New Wastewater Guidelines , Are Forcing Coal-Fired , Power Plants to Close.<br />FOX reports that some coal-fired power plants in the <br />United States have been forced to shut down due <br />to stricter pollution controls on their wastewater. .<br />According to state regulatory filings, dozens of plants <br />across the country have decided to stop burning coal as <br />a result of more stringent federal wastewater guidelines. .<br />The new rule requires power plants to clean coal ash and toxic heavy metals from wastewater before its dumped into streams and rivers. .<br />According to the Environmental Protection <br />Agency, the new guidelines will affect <br />75 coal-fired power plants in the U.S. .<br />According to the Environmental Protection <br />Agency, the new guidelines will affect <br />75 coal-fired power plants in the U.S. .<br />The Sierra Club states that at least <br />26 plants in 14 states have already said<br />they will have to stop burning coal. .<br />21 of those plants reportedly plan <br />to shut down, while five said that they may switch to natural gas. .<br />The free ride these plants have been <br />getting is ending in a lot of ways. , Zack Fabish, Sierra Club lawyer, via FOX.<br />And them choosing to retire by 2028 <br />probably reflects the reality that <br />a lot of the subsidies they have been <br />getting in terms of being able to dump <br />their wastewater into the commons, <br />they are not going to be able <br />to do that in the future. , Zack Fabish, Sierra Club lawyer, via FOX.<br />The EPA estimates that the new guidelines will reduce <br />the discharge of pollutants into the nation's waterways <br />by approximately 386 million pounds per year. .<br />The EPA estimates that the new guidelines will reduce <br />the discharge of pollutants into the nation's waterways <br />by approximately 386 million pounds per year. .<br />Meeting those guidelines will reportedly cost plant operators about $200 million per year collectively.
