Repairing the Damage: Cleaning Up Hazardous Coal Ash Can Create Jobs and Improve the Environment

The analysis evaluates the economic output, value added, labor income, and employment generated by two different coal ash remediation strategies at two power plants in the Ohio River Valley. Using IMPLAN models, the study finds that 'clean closure' scenarios consistently produce higher economic output and employment than company-proposed plans, with the vast majority of job creation occurring during the initial construction and excavation phases.

• The 'clean closure' scenario results in higher total economic output than the company's proposed plan for both case studies.
• For the Sebree Generating Station in Kentucky, the clean closure scenario is estimated to generate a total economic output of $324.1 million, compared to $194.5 million for the company closure.
• For the J. M. Stuart Generating Station in Ohio, the clean closure scenario is estimated to generate a total economic output of $809.0 million, compared to $667.0 million for the company closure.
• The J. M. Stuart plant cleanup is expected to have a larger overall economic impact than the Sebree plant due to more significant cleanup requirements.
• Employment is heavily concentrated in the initial construction phase; once excavation is complete, operations and maintenance create relatively few direct jobs.
• Annual employment during the construction phase for the Sebree clean closure is estimated at 281.8 total jobs, while the company closure is estimated at 144.1 total jobs.
• Annual employment during the construction phase for the J. M. Stuart clean closure is estimated at 313.7 total jobs, while the company closure is estimated at 252.1 total jobs.

APA

Shannon, D., Richardson, J., & Boettner, T. (2021). Repairing the Damage: Cleaning Up Hazardous Coal Ash Can Create Jobs and Improve the Environment. Union of Concerned Scientists. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2021-10/repairing-the-damage-economic-impact-appendix_0.pdf

Chicago

Shannon, Dale, Jeremy Richardson, and Ted Boettner. Repairing the Damage: Cleaning Up Hazardous Coal Ash Can Create Jobs and Improve the Environment. Union of Concerned Scientists, 2021. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2021-10/repairing-the-damage-economic-impact-appendix_0.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Shannon |first1=Dale |last2=Richardson |first2=Jeremy |last3=Boettner |first3=Ted |title=Repairing the Damage: Cleaning Up Hazardous Coal Ash Can Create Jobs and Improve the Environment |publisher=Union of Concerned Scientists |date=October 2021 |url=https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2021-10/repairing-the-damage-economic-impact-appendix_0.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{shannon2021repairing, author = {Shannon, Dale and Richardson, Jeremy and Boettner, Ted}, title = {{Repairing the Damage: Cleaning Up Hazardous Coal Ash Can Create Jobs and Improve the Environment}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2021}, month = oct, url = {https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2021-10/repairing-the-damage-economic-impact-appendix_0.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }