An unlined coal ash pond in western Jefferson County, Alabama. A report released earlier this month found that Alabama cut environmental spending 49% between 2010 and 2024. (Lee Hedgepeth/Inside Climate News)
Fewer inspections, weaker enforcement and less oversight: Deep cuts to state budgets and at the Environmental Protection Agency are preventing regulators from fully protecting the public from pollution, according to a report released earlier this month by the Environmental Integrity Project.
The financial crisis at these agencies is occurring amid the expansion of the fossil fuel, plastics and petrochemical industries, said EIP Executive Director Jen Duggan…