Over 100 people crowded the hall of a church in Broadlands, Illinois for an informational meeting on the proposed coal mine in Champaign and Vermilion Counties. The meeting, held Thursday July 8, was initiated by a local farmer and landowner, Charles Goodall of Sidell.
Charles Goodall, farmer and PRN board member
Mr. Goodall said he organized the informational meeting after attending a Farm Bureau-sponsored review of the mineral leases used by Sunrise Coal, the Terre Haute company that intends to operate the mine.
“It became increasingly clear that Sunrise Coal has been flying under the radar, trying to sign landowners one at a time while avoiding open public discussion of the many important issues raised by proposing to mine coal in an agricultural community based on highly productive, level, prime farmland,” said Mr. Goodall, “The public needs to know what Sunrise is actually planning.” {Continue Reading »}
Illlinois residents crowd in to share environmental concerns with EPA and other officials.
The people of Illinois need your help! Please take a minute to sign our VERY important petition by Friday, July 16th at noon to make sure the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) hears from the many Illinois residents whose waters are threatened by toxic coal ash waste.
Toxic ash left over from burning coal contaminates our rivers and drinking water with cancer causing carcinogens. Illinois has more contaminated sites from the improper disposal of coal ash than any other state. After decades of fighting to get this waste regulated as the hazardous material it is, we are now close to a resolution.
The USEPA has issued two possible alternatives for dealing with this ash. One alternative will allow states to escape further regulation and continue with business as usual. The second alternative will require states to take coal ash waste seriously.
Do not underestimate the power of hearings: the USEPA and other decision-makers must hear the real-life stories of people with contaminated water. Do not underestimate the power of petitions and letters to determine the hearing location!
If you ever feel like a disempowered voter who cannot affect change,
Prairie Rivers Network would like to assure you that your action right now will make a difference.
For more information about Prairie Rivers Network’s work to prevent water contamination from the coal industry, please click here.
Champaign — On Tuesday, May 4, 2010, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released long-awaited proposed national regulations for the storage and disposal of coal combustion waste (often called coal ash), the byproduct of coal-fired power plants. The agency presented two options with vastly differing approaches to handling the 4.4 million tons of coal ash that is generated each year in Illinois. Recent USEPA reports indicate that coal waste leaches hazardous pollution in much greater quantities than had been recognized previously, contributing to over 100 documented contamination sites nationwide, several of which are in Illinois. {Continue Reading »}
Well, it’s here. Rather they’re here. We have been anxiously awaiting EPA’s proposed national regulations on coal ash and are surprised to have not one, but two proposals on the table. EPA has proposed two options to regulate coal ash: a plan to classify coal ash as hazardous waste and another to regulate it as non-hazardous. The difference between the two is stark and means the difference between business as usual (over 100 environmental contamination cases nationwide and still counting) or federally enforceable standards that will protect the public and environment from the hazards of coal ash. Read more here.
There will be a 90-day public comment period during which Prairie Rivers Network will be working hard with and on behalf of Illinois citizens to make the case for EPA to adopt the most protective safeguards. Stay tuned for opportunities to get involved – we’ll need all the help we can get!
For more on coal ash waste, see our previous posts. If you haven’t already, take 8 minutes to see the YouTube video (a fact-sheet set to photos), created by the Environmental Integrity Project. Coal ash is the second largest industrial waste stream in America!
Abbott Power Plant (source: Illinois State Geological Survey)
For our friends and supporters in the Champaign-Urbana area:
Come out on Wednesday, March 10th, and support a growing partnership among Illinois clean air and water advocates as they kickoff their campaign to promote the end of burning dirty coal at the University of Illinois’ Abbott Power Plant.
Since Abbott was built in 1941, the fuel source for the plant’s boilers has changed several times as the university sought to operate the plant as economically as possible. Now, led by Students for Environmental Concerns, and joined by the Prairie Rivers Network and Sierra Club, the University is being asked to consider more than just the bottom line. Converting from coal to natural gas is an opportunity for the University of Illinois to commit on behalf Illinois citizens and taxpayers to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, disposal of toxic coal ash and harmful effects of coal mining.
Join us at the No More Coal Campaign Kickoff event!
A major new report just released by Earthjustice and Environmental Integrity Project finds new coal ash water pollution sites in 14 states, including one in Oakwood, Illinois. With these new findings and an outpouring of public comment, the White House’s Office of Management and Budget is under significant pressure to release the delayed EPA proposed rule on coal ash. Read more about this here.
