Environmental Groups: Stateâs Coal Ash Proposal a Good Start Proposed changes to Illinois Coal Ash Rule incorporate groupsâ input on monitoring, public participation, environmental justice
Contacts
Paul Dailing, Environmental Law & Policy Center, (312) 771-1979
Andrew Rehn, Prairie Rivers Network, (708) 305-6181 Chicago, IL â
The Illinois Pollution Control Boardâs February 5th revisions to coal ash regulations proposed by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) make progress towards rectifying coal s dirty legacy in Illinois, but more can be done, said several environmental groups.Â
Coal ash, the waste from burning coal, has contaminated groundwater in Illinois around both active and closed coal plants with arsenic, boron, sulfate, and other chemicals. A 2018 report by Environmental Integrity Project, Earthjustice, Prairie Rivers Network, and Sierra Club found widespread pollution in groundwater around 22
Raw sewage in the Susquehanna: Pa. state government is basically defecating in the river
Antiquated sewer systems in Harrisburg and other Pa. cities spew untreated sewage into the Susquehanna during heavy rains. One test found found off-the-charts levels of E. coli.
Mike Argento, York Daily Record
Published
5:56 pm UTC Feb. 9, 2021
Antiquated sewer systems in Harrisburg and other Pa. cities spew untreated sewage into the Susquehanna during heavy rains. One test found found off-the-charts levels of E. coli.
Mike Argento, York Daily Record
Published
5:56 pm UTC Feb. 9, 2021
This USA Today Network special report explores solutions to deep threats that flow through New York, Pennsylvania and Maryland as the Susquehanna River feeds the Chesapeake Bay with life and death.
Change how we farm
Much of the pollution that winds up in the bay originates in the fertile farmland upstream, flowing down the Susquehanna from Pennsylvania. A number of simple things can mitigate that, according to environmentalists.
Farm practices how fields are tilled and crops managed can be altered to reduce runoff into streams and creeks.
Farmers can fence off wetlands and streams to keep cattle from excreting waste into the watershed.
Farmers can reduce the number of areas they cultivate to provide natural buffers between fields and streams.
Plant more trees
Planting trees along creeks as riparian buffers reduces the amount of runoff that can flow from the watershed. In addition, planting grasses and native plants creates a kind of natural water treatment system that filters toxins and excess nutrients from runoff.
U.S. Steel says its Clean Air Act permit already covers the issue, but a town that suffered months of smelly, harmful emissions after a plant fire says residents deserved additional disclosure.
Mon Valley Works is an integrated steelmaking operation under the U.S. Steel umbrella that includes the Clairton Plant, Edgar Thomson Plant, Irvin Plant and Fairless Plant. (Photo via Courthouse News courtesy of U.S. Steel)
PHILADELPHIA (CN) Environmentalists urged the Third Circuit on Friday to expand the reporting duties owed by U.S. Steel after harmful emissions lingered in a Pennsylvania town for three months following a plant fire.
fema.gov
Originally published on January 12, 2021 12:48 pm
After reading Southerly and WWNO/WRKF’s recent investigation, Louisiana native David LaCerte says the issue is “something that all of our leaders should be concerned with.”
The U.S. Chemical Safety Board will make preparing for the threat of climate change a priority in its recommendations on how to make industrial facilities safer, said David LaCerte, the newly appointed senior advisor to the U.S. Chemical Safety Board, or CSB.
LaCerte, a Louisiana native was appointed on Jan. 12 by the CSB. He said an active hurricane season in the state coupled with Southerly and WWNO/WRKF’s report emphasized the need to adopt safety measures to prevent a double disaster: a hurricane followed by a toxic release or chemical explosion.