AES Puerto Rico: 20 Years of Coal Ash Contamination

The document details the environmental and public health crisis in Guayama, Puerto Rico, caused by Applied Energy Services (AES) and its mismanagement of coal ash since 2002. It highlights the contamination of the South Coast Aquifer and the failure of both the EPA and local authorities to enforce the Coal Combustion Residuals (CCR) rule. The text criticizes AES's proposed remediation plan as a 'sham' and reports on efforts by Earthjustice and the U.S. House Natural Resources Subcommittee to hold the company accountable.

• Since opening its coal plant in Guayama in 2002, AES-PR has produced an average of 800 tons of coal ash daily, storing it in an uncovered pile over 12 stories high that allowed toxins to blow into homes and schools and leach into the South Coast Aquifer, the primary drinking water source for most of Puerto Rico.
• A study by the University of Puerto Rico’s Graduate School of Public Health conducted between 2016 and 2018 indicated that rates of respiratory illnesses and cancer had doubled in the affected area.
• AES-PR distributed coal ash as cheap 'fill' material at numerous construction sites in southeastern Puerto Rico, leaving toxic piles uncovered in residential areas, near hospitals, parks, and schools.
• The EPA has identified AES-PR's proposed remediation plan—which utilizes Monitored Natural Attenuation (MNA) and a liner—as ineffective for the specific coal ash contaminants present, noting a lack of data to prove the plan would restore groundwater or stop pollutants like selenium and lithium.
• Despite the federal Coal Combustion Residuals (CCR) rule and a Puerto Rican law requiring ash removal within six months and prohibiting storage beyond 180 days, AES-PR has allegedly evaded compliance.

APA

Zniber, S. (2022). AES Puerto Rico: 20 Years of Coal Ash Contamination. Earthjustice. https://earthjustice.org/experts/christine-santillana/aes-puerto-rico-20-years-of-coal-ash-contamination

Chicago

Zniber, Siham. AES Puerto Rico: 20 Years of Coal Ash Contamination. Earthjustice, 2022. https://earthjustice.org/experts/christine-santillana/aes-puerto-rico-20-years-of-coal-ash-contamination.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Zniber |first1=Siham |title=AES Puerto Rico: 20 Years of Coal Ash Contamination |publisher=Earthjustice |date=13 January 2022 |url=https://earthjustice.org/experts/christine-santillana/aes-puerto-rico-20-years-of-coal-ash-contamination |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{zniber2022aes, author = {Zniber, Siham}, title = {{AES Puerto Rico: 20 Years of Coal Ash Contamination}}, publisher = {Earthjustice}, year = {2022}, month = jan, url = {https://earthjustice.org/experts/christine-santillana/aes-puerto-rico-20-years-of-coal-ash-contamination}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }