Coal’s Poisonous Legacy

The report finds that 91% of analyzed coal plants have unsafe levels of coal ash constituents in their groundwater. It highlights systemic failures in the 2015 Coal Ash Rule, such as the exemption of older dumps and inadequate monitoring of 'upgradient' wells. The analysis identifies the ten most contaminated sites in the U.S., noting that many impact low-income communities and communities of color. The authors argue that current regulations are insufficient and recommend regulating all ash dumps, requiring 'high and dry' storage, and increasing transparency and drinking water testing.

• Analysis of groundwater monitoring data from 265 sites reveals that 91 percent of coal plants have unsafe levels of one or more coal ash constituents in groundwater, after accounting for naturally occurring contamination.
• Specific toxic chemicals are prevalent across sites: 52 percent of coal plants have unsafe levels of arsenic, and 60 percent have unsafe levels of lithium.
• Contamination is widespread across different disposal methods, with unsafe levels found at 92 percent of ash ponds and 76 percent of ash landfills.
• The report identifies ten sites with extreme contamination; for example, the New Castle Generating Station in Pennsylvania has arsenic levels 372 times safe levels, and the Allen Fossil Plant in Tennessee has arsenic at 350 times safe levels.
• The 2015 Coal Ash Rule contains a significant gap by not regulating older, closed coal ash dumps, which continue to contaminate groundwater and often interfere with 'background' quality readings in upgradient wells.
• The report notes that the majority of the ten most contaminated sites impact low-income communities and communities of color, who often lack resources for drinking water testing and medical care.
• The authors argue that the Trump Administration is rolling back protective requirements and weakening cleanup standards to support coal-fired power.

APA

Russ, A., Phillips, A., Bernhardt, C., & Evans, L. (2019). Coal’s Poisonous Legacy. Earthjustice. https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/national-coal-ash-report-7.11.19.pdf

Chicago

Russ, Abel, Ari Phillips, Courtney Bernhardt, and Lisa Evans. Coal’s Poisonous Legacy. Earthjustice, 2019. https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/national-coal-ash-report-7.11.19.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Russ |first1=Abel |last2=Phillips |first2=Ari |last3=Bernhardt |first3=Courtney |last4=Evans |first4=Lisa |title=Coal’s Poisonous Legacy |publisher=Earthjustice |date=11 July 2019 |url=https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/national-coal-ash-report-7.11.19.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{russ2019coals, author = {Russ, Abel and Phillips, Ari and Bernhardt, Courtney and Evans, Lisa}, title = {{Coal’s Poisonous Legacy}}, institution = {Earthjustice}, year = {2019}, month = jul, url = {https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/national-coal-ash-report-7.11.19.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }