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The report evaluates the NRC's 2014 safety oversight, noting a decline in the number and severity of 'near misses' but criticizing the agency for withholding safety documents, retaliating against whistleblowers, and applying inconsistent oversight standards across different regions.

The U.S. electricity grid is increasingly vulnerable to extreme weather events, with the average annual cost of severe weather rising from $20 billion in the 1980s to $85 billion in the 2010s. Aging infrastructure, graded D+ by the American Society of Civil Engineers in 2013, is susceptible to sea level rise, wildfires, droughts, and heat waves. The report highlights that thermal power plants are particularly at risk due to their heavy reliance on water for cooling, which can lead to production cutbacks or shutdowns when water is too warm or scarce. To improve resilience, the document recommends 'hardening' measures, such as sea walls and burying power lines, alongside the adoption of distributed renewable energy and energy efficiency to reduce overall demand and carbon emissions.

Earthjustice and a coalition of environmental and tribal groups are appealing a July 2013 decision by the Alaska Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to lease approximately 13,175 acres for coal in the Canyon Creek area. The appeal argues that the lease is unconstitutional because it grants exploration rights for an indeterminate period, violating the Alaska Constitution's requirement for 'specific periods'. Furthermore, the appellants contend that the DNR ignored the foreseeable impacts of climate change, seismic risks, and severe health hazards to workers and local communities. They also argue that the economic benefits are exaggerated and that the project would cause irreversible damage to salmon habitats and watersheds, citing similar findings from the nearby Chuitna project.

The report examines the vulnerability of the U.S. power sector to water constraints and climate change, comparing a 'business as usual' pathway with low-carbon alternatives. It finds that a combination of renewable energy and energy efficiency can drastically reduce water withdrawals and consumption while lowering consumer costs and mitigating climate impacts.

Abigail Dillen of Earthjustice testifies that the 'Reducing Excessive Deadline Obligations Act of 2013' is a misguided attempt to derail lawsuits seeking to compel the EPA to regulate coal ash. The testimony highlights the severe environmental and health risks associated with the current lack of federal standards, including groundwater contamination by toxic metals, air pollution from fugitive dust, and the catastrophic potential for coal ash impoundment failures. Dillen emphasizes that the EPA has delayed necessary regulations for 13 years despite acknowledging their need, and that the proposed bill would leave the second largest toxic waste stream in the U.S. unregulated indefinitely.

Earthjustice is challenging the Tennessee Department of Environmental Conservation's (TDEC) wastewater discharge permit for the TVA Gallatin coal plant, arguing that the permit fails to limit toxic metal discharges into local waterways and groundwater. The case also seeks to address the plant's cooling system, which kills tens of thousands of fish annually, and highlights a history of TVA coal ash spills at the Kingston and Widows Creek plants.

The document provides testimony from Earthjustice criticizing the Coal Ash Recycling and Oversight Act of 2013. It details the severe health and environmental risks posed by coal ash, including groundwater contamination and the threat of dam failures. The author argues that the proposed legislation fails to establish national protective standards, lacks federal backstop authority for the EPA, and omits critical deadlines for permit issuance, thereby leaving vulnerable communities at risk.

Former National Mine Health and Safety Academy Director Jack Spadaro opposes Senate Bill S.3512, claiming that relying on independent engineers employed by operators—rather than strict federal regulations—creates a dangerous risk of dam failure. He cites historical disasters in Buffalo Creek and Martin County to illustrate the failure of inadequate oversight and notes an EPA study finding 25% of over 400 coal ash dams are in 'poor' condition without legal requirements for owners to remedy deficiencies.

The Union of Concerned Scientists identifies a significant number of U.S. coal-fired power plants that are economically uncompetitive compared to natural gas and wind power. The report argues that retiring these plants, along with those already scheduled for closure, would improve public health and reduce carbon emissions without jeopardizing grid reliability.

A coalition of environmental groups criticizes the Coal Ash Recycling and Oversight Act of 2012, claiming it lacks enforceable deadlines for closing coal ash dumps and prohibits the EPA from setting federal safeguards, thereby leaving communities near contaminated sites at risk.

The author criticizes a House amendment that exempts coal ash ponds and landfills from federal regulation, arguing it prioritizes the interests of the coal industry over public health and ignores the risks demonstrated by the 2008 Kingston, TN spill.

One year after the Fukushima Dai-ichi disaster, the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) evaluates U.S. nuclear safety. While the NRC's initial response was commendable, the UCS argues that the agency has critically mismanaged the implementation of its Near-Term Task Force (NTTF) recommendations by relegating the foundational reform of the 'beyond-design-basis' regulatory framework to the end of its priority list. The report warns that the nuclear industry's voluntary 'FLEX' program may preempt necessary safety standards, and that U.S. reactors remain vulnerable to severe natural disasters and terrorist attacks due to outdated emergency procedures and insufficient equipment hardening.

The document criticizes 260 U.S. House members who voted on June 21, 2012, to include a provision in a transportation bill that allows coal ash ponds to operate without basic safety standards and prevents the EPA from establishing national health and safety regulations. It highlights that these members represent districts containing the vast majority of the U.S.'s hazardous coal ash sites and notes a correlation between these votes and campaign contributions from the electric utility and mining industries.

The report critiques a study by the Utility Solid Waste Action Group (USWAG) which claimed that strict coal ash regulation could lead to the loss of 183,900 to 316,000 jobs. The author argues these figures are based on arithmetic errors, a misapplication of an unpublished academic paper, and unfounded claims regarding 'regulatory stigma'. Using the IMPLAN model and a high-end cost estimate from the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) of $6.47 billion annually, the author calculates that the spending required for waste management, wastewater treatment, and construction would create 117,000 jobs, while the resulting electricity price increases would cause a loss of 89,000 jobs. The final result is a projected net gain of 28,000 jobs.

A coalition of environmental and health organizations is urging U.S. Senators to reject a proposal by Senators Conrad and Enzi to weaken coal ash regulations. The coalition argues that coal ash contains toxic chemicals like arsenic and mercury, posing severe risks to public health and the environment, as evidenced by a 2008 spill in Tennessee. They advocate for the EPA to regulate coal ash as a "special waste" under subtitle C of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) to phase out wet disposal and establish enforceable national standards, rather than adopting voluntary guidelines under subtitle D.

A coalition of environmental and community organizations argues against granting special liability relief or regulatory exemptions to carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) operators, asserting that such measures create moral hazards and undermine public health and environmental safeguards. The authors specifically oppose exempting geologic sequestration from the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Subtitle C, arguing that CO2 streams containing impurities could constitute hazardous waste and that existing industrial activities, such as hazardous waste injection, operate without such broad liability shields.

The report documents the presence of hexavalent chromium, a known carcinogen, in leachate from coal ash disposal sites and groundwater across the United States. It highlights a discrepancy between the EPA's recognition of the chemical's toxicity in drinking water and its failure to account for ingestion risks in its coal ash risk assessments. The document provides evidence from EPA, DOE, and EPRI studies showing that chromium leaching from coal ash is nearly 100% hexavalent and often exceeds safety standards by thousands of times. It concludes that the EPA must designate coal ash as a hazardous waste under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act to protect public health.

The document presents data on the freshwater requirements of U.S. power plants, highlighting that coal and nuclear power are the primary consumers of freshwater for cooling. It details the distribution of cooling systems across the U.S. and identifies specific watersheds where power plant water use significantly impacts the Water Stress Index (WaSSI).

The document argues that media outlets have a duty to connect the dots between a warming climate and the devastating weather events of 2010, such as heatwaves in Russia and flooding in Pakistan. It asserts that climate change will increase the frequency of severe weather, decrease crop yields, and worsen air quality, providing a list of scientific and journalistic resources to support this coverage.

Tennessee spent a net $1.21 billion on imported coal in 2008, importing over 99 percent of the coal used by its power plants. The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) is the primary purchaser of these imports, with the Cumberland plant identified as the state's most import-dependent facility. To reduce this economic drain, the document suggests adopting an energy efficiency resource standard and a renewable electricity standard, noting that wind, solar, small-scale hydropower, and biomass could technically meet up to 60 percent of the state's 2008 power demand.