Action Alerts

It’s time for power plants to finally clean up their toxic waste

What's At Stake

When coal is burned to produce electricity, a toxic waste known as coal ash is left behind.  Filled with hazardous metals and toxic pollutants such as arsenic, lithium, lead, and other carcinogens and neurotoxins, coal ash poisons our water, sickens our bodies, and kills fish and wildlife.   

Often, coal ash was placed in unlined pits or “ponds,” which may contain tens of millions of tons of dangerous waste. These pits leak toxic waste into underlying groundwater and nearby surface waters.  For too long, coal plant operators have managed to evade clean-up responsibilities at many power plant sites. 

Now after years of litigation and grassroots activism, the Environmental Protection Agency has finally closed a loophole that left half of toxic coal ash exempt from federal oversight.

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These new federal coal ash safeguards are a big win for communities near coal plants, who for decades have been living near dump sites that leak dangerous levels of toxic pollutants, putting their drinking water at great risk. The majority of coal ash dumps are located in low-income communities and communities of color.  

The EPA designated coal ash a national enforcement priority and has ramped up enforcement actions, acknowledging that there is widespread noncompliance with existing coal ash regulations. The longer industry delays, the more toxic waste enters our water, and the more difficult cleanup becomes. 

We must keep up the momentum and urge the EPA to move swiftly to enforce its rule and identify and hold power plants accountable that have evaded and delayed the cleanup of toxic coal ash. The EPA must finalize a federal permitting program for coal ash dumps to ensure proper oversight of clean up.

The companies that profited from burning coal for decades must not be allowed to walk away from hundreds of coal ash dumps leaking toxic waste into drinking water sources and our lakes, rivers, and streams.  

The aftermath of a devastating coal ash spill at the TVA Kingston Fossil Plant near Kingston, Tenn., on Dec. 22, 2008.
The aftermath of a devastating coal ash spill at the TVA Kingston Fossil Plant near Kingston, Tenn., on Dec. 22, 2008. (Tennessee Valley Authority)

Delivery to EPA Administrator Michael Regan

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Your Actions Matter

Your messages make a difference, even if we have leaders who don't want to listen. Here's why.

You level the playing field.

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What this means is each of us can take a role in shaping the rules our government creates — and ensuring those rules are fair and effective.