September 2019

Edwards coal ash pond looking toward the northeast

Your attendance Is urgently needed on Tuesday, September 10th, from 2 to 4 p.m. or from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Gateway Building, located at the foot of Hamilton Street in downtown Peoria.

Peoria is the first location in the state for the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency public comment opportunity on issues for state coal ash regulations. This is an essential opportunity to speak to concerns for assessing and cleaning up coal ash ponds and impoundments in our area and across the state.

Coal-fired power plants produce millions of tons of coal combustion residue (CCR) from burning coal. Many of the plant sites have ponds or piles of coal ash near our rivers and waterways. Most of these locations do not have any kind of adequate liner systems or protections to keep the toxic heavy metals in CCR from reaching our area water resources and contaminating soil. Five coal plants are on or near the Illinois River Valley Region for Heart of Illinois Group: Hennepin, Edwards Plant near Bartonville, Duck Creek south of Canton; Powerton near Pekin; and Havanna. View a state map of coal ash locations from Cap and Run: Toxic Coal Ash Left Behind by Big Polluters Threatens Illinois Water, a report compiled by Environmental Integrity Project (EIP), Earthjustice, Prairie Rivers Network, and Sierra Club.

Key points that Heart of Illinois Group sees for the September 10th public comment include concerns for how CCR landfills will be constructed and the need to insure the locations are not over aquifers or in locations that could risk groundwater and surface water. We want to see the companies have a secured bond in place to insure that coal ash pond clean up and removal, if necessary, can be paid. Decisions regarding how CCR impoundments are closed need to take into consideration the potential for contamination reaching existing aquifers and the long-term risks to surface and groundwater resources. We want to see that Environmental Justice is defined to include impacts on minority residential areas, poverty or unemployment levels above the state average, and risks to significant aquatic and wildlife habitat. More information is on the IEPA website.

If you cannot attend the Peoria IEPA listening session on September 10th, numerous other locations will have similar public hearings. For a complete list scroll down to Public Outreach at this link.

View the flyer with more information about coal ash cleanup and the September 10th hearing in Peoria.

For more information phone Joyce Blumenshine at 309-678-1011.