The Valmont power station east of Boulder remains a high-profile example of cleanupchallenges at older sites
The Environmental Protection Agency has proposed changes to federal coal ash regulations that would give utilities and state authorities more site-specific options for managing the toxic byproducts of coal-burning power plants at disposal sites created prior to federal regulation.
But some environmental groups worry the changes would weaken longstanding safeguards and delay cleanups at contaminated sites.
The proposal would revise parts of the coal combustion residuals framework. Officials said the revisions address practical compliance challenges at older disposal sites, promote reuse of the material in products such as concrete, and allow decisions tailored to conditions at individual locations…