ABOUT COAL ASH ACTION GROUP
Our local Coal Ash coalition in Baldwin and Mobile counties are committed to raising awareness and mobilizing effective actions that encourage officials at all levels of government to reject the current cap-in-place practices for coal ash disposal.
OUR MISSION & APPROACH
Our mission to protect our community and environment from further coal ash pollution. The disposal pond at Plant Barry is polluting the groundwater and Mobile River with toxic heavy metals and will continue to pollute if ash is not removed. The Plant Barry pond is situated in a precarious site next to the Mobile River and the Delta making it susceptible to breach by a hurricane or flood. We work towards the safe disposal of coal ash and the implementation of protective regulations.
Our local Coal Ash coalition in Baldwin and Mobile counties are committed to raising awareness and mobilizing effective actions that encourage officials at all levels of government to reject the current cap-in-place practices for coal ash disposal.
OUR HISTORY
Sallie Smith, from Baldwin County, became alarmed that nothing was being done to move the toxic coal ash from the Tensaw Delta and believed informed citizens could make a difference if they were educated about the disaster waiting to happen just 20 miles above Mobile. Sallie had battled cancer for years. Even as her cancer progressed, she reached out to friends, who reached out to other friends, and a Coal Ash Action Group Coordinating Committee began the process of alerting others. In 2023, over 900 people were receiving information from the Coal Ash Action Group and becoming advocates for the removal of coal ash from our area. In the last weeks of her life, she felt coal ash awareness had gone beyond even her own expectations. Sadly, Sallie passed away October 27, 2023. She proved one person can make a difference. Now, together, we will all honor her memory and finish the job.
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We need volunteers to present programs, publicize the need, provide print and media resources and promote awareness at area events.
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Any time you give telling a neighbor or small group of friends what you have learned about coal ash makes a real difference. Giving an hour or two handing out information and getting petitions signed at an outdoor event is important as is helping our speakers with handouts and petitions during a presentation. There are many ways large and small to be a part of this campaign to increase awareness. We hope to meet you soon!
Sallie Smith, Head organizer for Coal Ash Action Group (1945-2023)
Our Action Network
Coal Ash Action Group is proud to work alongside with a diverse group of organizations and individuals who share our commitment to protecting the environment and public health. This includes environmental groups, community organizations, scientists, and concerned citizens - far and wide. Together, we are working to ensure that coal ash is removed from Plant Barry and other sites, and that our community and environment are protected for generations to come. Click below to learn more about some of the local groups we work with and the important work they each do.
Who Are We? Why Do We Care?
Coal ash is a toxic byproduct of coal-burning power plants. It contains heavy metals such as arsenic, lead, mercury, and cobalt among others. The Barry Plant coal ash pond sits within the flood plain of the Mobile River. It is unlined and covers an area equal to 451 football fields, containing 21 million tons of coal ash sludge. In many places it is within 200 yards of the river, with only a dike made of dirt, clay, and coal ash separating it from the river. If there were a major rainfall event or a hurricane near the site, the dike could be breached, and according to Alabama Power's Emergency Action plan, the coal ash sludge would cover 30 square miles of the delta and flow down the Mobile River towards the bay. The resulting spill would be 20 times the volume of the BP oil spill and would be only 20 miles from the head of Mobile Bay.
Alabama Power's plan to remediate this danger is called "cap in place" which means the coal ash is dewatered, consolidated, and covered with a material to seal it in. However, this is not a long-term solution as it does not address the ongoing leakage of toxic heavy metals into the ground water or the possibility of a breach of the dirt dikes. The only environmentally responsible solution is to dig up the toxic sludge, relocate it to a lined inland landfill, and put an impermeable cover over the top, thus sealing it away forever. This is the process that Georgia Power, a sister company of Alabama Power, is using to remove 65 million tons of coal ash from 19 coal ash ponds, including all of its coastal ash ponds.
Every Alabama Power customer is already paying $4.49 towards the closure of the coal ash pond, but the company claims that it would be too expensive to remove the 21 million tons of ash. However, in Virginia, customers are paying $3.23 per month to remove 27 million tons of coal ash. Alabama is the only major electric utility in the Southeast that has not begun excavating its unlined waterfront coal ash lagoons.
Leaving the coal ash in its current location next to the Mobile River puts Alabama's delta and bay at risk for a "catastrophic" spill such as the one which occurred in 2008 in Kingston, Tennessee at a TVA plant and on the Dan River in North Carolina and Virginia in 2014 where 10's of thousands of tons of toxic sludge were washed into adjoining rivers and threatened downstream communities. Leaving wet, polluting coal ash on the banks of the Mobile River is not a long-term solution but a recipe for an environmental disaster which Would dwarf the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
The Mobile Baykeeper and Southern Environmental Law Center have filed a lawsuit against Alabama Power to prevent the “cap-in-place” closing of the coal ash pond. In the meantime, our awareness campaign hopes to inform Baldwin County residents about this toxic time bomb.
