PLEASE SIGN THIS JOINT COMMENT

Dear Administrator Zeldin,

As Christians across diverse denominations, we share a core biblical mandate: to treat our neighbor as ourselves and to love one another as God loves us. Our sincere and unceasing commitment to this moral mandate prompts us to speak out strongly against the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) recently proposed amendments to the Coal Combustion Residuals Regulations. 

The proposed rule is a direct threat to our waterways and the health and well-being of our neighbors across the country, particularly the most vulnerable. One of our nation’s leading toxic industrial waste products, coal ash is linked to cancer, heart and thyroid disease, reproductive failure, and neurological harm. It is disproportionately found in the water of working class communities and communities of color, which are more likely to be located near coal plants. 

Even with existing regulations, power plant owners across the country have avoided and delayed cleaning up coal ash. As a result, an estimated 91% of coal plants are currently contaminating nearby groundwater above federal safety standards. The EPA should be working to hold the coal industry accountable for the harm it causes, not loosening the restrictions that are meant to protect our waterways from toxic pollutants. 

The mission of the EPA is to protect public health and the environment. As people of faith, we share in this mission and understand these two goods as deeply interconnected. When God’s creation is harmed, so too are God’s people. We must ensure responsible energy production, which includes proper disposal of toxic byproducts. We urge you to keep the existing coal ash regulations in place; do not adopt this rule and allow our waterways to become more polluted.

Sincerely,