September 15, 2025

Coal Ash Cleanup Cannot Wait

By Nancy Stoner, Senior Attorney

On September 12, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) heard testimony on its proposed extension of coal ash cleanup deadlines, which would leave hazardous substances from unlined coal ash pits in groundwater and nearby waterways. Coal ash contains hazardous pollutants, including arsenic, selenium, cadmium, and heavy metals linked to cancer, heart and thyroid disease, reproductive failure, and neurological harm. 

In that hearing, I testified before the U.S. EPA, urging the agency to maintain cleanup requirements for coal ash sites and to protect public health, drinking water, and the environment. 

Full Testimony 

Coal ash remains a critical issue across the Midwest Great Lakes states where ELPC works. The Great Lakes contain 21% of the planet’s fresh water supply, provide safe drinking water for 42 million people, support a $7 billion annual fishing industry, and attract millions of tourists who boost shoreline economies. Rising lake levels, as highlighted in ELPC’s recent climate change report update, put the Great Lakes at risk of coal ash contamination.  

Complete site cleanup and closure of coal ash dumps is the only way to stop toxic pollution and protect communities like Waukegan, Illinois, that have lived with the effects of coal plant pollution for too long. 

Highlights from my testimony 

• Midwesterners live, work, and recreate near coal ash sites and are directly impacted by their pollution. 

• Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio are among the states with the most coal ash sites, many located within two miles of a Great Lake. 

• 91% of power plants with coal ash pits are contaminating groundwater with toxic substances at levels exceeding safe standards, according to the plants’ own monitoring data. 

• Some power plants want to allow “natural attenuation” (letting pits continue to leak) as a solution, despite safer alternatives such as lined pits, confined disposal, or reuse in cement that reduces greenhouse gases and safely encapsulates harmful elements. 

• ELPC is actively involved in communities fighting coal ash contamination, including the NRG Waukegan Generating Station in Illinois and Alliant Energy’s Ottumwa Generating Station in Iowa. Without the requirements of the 2015 coal combustion residuals rule, the community of Ottumwa would not have been aware of the threat to its health.  

• Rising lake levels and climate change exacerbate coal ash risks, making sites like Waukegan, Illinois, especially concerning. Discharges include antimony, arsenic, boron, cadmium, chromium, selenium, sulfate, and total dissolved solids.  

Coal ash cleanup should not be delayed. Safe water is essential for public health, recreation, and a strong economy. People’s lives are at stake, and ELPC is counting on EPA to enforce protections for communities across the Midwest. 

Nancy Stoner,

Senior Attorney

Nancy Stoner is a Senior Attorney with ELPC focused on clean water issues.

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