Ohio, W.Va. ranked in NRDC’s dirtiest 15

The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) published a press release Thursday that lists the top 15 states that will become the biggest polluters if proposed coal-fired power plants in those states become a reality.

Both Ohio and West Virginia were included in the list.

Ohio ranks eighth on the list, with its three proposed coal-fired power plants threatening to create a combined 711,616 tons of coal ash waste. West Virginia, also with three proposed plants, ranks 15th, with a combined total of 430,275 tons of coal ash waste.

According to the NRDC, if the 54 total proposed plants in all 15 of the states listed become a reality, just under 14 million tons of coal ash waste would be produced each year.

The NRDC's press release stated that currently, "nearly 130 million tons of coal waste from existing plants is being produced annually."

The analysis and subsequent list are a response to the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) coal ash information request letter, sent to power plants that have units used to contain coal ash waste. The letter was released last Monday.

In the letter, the EPA states that it will "require appropriate remedial action at any facility that is found to pose a risk for potential failure."

The letter itself was part of the EPA's response to the coal ash slide at a power plant in Kingston, Tenn., which took place in December, which flooded more than 300 acres of land, damaging property and contaminating two rivers.

Coal-fired power plants dispose of coal ash waste, which contains metals such as mercury and lead, in fly ash ponds, landfills, or abandoned mines.

According to the Coal Ash Association, approximately 43 percent of coal ash waste is reused in products like cement.

According to the NRDC's analysis, the 54 proposed coal-fired power plants would produce more than 18,000 tons of toxic metals per year.

"The toxic metals that are often found in coal waste can pose serious health risks to people especially children- including cancer, birth defects, reproductive problems, damage to the nervous system and kidneys, and learning disabilities," the release stated.

Texas ranked first on the list, with eight proposed power plants that would produce 4,093,087 tons of coal ash waste. Other states on the list included: Illinois, South Carolina, Michigan, and Kentucky.

The NRDC has opened a new section of its Web site to coincide with its analysis at www.nrdc.org/energy/coalwaste.

The Web site includes a state-by-state breakdown of information and a list of the top 100 plants that produced the most coal ash waste, based on volume of coal ash waste produced in 2005.