Pruitt grants home state coal ash regulation powers, enraging environmentalists

Environmental advocates say they will sue over the move.

E.A. CRUNDEN

JUN 19, 2018, 11:45 AM

Environmental organizations and activists slammed the Trump administration’s decision to grant Oklahoma the nation’s first-ever permit to regulate coal ash, citing the state’s lackluster oversight record. Critics also expressed concern that the move would put residents in danger and expose them to cancerous toxins.

Oklahoma received the green light on its efforts to self-regulate coal ash in the state on Monday, in a victory for utilities and conservative lawmakers in Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) head Scott Pruitt’s home state. The dangerous substance produced by burning coal has long served as a source of ire for environmentalists, who criticize the weak federal regulations overseeing its handling.

The state has long fought for the right to regulate its own coal ash. The Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality (ODEQ) has regulated coal ash for over 20 years using federal rules, something Monday’s announcement changes. Now, the state will be completely in charge and able to set its own rules.

Pruitt lauded the “historic” news and emphasized in a statement that it “places oversight of coal ash disposal into the hands of those who are best positioned to oversee coal ash management: the officials who have intimate knowledge of the facilities and the environment in their state.”

https://thinkprogress.org/trump-oklahoma-coal-ash-pruitt-404403f2a960-363721029a28/

Hey Pruitt you do fucking realize that the aquifers in your state and the rivers are under threat now, from your actions, because after all your home state has fucking tornadoes, and it is kinda dry country..................you really should be in jail