The 2026 EPA Rollback: A New Toxic Gamble for WNC Watersheds?

WNC -- April 10, 2026: On April 9, 2026, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) unveiled a proposal that critics warn could dismantle a decade of progress in protecting North Carolina’s water. According to an investigative report by The Associated Press, the agency plans to roll back federal regulations that currently require utility companies to clean up entire coal properties, instead allowing them to focus exclusively on the specific pits or "management units" where ash was officially dum