Dive Brief:
- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency intends to review the Steam Electric Effluent Limitations Guidelines the agency issued in 2015, which sought to limit toxic heavy metals discharged into lakes and rivers. The move is a further indication of President Trump’s efforts to roll back environmental protections put in place by his predecessor.
- In issuing the rules, the EPA estimated about 12% of almost 1,100 steam electric power plants in the United States would need to be modernized to comply. The rules aimed to reduce toxic discharge by 1.4 billion pounds annually.
- The EPA also said it is putting a hold on requiring compliance with the rule, and will also ask the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit to halt lawsuits over the rule.
Dive Insight:
Responding to a petition from The Utility Water Act Group and the U.S. Small Business Administration, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt has agreed to reconsider Obama-era limits on toxic water emissions…
