The Supreme Court has declined to block a Biden administration rule requiring closed coal plants to prevent toxic coal ash from contaminating nearby groundwater. The court denied an emergency request from the East Kentucky Power Cooperative, which argued that compliance would be costly. The ruling does not indicate the rule’s legality but leaves the decision to lower courts.
In a separate matter, the Supreme Court declined to intervene in a case involving Hawaii’s gun laws. Justices Thomas, Alito, and Gorsuch criticized the state court’s ruling, but the case was not taken up as it involved unresolved charges. The court also rejected a challenge to a federal law preventing gun possession by individuals with a domestic violence restraining order.
