Jeremy Richardson ~ senior analyst at the Union of Concerned Scientists

From an Article by Mike Tony, Charleston Gazette Mail, October 13, 2021

PHOTO ~ Marion County native Jeremy Richardson, a senior energy analyst with the Union of Concerned Scientists, is pictured during an online event Wednesday touting the release of a report he coauthored calling for full remediation of coal ash disposal sites in the Ohio River Valley. The analysis relies on public documents from utility closure plans, coal ash site conditions, economic modeling and alternative closure plan development.

Regional and national clean energy advocacy groups united Wednesday (10/13/21) to release a report suggesting that cleaning up hazardous coal ash in the Ohio River Valley could benefit the area economically as well as environmentally.

The new report “Repairing the Damage ~ Cleaning Up Hazardous Coal Ash Can Create Jobs and Improve the Environment” makes the case that fully remediating coal ash disposal sites would create more jobs and protect communities as more coal plants close in the region amid the nation’s clean energy transition.

The economic analysis from the Union of Concerned Scientists, a national science advocacy nonprofit, and the Ohio River Valley Institute, a Johnstown, Pennsylvania-based nonprofit think tank, cited case studies of two coal ash sites in Kentucky and Ohio finding that full remediation of the sites would create more than $100 million in additional economic activity in each state.

“My excitement about the report is because you just have so much of an opportunity to create so much benefit to the people in the communities that we’re talking about,” said Marion County native Jeremy Richardson, a senior energy analyst with the Union of Concerned Scientists who coauthored the report.

Those communities are economically vulnerable coal communities where coal ash — waste left behind when coal is burned to produce electricity — is a common threat to human health.

Approximately 102 million tons of coal ash was produced in 2018 alone, according to the American Coal Ash Association, an organization that promotes the environmentally responsible use of coal ash as an alternative to disposal.

Coal ash contains contaminants like arsenic, cadmium, chromium and selenium associated with cancer, heart disease, liver and kidney damage. Coal ash is frequently disposed of in surface impoundments or landfills or released into nearby waterways, often under a plant’s water pollution permit.

The analysis notes that more than one out of every five coal ash disposal sites nationwide can be found at operating or retired coal-fired power plants in West Virginia, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Indiana.

The report calls for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to strengthen its enforcement of a 2015 rule that established closure requirements for coal ash disposal sites under the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act and finalized minimum criteria for groundwater monitoring and corrective action.

The report emphasizes holding utilities and coal ash disposal site owners responsible for fully remediating such sites. “[R]atepayers should not bear the costs without reaping the economic value of full cleanup,” the report says.

The WV Public Service Commission on Tuesday approved $448.3 million in rate recovery for Appalachian Power and Wheeling Power for coal ash disposal and other environmental upgrades federally required to keep three in-state coal-fired power plants operating past 2028.

The report also calls for prioritizing dislocated workers in hiring. Representatives from the Ohio River Valley Institute, nonprofit environmental law group EarthJustice, left-leaning nonprofit think tank Policy Matters Ohio and the ReImagine Appalachia coalition of environmental and community organizations across the region highlighted the report in a press conference and webinar Wednesday.

“Pollution cleanup is essential to ensuring that these areas become places where people can safely live and work,” Amanda Woodrum, senior researcher with Policy Matters Ohio, said.

Dear Friends & Concerned Citizens ~~ April 27, 2020

*Please note that this alert contains a petition that is new and has not yet been shared. The previous alert was about sending in hearing requests for this facility.*

During a global pandemic, after the public was asked to stay at home, three companies proposed barge loading/unloading facilities along the Ohio River for radioactive oil & gas waste. If permitted, these facilities would put the drinking water for millions of people at risk. The waste, which contains radioactive materials, heavy metals and toxic chemicals, would be transported along the river from unknown locations for disposal or reused for more oil & gas operations.

Millions get their water straight from the river and many towns and cities along the Ohio River also get their drinking water from shallow aquifers that are highly susceptible to Ohio River contamination.

Tell Army Corp and Coast Guard we do not want ANY oil & gas waste being shipped along the Ohio River.

CLICK HERE to sign the petition.

Submit individual comments. HERE are instructions on how to submit comments to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and U.S. Coast Guard about these facilities.

A map of the three facilities that are proposed: 4K Industrial in Martins Ferry, OH, Deep Rock in Marietta, OH and Fountain Quail in Meigs County, OH, is shown below:

CLICK HERE to sign the petition.

Learn more about the details of these projects by clicking HERE.

Please let us know if you have any questions about any of this. You can reply to this email and we will get your message. We will keep everyone updated on if we get a public hearing or comment period extension for this permit or not. We have submitted over 50 requests so far. We have until the end of April to get requests in. We want to make sure that citizens have an opportunity to be heard and have their questions answered.

Yours truly, Concerned Ohio River Residents

Fracking uses tons of water and produces tons of toxic waste

World Water Day, on 22 March every year, is about focusing attention on the importance of water. The theme for World Water Day 2018 is ‘Nature for Water’ – exploring nature-based solutions to the water challenges we face in the 21st century.

Damaged ecosystems affect the quantity and quality of water available for human consumption. Today, 2.1 billion people live without safe drinking water at home; affecting their health, education and livelihoods.

Sustainable Development Goal 6 commits the world to ensuring that everyone has access to safe water by 2030, and includes targets on protecting the natural environment and reducing pollution.

Take action for World Water Day in 2018 — Wherever you are and whatever you do on March 22, make it about nature and water.
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Volunteer Pipeline Visual Assessment Program

The Volunteer Pipeline Visual Assessment Program was developed by Trout Unlimited and West Virginia Rivers Coalition to support and train volunteer citizen observers to identify, document and report pollution incidents associated with large-scale pipeline development.

During the program’s free webinar, you’ll learn how to detect and report water quality impacts from pipeline development. To learn more, visit the program webpage.

To participate in the program, please register for our webinar on Tuesday, March 27 from 7:00pm-8:30pm. Register here.

The live webinar on March 27 is limited to 100 participants. If you register after we reach the live webinar limit, you’ll be sent a recording of the webinar to view at your convenience.

For more information, please contact Jake Lemon, TU’s Eastern Angler Science Coordinator, at jlemon@tu.org.