Each year, the world’s coal plants generate more than 500 million tons of coal ash. Coal ash contains chemicals like arsenic, mercury and lead. It can cause cancer and developmental problems. It poisons fish and wildlife in rivers and lakes.

In some places, the ash is dumped into uncovered pits. In others, it sits behind leaky dams. It poisons the air. It destroys the water. And the corporate polluters responsible, they claim that cleaning up this toxic mess would hurt their profits. But we can’t let polluter profits triumph over public health. We have to do something to clean up this mess.