Environmental groups press EPA to force Georgia Power to follow federal rules for coal ash cleanup

Several Georgia environmental organizations are pressing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to enforce national standards that would prevent Georgia Power from disposing of coal ash waste in a way that pollutes groundwater.

The Southern Environmental Law Center requested this week that the EPA revoke the Georgia Environmental Protection Division’s state coal ash residuals program that’s been used to approve Georgia Power’s cleanup plans for storing toxic waste left behind by power plants after decades of burning coal for energy.

The petition was filed Thursday on behalf of the Coosa River Basin Initiative, Altamaha Riverkeeper, Chattahoochee Riverkeeper, Georgia Interfaith Power and Light, the Sierra Club and others. The petition says that state and federal environmental officials are failing to protect nearby rivers, lakes and streams and safeguard the state’s water supply.