Help Fight Toxic Coal Ash

[irishbobcat]

Coal power plants are by far the biggest sources of greenhouse gas emissions in this country. Their pollution is making our planet a more dangerous place to live.

But these coal plants also create a by-product waste called "coal ash."  Coal ash contains toxic chemicals like arsenic, mercury and lead that can poison the water supplies of entire communities and are known to cause birth defects and premature deaths.

The Obama Administration needs to regulate coal ash as "hazardous waste" -- and as you'd expect, Dirty Coal and their allies plan to fight these regulations tooth and nail to protect their profits.

The deadline for comments to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) about toxic coal ash is this Friday, Nov. 19th at 6PM. Tell the EPA you support cracking down on Dirty Coal and their dangerous coal ash.

On December 22, 2008, a ruptured ash dike at the Kingston Fossil Plant in Eastern Tennessee released 1.1 billion gallons of coal ash -- enough to fill 1,660 Olympic-sized swimming pools. The spill covered nearly 400 acres of land, causing major property and environmental damage. The sludge contained high levels of heavy metals like arsenic, lead and selenium that can cause cancer and neurological problems.

This is exactly the kind of disaster that the EPA needs to prevent in the future with tough regulations.