Hoosiers Call on EPA Not to Weaken Coal Ash Rules at Public Hearing

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INDIANAPOLIS — Today, Hoosiers turned out to speak against toxic coal ash pollution at the EPA’s public hearing on Indiana’s proposed Coal Ash permitting program, which would allow the state to disregard federal protections for communities in favor of statewide rules that would provide fewer safeguards.

The EPA is also proposing to approve the Indiana Department of Environmental Management’s (IDEM) application without considering IDEM’s track record of allowing dangerous coal ash contamination.

Indiana is home to more coal ash dumps than any other state. Over 100 coal ash landfills and ponds at more than 20 plant sites contain approximately 134 million cubic yards of toxic coal ash — the equivalent to a football field piled nearly 12 miles high with coal ash, twice as high as Mount Everest.

In response, Sierra Club released the following statements:

Nicole Chandler, Southwest Indiana Beyond Coal Organizer: “My home, Evansville, Indiana, lies right along the Ohio River — one of the most polluted rivers in the country. With Evansville being in the heart of Indiana coal country, we’ve become an environmental sacrifice zone: negative health outcomes from polluted air, water, and soil all harm my community. Indiana’s coal ash regulations are even less stringent than federal rules. If the EPA approves IDEM’s proposal, there could be coal ash dumps that continue leaking indefinitely if IDEM doesn’t act fast enough. We need the EPA to make sure coal ash rules protect our communities, not make it easier for coal plants to pollute.”

Megan Anderson, Senior Campaign Coordinator, Beyond Coal: “Hundreds of Hoosiers near coal ash dumps are on well water, making getting regulations right a matter of life and death. The EPA is derelicting its duties if the agency approves of Indiana’s inadequate coal ash program that leaves Hoosiers and our environment vulnerable to further coal ash contamination.”