In Appalachia, mining companies literally blow the tops off mountains to reach thin seams of coal. They then dump millions of tons of rubble into the streams and valleys below the mining sites. Toxic heavy metals such as cadmium, selenium, and arsenic leach into local water supplies, poisoning drinking water.

This destructive practice, known as mountaintop-removal mining, sends carcinogenic toxins like silica into the air, affecting communities for miles around. Cancer rates are twice as high for people who live near mountaintop-removal sites, and the risk of heart defects in babies born to mothers who lived near these sites while pregnant is 181 percent higher than for babies in non-mining areas. It also destroys beautiful, biodiverse forests and wildlife habitat, increases the risk of flooding, and wipes out entire communities.

This practice has damaged or destroyed more than 2,000 miles of streams, and has wiped out more than 1.5 million acres of forests in Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.

Every year, coal-fired power plants dump millions of tons of toxic metals into our waterways. Coal plants across the country dispose of heavy metals like selenium, mercury, arsenic, cadmium, thallium, and lead into our waterways, polluting our drinking water, fishing areas, and local rivers and streams. Research has shown exposure to these dangerous chemicals can lead to birth defects, cancer, and even death. Limiting these pollutants will not only clean up our water, but also save lives.

Each year, coal-burning power plants in the United States produce millions of tons of coal ash pollution, the toxic by-product of burning coal. Coal plant ash waste is often mixed with water and stored in ponds, which threaten America’s waterways. When flooded, when they leak, or when they are otherwise compromised, those ponds can poison freshwater sources nearby, including lakes, rivers, and streams, with a toxic soup. Coal ash ponds are also often placed in low-income communities and communities of color. This environmental injustice affects at least 1.5 million people of color in coal ash pond catchment areas.

Though pollution control technology is available, approximately 40 percent of power plants in the United States do not control emissions of toxic pollutants like mercury. In fact, half of the mercury and 77 percent of the acid gases that pollute our air are emitted by power plants. This carbon pollution also exacerbates climate change, making extreme weather worse -- including more severe floods, widespread wildfires, and record drought.

Soot pollution, a by-product of coal-fired power production, is one of the deadliest, most dangerous air pollutants. When plants burn coal, they release small particles composed of a mixture of metals, chemicals, and acid droplets into the air. The smallest particles are less than one-thirtieth the width of a human hair, and are easily inhaled, where they can make their way deep into the lungs and pass into the bloodstream.

Ozone pollution, which happens when emissions from coal-fired plants (and other sources) interacts with heat and sunlight, creates smog, which is a low-lying toxic compound that serves as a dangerous lung irritant. It can cause chest pain, coughing, and breathing difficulties.