WASHINGTON POST • August 31, 2020
The Trump administration on Monday weakened a 2015 regulation that would have forced coal plants to treat wastewater with more modern, effective methods in order to curb toxic metals such as arsenic and mercury from contaminating lakes, rivers and streams near their facilities. Environmental groups condemned the changes, calling them a gift to the power industry and a short-sighted decision focused only on potential costs to companies, rather than on the benefits to wildlife and to people living near coal plants. The rule was based on years of peer-reviewed studies, input from health experts and a mountain of public comments.