The Center for Biological Diversity, a nonprofit group focused on environmental protection, has recently filed a lawsuit against Brunner Island, LLC, as well as Talen Energy Group, for alleged violations of regulations around coal ash at the Brunner Island power plant. The lawsuit claims that the company failed to comply with regulations meant to prevent coal ash from contaminating groundwater or nearby waterways. The result is a potentially increased risk of people being exposed to heavy metals and other toxins, which can be harmful to anyone exposed to them.
What is This Lawsuit About?
According to the lawsuit, the Brunner Island Steam Electric Station, a coal-fired electric plant located in York Haven, PA, violated federal law by failing to conduct testing and inspections at one of its coal ash basins. As a result, there is evidence to show that Basin 5 has been leaking pollutants into the nearby groundwater, including certain heavy metals. The lawsuit also claims that Brunner Island has failed to publicly disclose information about groundwater testing, inspections, or corrective actions, as required by law.
What Laws Were Allegedly Broken?
The Environmental Protection Agency requires coal-fired power plants to sequester coal ash generated from burning coal in special basins, in order to prevent the ash from contaminating the local environment. They are also supposed to conduct regular testing of the groundwater to ensure these basins are not breached, and to take remedial measures to stop any leaks when they are detected. The lawsuit claims that Brunner Island has failed to comply with these measures, and has avoided its disclosure requirements to prevent it from becoming publicly known.
What Are the Dangers of Coal Ash?
Coal ash is an environmental pollutant created whenever coal is burned, and which can contain a number of potentially dangerous substances. These may include heavy metals like lead, mercury, cadmium, and arsenic, which can have severe health consequences for anyone who breathes it in or ingests it, such as from contaminated water sources. Testing of nearby water wells around the Brunner Island plant found elevated levels of lithium, aluminum, arsenic, molybdenum and manganese, which may indicate a breach of the coal ash basin.
Why Does This Matter?
With the Environmental Protection Agency stepping back enforcement on a number of environmental issues, it now falls to private citizens and advocacy groups to keep polluters honest. Lawsuits like these help to enforce regulations that protect people from heavy metal poisoning and other forms of toxic exposure. That is why, if you or someone you love has been exposed to toxic substances or environmental pollutants, you should speak to a lawyer with experience handling environmental law matters, who can assist you with your case.
Williams Cedar is a law firm dedicated to helping clients with personal injury, environmental law, and civil rights cases. We specialize in assisting clients who have been injured due to exposure to environmental toxins, including veterans and their loved ones. If you need legal assistance due to toxic exposure or other related matters, please give us a call at our New Jersey and Pennsylvania offices at (215) 557-0099, or visit our contact page.