4th Circuit rejects utility's bid to 'coordinate' CWA groundwater suits

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit will not coordinate two cases that both test whether the Clean Water Act (CWA) applies to pollution leaks traveling through groundwater to protected surface waters, a win for Sierra Club and others who sought to keep the suits separate despite a power utility's fear it could lead to contradictory rulings. A Sept. 15 order from the appeals court denies without comment Virginia Electric Power Company's (VEPCO) request to link its case,...