing of coal ash resrictions could endanger public water sources, Duke expert says

EPA’S Relaxed Coal Ash Rules Will ‘Increase Risks for Contamination,’ Expert Says

Professor Avner Vengosh can discuss the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s decision this week to relax Obama-era rules on coal ash storage. The Obama administration sought to phase out these storage practices by April 2019. 

Quotes:
“The EPA’s new ruling will prevent adequate monitoring and increase the risks for contamination of nearby drinking water wells. This ruling comes in spite of strong scientific evidence about the contamination of groundwater by leaking coal ash ponds,” said Avner Vengosh, professor of geochemistry and water quality at Duke University.

“Reducing the safeguards put into place as part of the federal 2015 Coal Ash Rule could severely exacerbate the environmental effects associated with coal ash storage and disposal. The current EPA administration is losing its credibility to protect communities and public health as it continuously chooses to ignore scientific evidence.”

Bio:
Avner Vengosh is professor of geochemistry and water quality at Duke’s Nicholas School of the Environment. His lab has been investigating the environmental impact of coal ash disposal since 2008 and has published 13 peer-reviewed studies on it. He presented scientific testimony on coal ash disposal to Congress in 2009, and also presented testimony on the EPA’s new rules at a public hearing in April of this year.

For additional comment, contact Avner Vengosh at vengosh@duke.edu. (Vengosh is in Iceland conducting research and it may take him a little while to respond to your emails.)