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Dear colleague,
People living near coal ash dump sites often tell similar stories of illness, poisoned drinking water supplies and environmental destruction. For decades, these massive toxic dumps, sometimes millions of gallons deep and hundreds of acres wide, have been unregulated, unmonitored and ignored.
But on Dec. 22, 2008, everything changed. That night, more than 1 billion gallons of toxic coal ash burst through a dam and flooded 300 acres in rural Tennessee. Dozens of homes were damaged or destroyed, and the Environmental Protection Agency vowed to act. Citizens just like you sent letters and made phone calls to the EPA, pleading for swift action to guarantee the safety and environment for millions of Americans living near these dangerous sites.
But, one year later, we still wait for federal oversight.
The EPA has a plan to regulate coal ash as hazardous waste, but well-funded lobbyists for the coal and power industries are blocking EPA's attempt to protect public health and the environment. They are meeting with White House officials, spreading false information about coal ash and obscuring the need for strong federal oversight.
Please take a moment to stand up for public health by calling, faxing or emailing the White House to tell them that coal ash must be immediately regulated as hazardous waste:
America has waited far too long for comprehensive protections against this toxic coal ash threat. Industry should not be allowed to flex its lobbyist muscle and stand in the way of better health and a cleaner environment.
— Earthjustice
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