Letter: Coal ash protections must remain in place

SUN JOURNAL • June 9, 2026

The Environmental Protection Agency is proposing dangerous rollbacks to coal ash protections that would endanger the health of communities across the country. Coal ash, the toxic waste produced from burning coal, contains arsenic, mercury, lead and other hazardous pollutants that are linked to cancer and serious illness. For decades, utilities dumped this waste into unlined ponds and landfills, allowing it to leak into drinking water. Strong federal safeguards put in place in 2015 and expanded in 2024, finally began holding polluters accountable. Now, those protections are being dismantled. The EPA’s job is to protect people, not corporate polluters. Speak out and demand that these safeguards remain in place. ~ Heather Keast, South Portland