Ash Pond Newsletter: November 2020

The following is a collection of ash pond news from November 2020. 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, three-page newsletter provides resources and explanations of ash pond news concerning a number of topics, including: 

• Residents of Juliette, Georgia have alleged that an ash pond at Georgia Power’s Plant Scherer is polluting their drinking water.
• A recent Trump Administration rule, which weakens Obama-era requirements on coal-fired power plants, is now facing a lawsuit by environmental groups, including the Sierra Club and Natural Resources Defense Council.
• The US Court of Appeals of the Seventh Circuit heard virtual arguments regarding alleged contamination from a former Minooka, Illinois coal-fired power station, operated by Dynegy Midwest Generation.
• The governor of Montana has called for Colstrip Power Plant owners in Billings, Montana, to remove all coal ash from several toxic storage ponds on-site, with a price tag of a $285.4 million bond.
• The Georgia Water Coalition’s annual list of threats to waterways across the state, called the “Dirty Dozen” report.