The Supreme Court has decided not to block a Biden administration rule designed to stop toxic waste from old coal plants from leaking into nearby groundwater.
According to The Hill, the court rejected an emergency request from the East Kentucky Power Cooperative, which wanted to pause the rule while legal challenges play out. The justices didn’t provide an explanation for their decision, and there were no recorded dissents.
This ruling doesn’t mean the court agrees the rule is legal—it just means they’re not stepping in before lower courts have weighed in.
The rule targets “coal ash,” a hazardous byproduct of coal plants that contains harmful substances like mercury and arsenic. It requires coal plants that shut down before October 19, 2015, to take steps to prevent coal ash from leaking out of storage ponds.
