A new report released by the Sierra Club is critical of coal-ash storage facilities and expansion plans at the Four Corners Power Plant, located on the Navajo Nation in New Mexico.<\/p>\n
The report, titled \u201cDisaster Waiting to Happen\u201d states that the plant\u2019s operator, Arizona Public Service, has stored 50 to 55 million tons of coal ash in unlined pits near the San Juan River.<\/p>\n
The EPA does not classify coal ash as a hazardous waste, the report states, so there is little known about how the coal ash is being stored and if safeguards are adequate to protect public health.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe major concerns for Navajo tribal members are the health impacts and financial burden of health care due to coal ash,\u201d said Lori Goodman, coordinator for Din\u00e9 Citizens Against Ruining our Environment.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have concerns about what would happen if the millions of tons of toxic coal ash is released or floods the nearby rivers.\u201d<\/p>\n
The report classifies the plant\u2019s coal-ash storage as a \u201cpotential disaster\u201d and a \u201csignificant\u201d hazard level.<\/p>\n
APS and the Navajo Mine Coal Co. are seeking renewed energy leases and mine permits from the federal government allowing the power plant to operate until 2041.<\/p>\n
The mine is seeking a five-year permit to continue mining operations and extract 5.8 million tons of coal per year, down from 8 million tons per year.<\/p>\n
After the coal is burned, the remaining ash is stored on site in managed piles which are proposed to be expanded.<\/p>\n
According to a recent Environmental Impact Statement, APS plans to construct five additional coal-ash disposal areas that would be 60 acres each and reach a height of 120 feet.<\/p>\n
Once storage capacity for each site is reached in five years, it would be closed and protected by a evapotranspiration cover made up of sand, clay soils, and rock.<\/p>\n
To better understand how coal ash is impacting the environment, Earthjustice conducted testing on the Chaco River, which runs adjacent to the power plant and within 50 feet of the coal-ash piles. It is a tributary of the San Juan River.<\/p>\n
The report states that for nearly 40 years, coal ash from the plant was sent back to the mine and dumped into \u201cdisposal\u201d pits that have no protective linings.<\/p>\n
The report cites multiple studies showing groundwater and surface water downstream of the power plant contain harmful levels of boron, copper, lead, selenium, mercury and zinc.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat could only reasonably be attributed to coal-ash contamination,\u201d the report says. \u201cThe coal-ash sites are neighbors to large numbers of Navajo people, putting their health and welfare in danger.\u201d<\/p>\n
Studies claim Navajo residents who live near unlined coal-waste facilities and whose drinking water source is groundwater, have a 1 in 50 chance of getting cancer, a risk 2,000 times greater than EPA proposed standards.<\/p>\n
Since 2007, APS began disposal of ash in two large lined landfills near the plant.<\/p>\n
Paul Clark, an environmental technician with the U.S. Office of Surface Mining, worked on the recent EIS, and said safety precautions are taken with the coal ash piles.<\/p>\n
\u201cFive new monitoring wells will be installed within the expanded coal-ash disposal area,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Also, an interceptor ditch is planned between the ash pile disposal area and the Chaco River.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf there were a breach, it would collect in the ditch and be pumped back to containment, \u201cClark said.<\/p>\n
A lined, surge pond is also planned for construction to capture coal-ash wastes and historic ash impoundment seepage.<\/p>\n
The EPA is considering whether to manage coal ash as a hazardous wastes. A decision is expected in December.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is plenty of data proving the toxicity of coal ash, and recent events show just how dangerous coal ash is to our water and environmental resources,\u201d said Nellis Kennedy-Howard, a Sierra Club manager. \u201cA strong coal-ash rule will require responsible cleanup and improved plans for future storage of coal ash at the Four Corners Power Plant.\u201d<\/p>\n
In December 2013, the Four Corners Power Plant permanently shut down three of their most outdated coal-fired generating units as part of new Clean Air Act rules.<\/p>\n
The plant is expected to receive a renewed lease with stipulations for pollution-control upgrades on the remaining two units. But environmental groups warn that lack of regulation for coal-ash should not be overlooked.<\/p>\n
\u201cWithout stronger protections, APS will create more mountains of poorly managed coal ash,\u201d said Mike Eisenfeld, New Mexico Energy Coordinator for San Juan Citizen\u2019s Alliance.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is incumbent upon APS to seek off-site alternatives for storing coal waste and consider how their storage methods impact their neighbors,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
View the report at http:\/\/bit.ly\/1nc4jEo.<\/p>\n