Our Stories

The Latest by Lisa Evans

Senior Counsel

December 18, 2012

Congressional 'Think Tank' Exposes Flaws of Coal Ash Bill

By Lisa Evans  /  Washington, D.C. Office

The Congressional Research Service, dubbed the U.S. Congress’ ‘think tank’, recently released an authoritative analysis of S.3512 and—to the dismay of the bill’s stalwart sponsors—it’s a bust. CRS, a department of the Library of Congress and nonpartisan research tool for the House and Senate, recently weighed in definitively on the Senate and House coal ash …

November 28, 2012

Tr-Ash Talk: Legislating Disaster

By Lisa Evans  /  Washington, D.C. Office

In the aftermath of a major catastrophe, lawmakers and regulators should be held accountable to create new safety protocols to avert future disasters. Incidents like the Cuyahoga River catching fire and the Exxon Valdez oil spill prompted changes in how we protect our nation’s waters from industrial chemicals. The Buffalo Creek disaster in West Virginia …

September 27, 2012

Tr-Ash Talk: Puerto Rico Communities Seek Justice, Protection

By Andrea Delgado & Lisa Evans  /  Washington, D.C. Office

Fed up with the illegal dumping of toxic waste in their communities, a group of concerned citizens from Guayama and Salinas, Puerto Rico, Comité Dialogo Ambiental (CDA), has drawn a line in the sand. CDA will take AES Corporation—theVirginia-based energy giant—to federal court unless it meets the group’s demands and stops the dangerous dumping of toxic waste from its Guayama power plant.

September 20, 2012

Waging War On Health And The Environment

By Lisa Evans  /  Washington, D.C. Office

Officially (but ironically) titled “Stop the War on Coal Act,” H.R. 3409 actually represents the House leadership’s own elaborate and well-funded war on longstanding protections of clean air and water enjoyed by all Americans.

September 14, 2012

Groups Across U.S. Unite Against Coal Ash Bill

By Lisa Evans  /  Washington, D.C. Office

Seeking protection from unsafe dumping practices, more than 300 public interest groups from 43 states, representing millions across the nation, sent a letter this week to the U.S. Senate opposing S. 3512, the “Coal Ash Recycling and Oversight Act of 2012.” The bill, introduced last July by Sens. Hoeven (R-SD), Conrad (D-SD) and Baucus (D- …

September 5, 2012

Tr-Ash Talk: The High Price of Coal Ash Ponds

By Lisa Evans  /  Washington, D.C. Office

Each year millions of gallons of toxic chemicals flow into lakes, streams, rivers and bays from our nation’s “surface impoundments”—often referred to as “coal ash” ponds. The well-documented result is the death and mutation of fish and wildlife. Recently, two senior scientists examined the damage from those ponds and put a price on their immense …

August 28, 2012

Judge Holds TVA Liable For Kingston Disaster

By Lisa Evans  /  Northeast Office

In a stunning victory for victims of the 2008 Tennessee Valley Authority coal ash disaster, a federal judge in Knoxville, Tennessee ruled that TVA is responsible for damages caused by the massive spill. U.S. District Judge Thomas Varlan ruled that TVA’s decisions concerning the location and design of the Kingston Fossil Plant’s enormous, six-story coal …

August 2, 2012

Tr-Ash Talk: A Dangerous Trojan Horse

By Lisa Evans  /  Washington, D.C. Office

Today, Sens. Hoeven (R-SD), Conrad (D-SD) and Baucus (D-MT) introduced a new coal ash bill, the “Coal Ash Recycling and Oversight Act”  This is an amended version of the disastrous vehicle  filed last October by Conrad and Hoeven. The improvements, however, are marginal, and most are nothing more than window dressing.  The 43-page bill contains …

July 30, 2012

Tr-Ash Talk: The Summer of Coal Ash

By Lisa Evans  /  Washington, D.C. Office

Summer on Capitol Hill has been a hot one—especially for coal ash. The 11th hour removal of a devastating coal ash provision tacked onto the federal transportation bill  gave hope to thousands of communities that Congress would not turn its on public health and the environment. When the smoke cleared and President Obama signed a transportation bill …

July 5, 2012

Tr-Ash Talk: The Good And Bad Coal Ash News

By Lisa Evans  /  Washington, D.C. Office

(Note from Lisa Evans: Last week, we nearly lost the battle for Environmental Protection Agency regulations. However, thanks to the chorus of voices from affected communities and public interest groups across the nation and to the amazing work of our champions in the House and Senate, a provision blocking an EPA coal ash rule was …