Missouri's Children and Those That Love Them, Demand Clean Closure of Polluting Ash Ponds

What we know:

Coal Ash poses a danger to the environment and people. Ameren wants to leave the polluting ash in place, where it caused significant groundwater pollution.

WHAT WE WANT:

1) Clean closure of all coal ash ponds/landfills unable to cerify groundwater separation and/or unlined, polluting surrounding land and/or water.

2) Internet posting of all groundwater data and important safety information easily accessible and understandable by the public.

3) No new coal ash sites in karst, sink holes, wetlands, floodplains, seismic zones.

4) Remediate polluted areas to former land uses.

5) Ongoing groundwater and surface water testing of all the pollutants in coal ash wastes and the information be made publicly available on your EPA CCR Rule compliance website

6) If and when contaminants of coal ash found in well water or bodies of water, offending utility must remediate and replace private well water with bottled water and pay for hook up to public water source.

7) Employ local labor and provide full protection for both workers and plant employees exposed to coal ash and coal ash toxins

Ameren MO has publicly stated, and regulators have reinforced, that they will likely cap and leave their polluting ash ponds in place, in floodplains sitting in groundwater. They have even suggested that the groundwater pollution may not require any treatments - that it would just wash away over time. They presented their options claiming all of them "get us to the same place" - which is just not true. The only immediate and permanent cleanup method is Clean Closure which is the removal of the waste, recycling or landfilling the waste in a safe location.

Groundwater pollution caused by leaking ash sites poses a threat for generations - our kids and their kids will pay the price if we do not clean up these sites now.

The EPA has shared that most coal ash sites pose a risk for at least 100 years. There are radioactive chemicals in coal waste that can persist 1,000 years or more. There are damage cases showing toxins like arsenic can move miles off-site. 

The risks of exposure that causes disease are greatest in children, the elderly, and those already sick. Many of these chemicals impact the immune system - the routes of exposure are through the lungs, skin, and GI tract. The risk of cancer is much higher if you live close to a coal ash site. There are 43 sites in Missouri alone, many close to communities and schools. In Labadie, there are two elementary schools within a 4 mile radius of the plant and their leaking ash ponds.

Why your comments matter most:

Existing law demands that utilities must consider public concerns and comments when choosing how to clean up the pollution they have created and when choosing a closure method. Given regulators have chosen to do very little to intervene, the Coal Ash Rule is self-implementing, and that the public knows even more about the impacts of coal ash pollution than ever before - your comments are very important. 

What you can do:

SIGN the petition

SHARE the petition

Schedule a community meeting where you live to gather public comments

Anyone can sign - no exclusions for age, residency, etc.

Want to know what your local power plant is doing to reduce the risk of damages to your water? Here is a link to all the sites in the United States that are subject to the Federal EPA Coal Ash Rule transparency and posting requirements. It is a good place to start.

EPA List of CCR Compliant Websites - With Info Plants Have to Share Under the Law: https://www.epa.gov/coalash/list-publicly-accessible-internet-sites-hosting-compliance-data-and-information-required

This site is very helpful in finding specics like volume of coal ash, size of pits, contamination found, etc.

Mapping Coal Ash Contamination website hosted by Earthjustice:
https://earthjustice.org/features/map-coal-ash-contaminated-sites

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