The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed a significant rollback of regulations concerning the disposal of coal combustion residuals, commonly known as coal ash. This proposal, revealed on Thursday, follows the stringent rules instituted under the Biden administration aimed at reducing pollution from coal-fired power plants. Environmental advocates are raising alarms that these changes could heighten the risk of groundwater contamination and increase exposure to toxic waste. The move to revise the coal ash disposal regulations seeks to ease requirements put in place during the previous administration, which focused on stricter monitoring of groundwater and mandated that entire... [Continue Reading]
Mexico is grappling with a severe environmental crisis, described as a "toxic crisis" by a United Nations expert, who implicates the United States in contributing to this escalating situation. Marcos Orellana, the UN Special Rapporteur on Toxics and Human Rights, highlighted that Mexico has become a "garbage sink" for the US, endangering the health of Mexican communities through hazardous pollution. His statements follow an 11-day investigative mission in Mexico that revealed alarming deficiencies in environmental regulations and oversight. Orellana's assessment found that the lack of stringent environmental standards and ineffective regulatory frameworks have compounded Mexico’s pollution problem, which includes the... [Continue Reading]