Not in My Lifetime

The report details how the Northern Indiana Public Service Corporation (NIPSCO) contaminated the drinking water of Town of Pines, Indiana, by disposing of coal combustion waste in an unlined landfill and using it for road construction. It highlights the failure of state and federal agencies to protect residents, the resulting health threats—particularly to children—and the legal actions taken by the community. The authors call on the EPA to reclassify coal combustion waste as hazardous and implement rigorous federal disposal standards.

• Drinking water in Town of Pines, Indiana, was contaminated by coal combustion waste, primarily fly ash, disposed of by the Northern Indiana Public Service Corporation (NIPSCO) at the Yard 520 Landfill and used in town roads and fill areas.
• Contaminant levels in residential wells significantly exceeded federal and state standards, with detected pollutants including benzene, arsenic, lead, selenium, manganese, boron, and molybdenum.
• The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) determined that the groundwater posed a significant threat to children's health, specifically noting the risks of high metal levels and the neurotoxin manganese.
• The Yard 520 Landfill also caused ecological damage to the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, with downstream levels of boron and molybdenum in Brown Ditch being 116 and 90 times higher than upstream levels, respectively.
• Residents and the group People In Need of Environmental Safety (P.I.N.E.S.) accused the EPA and state regulators of indifference and inadequate testing, leading to a citizen suit under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act and a multi-party civil lawsuit for damages.
• The report argues that the EPA must reverse its regulatory determination to characterize coal combustion waste as a contingent hazardous waste and implement consistent federal rules, including requirements for liners, covers, and leachate collection.

APA

Keating, M. H., & Evans, L. G. (n.d.). Not in My Lifetime. Clean Air Task Force. https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/21093534/Not_in_My_Lifetime.pdf

Chicago

Keating, Martha H., and Lisa Gollin Evans. Not in My Lifetime. Clean Air Task Force, n.d. https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/21093534/Not_in_My_Lifetime.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Keating |first1=Martha H. |last2=Evans |first2=Lisa Gollin |title=Not in My Lifetime |publisher=Clean Air Task Force |url=https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/21093534/Not_in_My_Lifetime.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{keatingndnot, author = {Keating, Martha H. and Evans, Lisa Gollin}, title = {{Not in My Lifetime}}, institution = {Clean Air Task Force}, url = {https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/21093534/Not_in_My_Lifetime.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }