Than Any Other State
Illinois generates more than 4.4 million tons of coal ash EVERY YEAR, and imports coal ash (or coal combustion waste) from six or more other states. Illinois ranks first in the nation with respect to the total number of coal ash disposal sites in the country, and second for the most contaminated sites. This waste, one of the most toxic substances known to human kind, is stored in over over 90 coal ash disposal pit through the state. The good news, is that the Illinois General Assembly passed Senate Bill 9, the Coal Ash Pollution Protection Act in May of 2019, and Governor Pritzker signed the bill this past summer!
Drafting and passing this bill was one of EJC’s major campaigns in 2019.Rules required to implement the bill are being drafted, and expected to be adopted by the Illinois Pollution Control Board by March 2021.
Do You Live Near Coal Ash?
Click on this interactive map prepared by Prairie Rivers Network to learn about coal ash stored at a power plant near you. Read more about the impacts of living near coal ash in the reports provided below, and details about specific plants included in the fact sheets. Be sure to add your voice to the growing list of supporters for strong coal ash rules and responsible cleanup by coal-power producers in Illinois!
Click for interactive map prepared by Prairie Rivers Network.
Background Reports
- Illinois At Risk: Lax safeguards and no enforcement endanger the water, air & lives of residents near coal ash dumps. 2011. Prairie Rivers Network and Environmental Integrity Project.
- Coal Ash: The Toxic Threat to Our Health and Environment. 2010. Physicians for Social Responsibility and EarthJustice.
Fact Sheets
Coal Ash Pollution Prevention ACT
Fact Sheet (Overview)
| Vermillion | Powerton | Duck Creek |
| Havana | Marion | Joppa |
| Edwards | Will County | Joliet |
