Join the Sauk-Calumet group of the Sierra Club for an online presentation on the history of coal ash in Will County.  We will also discuss upcoming public comment opportunities as the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency works to approve clean-up and closure plans for coal ash sites across Illinois.

Coal ash is the toxic waste left over after coal is burned at a power plant. It contains dangerous chemicals that can cause cancer, developmental disorders and reproductive problems. Coal ash is stored near power plants in Joliet and Romeoville.  In Joliet, for example, coal ash is stored in the Lincoln Stone Quarry, an unlined limestone quarry.  

In addition to the sites in Will County, coal ash disposal areas are near many power plants throughout Illinois. A 2018 report titled Cap and Run: Toxic Coal Ash Left Behind by Big Polluters Threatens Illinois Water issued by Environmental Integrity Project, Earthjustice, Prairie Rivers Network and Sierra Club revealed unsafe concentrations of dangerous coal ash pollutants in groundwater at 22 of 24 reporting coal ash dump sites in Illinois.  

As more coal-fired power plants close or announce closure dates, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) must review and approve coal ash clean-up and closure plans for each coal ash site.  IEPA must also develop public comment opportunities so the public can provide feedback on the proposed coal ash closure plans.  Our presentation will discuss how the public can provide this feedback to ensure coal ash is safely removed in Illinois.

The program will be held on Monday, February 14th, at 7:15 pm on the Zoom online platform.  Illinois Sierra Club conservation organizer Ann Baskerville will facilitate the presentation and a question and answer session afterwards. 

To attend the online program please RSVP to Lois Lauer at – (708) 923-1550, or lois.lauer@illinois.sierraclub.org, or Ann Baskerville at ann.baskerville@sierraclub.org.  Please RSVP by Saturday, February 12th.  Lois or Ann will send you the link to join the Zoom meeting.

All meetings are free and open both to Sierra Club members and the general public.