Illinois lawmakers are eyeing a bill that would force the owner of a decommissioned generating station on the shores of Lake Michigan to clean up all the coal ash left behind.
Coal ash, the byproduct created when plants burn coal for power, contains potentially dangerous materials like arsenic, mercury and cadmium that can endanger nearby water supplies. Since coal-fired power plants use a lot of water to keep their equipment cool, they’re often near bodies of water like Lake Michigan — including Midwest Generation’s now-decommissioned generating station in Waukegan.
Those coal ash ponds are on the south end of the property, just a few hundred feet from Lake Michigan. Midwest Generation’s owner, NRG, only wants to address the two ponds. Advocates note there’s also a landfill on site. In a statement to WTTW News, plant owner NRG defended its plans to cap one pond and remove the ash from another.
The Illinois Environmental Regulatory Group agrees, telling WTTW News in a statement that lawmakers should let a coal ash law passed two years ago play out: “regulations are still in development and the existing regulations have not been in place long enough to assess their effectiveness.” That’s why Earthjustice led a lawsuit against the EPA aimed at forcing the agency to regulate all coal ash landfills. Cassel said the carcinogenic and neurotoxic material in the ash can seep into groundwater, and that many ponds and landfills may not be structurally sound.
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