Erin Brockovich, EWG wade into N.C. coal ash battle

http://m.journalnow.com/news/local/erin-brockovich-ewg-wade-into-n-c-coal-ash-battle/article_add0812f-2954-510b-9030-bcfec88b5e6f.html?mode=jqm

Erin Brockovich and the Washington-based Environmental Working Group are wading into North Carolina’s battle over the carcinogen hexavalent chromium to bolster a request the organization made years ago that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency establish a health-protective standard specific to the contaminant.

The Environmental Working Group, which describes itself as a nonprofit research and advocacy organization, and Brockovich signed a letter this week addressed to Gina McCarthy, the administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, expressing concern about the amount of time the agency has taken to determine how best to regulate hexavalent chromium.

The letter will be delivered today.

Tests commissioned by the EWG in 2010 raised awareness about the existence of hexavalent chromium in public-water supplies nationwide. The EPA subsequently started collecting data from public-water systems, including the utilities division in Winston-Salem and Forsyth County, on the contaminant, listing it as one of 30 unregulated contaminants up for study.

“States like North Carolina, where industrial byproducts like coal ash increase the risk of hexavalent chromium contamination, need a federal mandate to set strong, health-protective standards for levels of the contaminant in drinking water. Without it, states will continue to use inconsistent and potentially unsafe guidelines, and leave citizens confused about whether their drinking water is safe.” Brockovich and Ken Cook, the president of the EWG, say in the letter.

..more..