Christine Nannicelli, christine.nannicelli@sierraclub.org, 508-740-9202
Peoria, IL - On the heels of the widely publicized release of a report on pervasive groundwater contamination at Illinois’ coal ash sites, and inaction from Governor Rauner’s Illinois EPA, Sierra Club filed a lawsuit against Texas-based Vistra Energy for ongoing and repeated violations of Illinois water quality standards at three of its Illinois coal plants.
“Our rivers, our lakes, our groundwater--they are one water and coal ash is a dire threat to that valuable resource. We must have our state agencies protect Illinois communities and hold companies like Vistra accountable for the pollution they leave behind. Our waters give life to our communities and Illinois’s coal ash crisis will impact generations unless something is done,” said Jo Lakota, a resident that lives near Vistra’s E.D. Edwards coal plant outside Peoria.
The coal plants named in the lawsuit are E.D. Edwards Generation Plant near Peoria, Coffeen Power Station in Montgomery County, and Joppa Steam Plant in Massac County. Monitoring wells at each of these sites have recorded exceedances of legal standards for dangerous pollutants including arsenic, boron, cadmium, chloride, cobalt, iron, lead, lithium, manganese, sulfate, and total dissolved solids. Sierra Club’s lawsuit alleges that Vistra’s coal ash impoundments are causing or contributing to Vistra Energy’s self-reported violations of public health protections for groundwater.
“The bottom line is that Illinois has a coal ash crisis. 90% of the coal ash impoundment sites in Illinois that we have data for are showing pervasive and ongoing groundwater contamination,” said Christine Nannicelli, Senior Campaign Representative for Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal Campaign. “Unfortunately the Rauner Administration turned a blind eye to these serious violations, so people are taking this action to protect their communities.”
Millions of tons of coal ash, generated by the State’s coal-fired power plants, has been stored in primarily unlined ponds and landfills near the plants for decades. This toxic byproduct of burning coal continues to flow into groundwater, rivers, and lakes all over the State, including the Middle Fork of the Vermilion River, Illinois’ only National Scenic River.
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3 million members and supporters. In addition to helping people from all backgrounds explore nature and our outdoor heritage, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.