Environmental advocates in Illinois welcome the idea of Ameren shutting down coal ash ponds and cleaning up the sites.
But they’re wary of Ameren’s proposal to simply cap the ponds and allow the coal waste to remain in the ground, especially in light of data that shows the greatest risk of groundwater contamination years after disposal sites are closed.
Closure plans for these ponds must do more than just drain, cap and cover the ash pits,” Traci Barkley from Prairie Rivers Network said.
Read about Ameren’s plan for coal ash ponds in the St. Louis Post Dispatch (pdf).
Prairie Rivers Network will participate in the public process before the Illinois Pollution Control Board and will push for rules that are protective of public health and the environment.
