Background

Coal Ash: A Danger to the Public

Coal ash is the leftover waste from coal-fired power plants. The ash is a concentrated mix of toxic pollutants. The Environmental Protection Agency has neglected to set guidelines for disposing this waste, the nation's second largest waste stream. Ash landfills leach pollution into drinking water supplies, greatly increasing cancer risks for nearby communities. EPA has promised since 2000 to adopt ways for the power industry to properly dispose of this toxic waste, yet still has not adopted or even introduced any plans. Earthjustice and other environmental and public health organizations are fighting to protect against pollution from coal combustion waste.

View of the TVA Kingston Fossil Plant fly ash spill, appx. 1 mile from the retention pond. This view is from just off Swan Pond Road. The pile of ash in the photo is 20-25 feet high, and stretches for two miles or so along this inlet.

Photo: Brian Stansberry/Wikipedia Commons

In December 22, 2008, a dike constructed of coal ash for a coal ash sludge impoundment failed at the Tennessee Valley Authority's Kingston Fossil Plant in Harriman, Tennessee. The failure caused the release of over 1 billion gallons of toxic coal ash sludge over 300 acres. The spill poisoned nearby streams and eventually the Tennessee River with unsafe levels of arsenic, chromium, lead, and other toxic metals and chemicals. In order to prevent spills like the one that occurred in Tennessee, and other contaminations happening at dozens of similar sites across the country, the U.S. EPA needs to act immediately to regulate coal ash dumping.

On February 10, 2009, Earthjustice attorney and former EPA lawyer Lisa Evans spoke about the danger of coal ash containment sites. She was in conversation with Ben Dunham, Earthjustice environmental health policy analyst, and campaign manager Jared Saylor. Hear their recorded conversation.

See a map of coal ash locations (courtesy Center for Public Integrity).

Read Coming Clean: What the EPA Knows About the Dangers of Coal Ash - a report by Earthjustice and the Environmental Intergrity Project.
Attachment 1 | Attachment 2 | Attachment 3 | Combined Attachments 1 & 2 | EPA Blackout Document