Donate to Protect the Middle Fork
EJC is working towards a permanent solution that protects the Middle Fork from coal ash pollution. Now it’s your turn. Can you donate to our campaign?
EJC is working towards a permanent solution that protects the Middle Fork from coal ash pollution. Now it’s your turn. Can you donate to our campaign?
The Middle Fork of the Vermilion, Illinois’ only National Scenic River, is threatened by coal ash pollution. Help us ensure the protection of this river!
Eco-Justice Collaborative hosted a People’s Hearing on a plan to leave 3.3 million cubic yards of coal ash on the banks of the Middle Fork of the Vermilion
Eventually, the Middle Fork will reoccupy that portion of the floodplain containing the ash pits. We cannot stop that from happening, no matter what we do.
“The Middle Fork is an area treasure, valued by tens of thousands of people for its natural beauty, biological diversity, and water-based recreation”, said Kanter. All of this could be destroyed in a matter of minutes by a coal ash catastrophe.
Rick Cobb, IEPA, joins speaker lineup at June 11, 2018 People’s Hearing in Danville. Tell the IEPA it’s time to require Dynegy to move its toxic mess.
The first major battle for the Middle Fork in its over 10,000-year history occurred in the early 1970s, when farmhouses were razed to dam the river for recreation.
A record February 2018 storm in east-central Illinois scoured the banks of Illinois’ National Scenic River next to Dynegy’s coal ash pits, elevating concerns over stability.
Today, the Middle Fork of the Vermilion was named as one of America’s Most Endangered Rivers® of 2018 because of the threat toxic coal ash poses to Illinois’ only Wild and Scenic River. This designation showcases the battery of threats from the Trump administration, and calls on allies in Congress to clean water and rivers nationwide.
The power of the Middle Fork of the Vermilion River in flood is depicted in this short video. Riverbank erosion next to three coal ash pits has been a concern for decades.