Ash Pond Newsletter: April 2021

The following is a collection of ash pond news from April 2021. The intent of the newsletter is to summarize news regarding ash pond closure activities, lawsuits filed against utilities relating to their ash ponds, as well as regulatory changes impacting ash pond operations or closures.

This downloadable, four-page newsletter provides resources and explanations of ash pond news concerning a number of topics, including: 

• Xcel Energy, Colorado’s largest energy provider, is closing all their Colorado coal-fired power plants by 2040 to reach their goal of 80% renewable energy generation in 2030 and 100% carbon-neutral electricity by 2050.
• Although Georgia Power’s total coal ash cleanup estimates are in excess of $7 billion, the Georgia Court of Appeals is negotiating with just a fraction of that, $525 million, which Georgia Power believes should be paid by its customers.
• Southern Company’s Mississippi Power subsidiary will close the last of its coal-fired power plants, Plant Daniel in Jackson County, Mississippi, as well as aging, inefficient natural gas plants, as part of its first-ever comprehensive long-term energy plan.
• The Illinois Pollution Control Broad has finalized regulations for the detection and cleanup of coal ash contamination from groundwater. The regulations provide more stringent guidelines for the closure of more than 70 ash ponds across the state.