Waste coal power plants claim to clean up environmental hazards left behind by bankrupt coal mining companies. However, theses processes of burning or digging up refuse, comes with its own set of environmental and public health hazards.
They are also uneconomic - the industry is currently asking for a whopping $765 million tax credit to stay afloat over the next 17 years.
- Waste coal has less energy and more toxic heavy metals than conventional coal.
- When burned, some of these toxins are released as air pollution, and the rest remain in coal ash that can leach into waterways.
- Some waste coal piles have been overgrown by vegetation, and the process of digging them up can increase polluted runoff.
- Burning waste coal creates about 50% more carbon dioxide per unit of energy than conventional coal.
There are better ways to deal with the problem of abandoned waste coal piles and we need our elected officials to say NO to paying polluters that put our health and climate at risk.
This is why we need you to take action today! Ask your Senators to oppose SB 618!