ALASKA COAL ASH DISPOSAL IN PONDS AND LANDFILLS

The document identifies five coal ash generating facilities in Alaska, noting that 46,179 tons of ash are produced annually. It argues that because Alaska excludes coal ash from the definition of industrial solid waste, disposal is virtually unregulated, leading to the use of unlined landfills that risk leaching toxins like arsenic, vanadium, and mercury into groundwater. The report also notes that low-income individuals and people of color are over-represented in zip codes containing these power plants.

• Alaska generates 46,179 tons of coal ash per year from facilities including Eielson AFB, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Doyon Utilities, Golden Valley Elec Assn Inc, and Aurora Energy LLC.
• Coal ash in Alaska poses significant health and environmental risks because it contains high concentrations of arsenic, vanadium, and mercury, and is stored in unlined landfills that allow toxins to leach into groundwater.
• Alaska state law leaves coal ash disposal virtually unregulated by excluding it from the definition of industrial solid waste, which removes requirements for liners, leachate collection, final covers, and groundwater monitoring, while permitting its use as fill.
• There is a disproportionate impact on marginalized groups in areas with coal-fired power plants, with low-income individuals over-represented by 47% and people of color over-represented by 4% compared to state averages.

APA

Earthjustice (n.d.). ALASKA COAL ASH DISPOSAL IN PONDS AND LANDFILLS. https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/ak-coal-ash-factsheet-1111.pdf

Chicago

Earthjustice. ALASKA COAL ASH DISPOSAL IN PONDS AND LANDFILLS. n.d. https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/ak-coal-ash-factsheet-1111.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Earthjustice |title=ALASKA COAL ASH DISPOSAL IN PONDS AND LANDFILLS |url=https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/ak-coal-ash-factsheet-1111.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{earthjusticendalaska, author = {{Earthjustice}}, title = {{ALASKA COAL ASH DISPOSAL IN PONDS AND LANDFILLS}}, institution = {Earthjustice}, url = {https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/ak-coal-ash-factsheet-1111.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }