Girl Scouts to press EPA on coal ash

Some Central Illinois residents are heading to the nation's capitol to call on the EPA. They want to keep strict regulations on coal ash in place. The toxic waste comes from coal plants and can seep into groundwater if left unmonitored. It's turned up in the Vermilion River and now, environmentalists fear it'll happen more often if rules change. Not only environmentalists are concerned. Some young Girl Scouts are also taking up the fight. They may be young, but they know exactly what coal ash is and the threat it poses to the environment and their health. "I want to be an environmental lobbyist." It's something 7th grader Amelia Hopkins has known since kindergarten and Girl Scouts is giving her a head start. Her decorated sash is proof, but now she's stepping things up a notch. Monday, she and her younger sister are heading to D.C. to speak before the EPA. The agency is considering the rollback of a 2015 Obama-era regulation lowering standards for the clean up and disposal of coal ash. It leaves it up to states to enforce the rules. For Amelia, it could be bad news for summer camp at Lake Springfield...MORE