Cleaning Up Coal Ash
For well over a century, power plants across the country have burned coal to generate electricity. And for just as long, leftover coal ash has been dumped in open, unlined pits near the power plant, usually located on a river or lake. Every year, U.S. power plants produce 130 million tons of coal ash, which is the second largest waste stream in the country after municipal garbage.
Coal ash concentrates the toxic heavy metals found in coal, including arsenic, mercury, lead and selenium. Stored in unlined, wet impoundments, coal ash has been leaking these toxics into our groundwater and surface waters for years. Sometimes these impoundments collapse — with disastrous results.
Yet government regulations for coal ash management are either non-existent or sparse, and there is little enforcement of the regulations that do exist. In North Carolina, this lack of oversight — and the complicity between state regulators, elected officials and Duke Energy — came to a boiling point in February 2014 when one of Duke’s coal ash impoundments spilled 39 million tons of ash into the Dan River.
Citizens living near North Carolina’s 33 coal ash impoundments — all of which have leaked — have fought for transparency from Duke and the state, and for cleanup of the pollution that threatens their property value, health and family. Their actions forced this issue into the headlines of news networks and to the forefront of environmental justice conversations in the United States.
Appalachian Voices stood with these communities as we worked for years to compel Duke Energy and the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality to excavate coal ash from all the North Carolina sites and dispose of it either in lined, dry landfills, away from waterways, or by recycling it for concrete or other uses, provided it’s done in a manner that protects public health and the environment.
On Jan. 2, 2020, North Carolina announced a historic settlement with one of the state’s most powerful corporations and polluters, Duke Energy. The settlement requires Duke to move nearly 80 million tons of toxic coal ash at six of its power plants to properly lined landfills onsite or recycle it.
Learn information about specific coal ash impoundments in the South, including health threats and safety ratings:
Additional Resources
Fact sheets, videos, links to academic research, and more
Sign Up to Act
Help us protect the health of our communities and waterways.
Latest News
Trump administration decision to deny the science of climate change puts communities at increased risk
Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced that it will issue a final rule on Thursday attempting to dramatically limit its responsibility to regulate the pollution that causes climate change, which is worsening dangerous flooding events, extreme droughts and heat waves throughout Appalachia and beyond.
Tennessee Valley Authority goes back on commitment to retire dirty coal plants
In an extremely disappointing reversal, the Tennessee Valley Authority announced it is planning to keep its Kingston and Cumberland coal plants operating for the foreseeable future, blowing by its upcoming deadlines to close the polluting facilities.
Rural Rally for Safe Water at West Virginia Capitol on Feb. 16
On Feb. 16 at 10 a.m., the faith-based coalfield organizing and advocacy group From Below will host a press conference in front of the House Chamber and rally advocating for the introduction and passage of the Coalfield Clean Water Act Bill.
Appalachian Voices releases platform for ‘Ensuring an Affordable, Transparent and Accountable Tennessee Valley Authority’
Appalachian Voices unveiled its “Ensuring an Affordable, Transparent, and Accountable Tennessee Valley Authority” policy platform to give regional and federal leaders and lawmakers a framework for policies to ensure the nation’s largest federally owned utility and regional economic driver can continue to provide affordable, safe and reliable electricity while building trust with the people it serves.
What’s next for TVA?
TVA’s board of directors now has a quorum and can get back to business as usual. With the reintroduction of a controversial board nominee, its long-term energy plan in flux and transparency bills pending in Congress, what is next for this public power provider?
Bob Egbert: A Life of Service and Environmental Advocacy
A Navy veteran, community activist and lifelong environmental advocate, Bob Egbert has spent decades working to protect Virginia’s environment and to strengthen citizen engagement in government.
