FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Illinois Residents Speak Out to State Officials on Coal Ash Rule
Coal Ash Disasters Across the Country Spark Fears for Illinois Residents About Toxic Coal Ash Disposal
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Illinois residents threatened and impacted by coal ash waste and local environmental leaders spoke out today at an Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) hearing on vital rules regarding how and when utilities close and clean up dangerous coal ash pits in the state of Illinois.
“Illinois has nearly 90 aging coal ash pits, many of which were built in places they never should have been – over mine voids and in floodplains of rivers,” said Traci Barkley, Water Resources Scientist with Prairie Rivers Network. “Our state can’t afford to take on the liability and expense for more groundwater contamination from ash pits or clean up after one of these toxic dinosaurs collapses into one of our rivers. Governor Quinn and our state regulators have the opportunity right now to enact rules that will prevent disaster and ensure the utilities are taking responsibility.
The hearing is the first opportunity many Illinois residents had to speak out on protecting water from coal ash dumping by polluters since this month’s coal ash disaster in North Carolina, which left local drinking water at risk from nearly 82,000 tons of toxic coal ash dumped into the Dan River.
“This rule-making can give Illinois residents an opportunity to have their say and protect their homes and families in order to prevent catastrophes like the recent coal ash spill in North Carolina,” said Andrew Armstrong, a staff attorney with the Environmental Law and Policy Center (ELPC).
Coal ash is full of heavy metals, like mercury, lead and arsenic, which can cause cancer and brain damage in humans and are harmful to fish and wildlife. State-required groundwater monitoring has revealed that coal ash contaminants have been found at every single coal-fired power plant’s ash pits in Illinois.
“The safety and protection or our water should be a top priority in Illinois, but right now we’re letting power plant operators dump toxic waste near our water sources unchecked,” said Jack Darin, Chapter Director of the Illinois Sierra Club. “The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency must enact a commonsense rule on coal ash waste, because we cannot wait for an environmental disaster to take action.”
At today’s hearing, the environmental groups asked Illinois Pollution Control Board (IPCB) to require the removal of coal ash from failing pits to high and dry landfills, allow for the assessment and prevention of damage to rivers and lakes and provide more opportunity for public input. The groups will also ask that power companies be required to provide financial assurances so that taxpayers aren’t left paying the bill for coal ash disaster clean-up.
“Dynegy’s Vermillion coal plant near my home has burned its last lump of coal, but the toxic legacy of the plant lives on through its dangerous coal ash pits, which continue to harm our local water,” said Eileen Borgia of Urbana, Ill. “It is time to put the burden of pollution back on the polluters, not on communities like mine.”
Contact:
Carrie Otto, Prairie Rivers Network, cotto@prairierivers.org, 309-648-2179
Emily Rosenwasser, The Sierra Club, Emily.Rosenwasser@sierraclub.org, 312-251-1680 x119
Manny Gonzales, Environmental Law & Policy Center, MGonzales@elpc.org, 312-795-3706
