AES, the parent company of AES Indiana (formerly Indianapolis Power & Light) announced today that it will exit all coal operations by 2025. Meanwhile, AES Indiana issued a supplemental statement stating that the future of the two remaining unannounced coal units at its Petersburg Super Polluter coal plant in Southwest Indiana “has not been decided.”
This morning, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced it will require utilities in several Midwestern states to clean up their coal ash waste. Coal ash is toxic waste produced by coal-burning power plants.
ATLANTA, GA-- Today, the Sierra Club filed a Motion for Reconsideration with the Georgia Court of Appeals, challenging its decision to allow Georgia Power to collect 100% of its coal ash remediation costs from customers without considering Georgia Power’s culpability in mishandling the coal ash.
CARTERSVILLE, GA — The Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) will host an online public hearing at 6 p.m. Oct. 14 on Georgia Power’s proposed plan for toxic coal ash located at Plant Bowen.
ROME, GA -- Sierra Club’s analysis of Georgia Power’s preferred closure method for Plant Hammond Ash Pond-3 (AP-3) shows it does not adequately protect against groundwater contamination, risking the water supplies near the plant and downstream.
ROME, GA -- The Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) released Georgia Power’s proposed permit to cap-in-place coal ash from Plant Hammond at Ash Pond 3, located near Rome. The draft permit allows Georgia Power to forgo excavating the coal ash and placing it in a lined pit, the safest approach to coal ash storage. Instead, Georgia Power will “cap” the coal ash in place without a liner to protect groundwater, which threatens communities near the plant.
St. Louis, MO -- The Missouri Department of Natural Resources (DNR) needs to withdraw and rewrite the draft water pollution permit for Ameren’s Labadie coal plant so it complies with the Clean Water Act (CWA). The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) should intervene if DNR refuses to enforce federal laws like the CWA. This is the message that concerned citizens will send to the DNR during a virtual public hearing for the draft permit tonight.
the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) announced its intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the retirement of the Kingston Fossil Plant in Roane County, Tennessee. Through the upcoming EIS process, TVA will identify the timeline to retire the plant’s nine coal units and options for replacement generation.
MAPLE GROVE, MN -- Yesterday, the Sierra Club, Clean Up the River Environment (CURE), Dakota Resource Council, and North Dakota Native Vote submitted a report to the Environmental Protection Agency explaining that the cost of bringing Coal Creek into compliance with coal ash storage and disposal requirements if the plant continues to operate is likely to total $35-85 million more than if the plant is retired in 2022
Springfield, IL - The Illinois Pollution Control Board’s finalization of coal ash regulations makes significant strides to rectify coal's toxic footprint in Illinois. The rules create a comprehensive framework for the detection and clean up of coal ash contamination of groundwater -- the first in the state’s history to specifically address this pollution. Not only do the new rules create a new precedent for cleaning up coal ash and restoring the environment, they make necessary improvements to public participation and environmental justice. In finalizing these rules, the Board rejected utility demands to exclude certain ash ponds from the rules and expanded transparency, demonstrating its commitment to a more fair and open process.