Environmentalists cheer new Illinois safeguards on coal ash
April 18, 2021
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SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Environmentalists are cheering rules that Illinois regulators have adopted to govern toxic byproducts from burning coal.
The Illinois Pollution Control Board last week approved guidelines for detecting and cleaning up harmful coal ash contamination from groundwater. They are the first rules in Illinois directed at the residue from burning coal to produce electricity.
The action creates rules for cleaning up contamination but also improves the ability of taxpayers to participate in permitting and remediation decisions, according to a statement from Earthjustice, one of five major environmental groups to participate in creating the rules. They filed more than 200 pages of technical recommendations.