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CLOSE THE COAL ASH LOOPHOLE

This past Wednesday, we SHOWED UP in our power at the EPA’s public
hearing to give testimony in support of newly proposed rules to stop energy
companies from continuing to poison communities with 500 million tons of
toxic coal ash dumped in unlined pits across the country. Closing this
egregious loophole would address cleaning up 88 coal ash pits within two
miles of a great lake, threatening the drinking water of millions.

Seven people from CJA member organizations [4] EarthCare New Mexico [5],
GreenRoots Chelsea [6], The People’s Justice Council [7], Little Village
Environmental Justice Organization [8], and Communities for a Better
Environment [9] testified before the EPA panel. As part of a larger
delegation of witnesses from 22 states and territories, they shared the
threat of coal ash to their health, communities, sources of drinking water,
and natural environment. The day of action was coordinated by Earthjustice,
Climate Justice Alliance, Just Transition Northwest Indiana, and Chicago
Jobs with Justice in partnership with local and national members and
allies.

HOW TO SUPPORT THE FRONTLINES

* LET THE EPA KNOW HOW YOU FEEL ABOUT THE IMPACTS OF COAL ASH IN OUR
COMMUNITIES DIRECTLY BY REGISTERING FOR THE VIRTUAL HEARING ON JULY 12
[10]. IF YOU WILL BE SIGNING UP FOR COMMENT, PLEASE LET US KNOW US KNOW SO
WE CAN SUPPORT YOU, UPLIFT YOUR COMMENTS, AND SHARE TALKING POINTS. YOU CAN
EMAIL [email protected] 

* PLEASE JOIN OUR SIGN-ON LETTER TO EPA DEMANDING STRONGER PROTECTIONS.
READ THE LETTER AND ADD YOUR ORGANIZATION HERE [11]. Sign-ons are due by
July 11.

BACKGROUND

In 2015, the Obama Administration signed the U.S. EPA’s coal ash rule
into law to address the risks of coal ash. The rule exempted hundreds of
inactive coal ash landfills and unlined ponds across the country, allowing
them to bypass critical monitoring and cleanup requirements and endangering
the health and well-being of workers and the communities near these power
plants.

The EPA proposed a new, expanded coal ash rule that would extend federal
monitoring, closure, and cleanup protections to hundreds of older
landfills, legacy ponds, and fill sites previously excluded. Earthjustice
sued the EPA twice on behalf of environmental, civil rights, and community
groups, challenging this loophole. The draft rule is a result of those
lawsuits. This is a step forward for environmental justice, but the EPA
needs to commit to enforcement and complete the job to include ALL toxic
coal ash sites. THE CURRENT PROPOSAL FAILS TO EXTEND REGULATIONS TO
LANDFILLS AT FORMER COAL PLANT SITES THAT DO NOT HAVE LEGACY PONDS AND ALSO
EXEMPTS PONDS THAT DID NOT HAVE WATER IN THEM SINCE 2015 AS WELL AS ACTIVE
POWER PLANTS THAT CLAIM TO NOT HAVE ANY REGULATED UNITS.

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“6.6 million people rely on Lake Michigan for fresh water. Inaction is
not an option!”

Click here [13] to hear our members' testimonies to the EPA.

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Join us in demanding that the Biden administration, the EPA Administrator
Michael Regan, and the EPA TAKE ACTION AND CLOSE THE EXISTING COAL ASH
LOOPHOLE COMPLETELY, leaving no room for power plant owners to continue
poisoning our communities with unregulated toxic coal ash.

in solidarity,
Bineshi, Monica, and Marion

Support CJA [14]

Climate Justice Alliance

1960A University Ave
Berkeley, CA, 94704
United States


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