Advocacy groups are calling on Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer to support new steps by the Biden administration to address the toxic legacy of coal ash.
That’s as utilities nationwide -- including OUC -- are calling for a federal court review of the new rules.
The rules affect coal plants nationwide, including Stanton Energy Center in Orlando. Coal ash, the waste that remains after coal is burned for electricity, is linked with many health problems.
For instance the EPA established that as coal ash ponds are closed, when utilities turn to natural gas or renewables, the toxic ash cannot be left to seep into the water table.
In Orlando, advocacy groups like the Sierra Club, NAACP and Alianza for Progress have launched an online petition calling on Dyer to withdraw OUC’s opposition to the rules.
The Orlando Utilities Commission, which operates Stanton, has unveiled a plan to phase out coal-based power production by 2027.
