Puerto Rico Residents Battle Toxic Coal Ash Contamination as EPA Regulations and Fossil Fuel Lawsuits Emerge.

Energy News Weekly is reporting on the stories of Puerto Rico residents who have been fighting toxic coal ash contamination for decades. The EPA did not specifically regulate coal ash until 2015, and those regulations don’t cover the coal ash used in roads like that in Salinas. In addition to the EPA’s new rules requiring groundwater testing and safer storage and disposal methods, General Motors has agreed to include electric vehicle battery manufacturing under its main agreement with the UAW, leading the union to pause expansion of its strike against the Big Three automakers. Fossil fuels are fighting back as federal courts decide to hear states’ and cities’ lawsuits seeking to hold fossil fuel companies liable for climate change damages, oil and gas giants look to get the cases thrown out.