Coal Ash
Of all the sources of power commonly used today, none is dirtier-from cradle to grave-than coal. Coal burned to generate power is a leading source of air pollution and a significant contributor to global warming. Coal ash, the by-product left over after the combustion of coal is the long-term legacy of settling for cheap rather than smart energy. Even after coal burning power plants upgrade to cleaner fuels, as the Lower Cape Fear’s LV Sutton Plant will do in 2014, coal ash storage ponds will continue to leak into our groundwater, polluting our aquifers and threatening our health and our environment. Contamination from the Sutton coal ash ponds is spreading outside of the containment boundary established by the state and it will continue to spread until the ponds are cleaned up and the coal ash is safely stored in lined containment areas.