Tell Alabama Power decision makers to Move the Ash sitting on the bank of the Mobile River.
Participate in our URGENT Letter Writing Campaign!
*Case studies and law suits from other states have proven that removing the coal ash to a designated lined, leak-proof basin is the best remediation solution for both public health and the environment.
Our local Coal Ash coalition in Baldwin and Mobile counties are committed to raising awareness and mobilizing effective actions that encourage officials at all levels of government to reject the current cap-in-place practices for coal ash disposal. Like many other southeastern states near bodies of water, we firmly believe that safer alternatives must be implemented to protect our communities and the environment.
Coal ash at Plant Barry is polluting the groundwater and Mobile River with toxic heavy metals and will continue to pollute if ash is not removed.
MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD
We are asking you to send a letter/letters to the decision makers at Alabama Power and we are making it easy for you to write those who can move the ash!
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Submit online or print out the letter below and add your personal comments in the space provided. It is important that you include a few sentences expressing your own concerns. Please include your name and address.
OR...
Write your own letter showing how you really care about the issue. Send the letter to any or all of the 4 names/addresses provided below. You can also send a group letter with facts and personal comments.
The Plant Barry pond is situated in a precarious site next to the Mobile River and the Tensaw Delta making it susceptible to breach by a hurricane or flood.
21M
21 million tons of toxic ash currently at Plant Barry
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*20 times the volume of oil spilled in the BP Oil Disaster
0
Effective Cap-in-Place sites below the water table
$1.2M
Alabama Power fines for existing groundwater violations
3
Ranking 3rd in America's Most Endangered Rivers
WHAT IS COAL ASH?
Coal ash is a catchall term for several kinds of waste left over after coal is burned for energy at power plants. It contains high concentrations of heavy metals, including arsenic, lead, cobalt, mercury, selenium, and lead which are hazardous to human health, wildlife, and waterways located near coal ash ponds.
Toxic Waste on Site
REPORT CARD:
SOUTHEASTERN UTILITIES COAL ASH REMOVAL
Other utilities in the southeast, including Georgia Power, are economically removing 250 million tons of coal ash thus protecting their cities and rivers. Alabamians deserve the same.
State | Grade | Status |
|---|---|---|
South Carolina | A | Excavating coal ash from every unlined, leaking lagoon in the state. |
North Carolina | A | Complete removal of all coal ash in progress (80 million tons). |
Virginia | A | Complete removal of all coal ash in progress (27 million tons). |
Georgia | B | Removing/recycling 65 tons of coal ash from 19 ponds including every coastal ash pond (65% of state ash). |
Mississippi | D | Removing 214,500 tons to onsite lined landfill. |
Alabama | D | Planned removal of 700,000 tons of coal ash from ponds. |
COAL ASH IS DETRIMENTAL TO OUR HEALTH & ENVIRONMENT
Tests revealed that arsenic levels in groundwater at the Barry site were 806% higher than the legal limit. Long-term exposure can lead to liver damage, kidney damage, cardiac arrhythmia, and a variety of cancers, such as leukemia from ionizing radiation.
Coal ash spills have happened in similar facilities devastating surrounding waterways, local communities, and aquatic life.
"Citizens and environmental groups across the Southeast have long been concerned by the possibility of coal ash spills. The vulnerability of coal ash pits became clear in 2008 when a Kingston, Tennessee dam containing an 84-acre ash pit failed. It filled nearby rivers with more than 5.4 million cubic yards' of coal ash and covered 300 acres. The clean-up took nearly a decade, and the monetary cost was one billion dollars. But there was a cost to human life as well. The toxicity of the Kingston coal ash was later found to have caused the sickness, and even death, of dozens of people participating in the cleanup effort. 3 Since 2008, coal ash has spilled at several ponds around the nation. Each spill pollutes nearby rivers, endangers the health of downstream communities, and damages local economies."
(Source: Mobile Baykeeper)
BEFORE
BEFORE
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HOW CAN YOU HELP?
You can help support our clean-up efforts and advocacy work by spreading awareness about the impacts of the benefits we notice of us being separated from everyday triggers hanpneing all the tim.coal ash pollution and its impacts, and advocating for stronger regulations on coal ash disposal.
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