Rep. Johnson sends letter to Civil Rights Commission over concerns of coal ash disposal

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Hank Johnson (GA-04) sent the following letter to U.S. Commission on Civil Rights urging them to recommend that more be done to protect citizens from the possibility that noxious coal ash could be disposed of in municipal landfills that are not equipped to handle the toxic substance. Unused coal ash contains toxic chemicals, including cancer-causing agents. As coal-fired power plants shut down and try to dispose of the toxic byproduct in Georgia, local landfills are expected to receive shipments weighing in the millions of tons. This could put residents and the local drinking water at risk if the coal ash and toxic chemicals leach into the ground:

“I am concerned Georgia residents, specifically those in low-income and minority communities, are facing a greater risk of toxic chemical exposure simple because the coal ash is being disposed of in inadequately protected facilities that happen to be in their neighborhood,” Johnson wrote in the letter. “On behalf of my constituents, it is critical that the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights underscore the importance of all communities receiving the same level of protection from coal ash and that the EPA can easily close this gap in protections by augmenting the federal rules applicable to municipal solid waste landfill.”

Rep. Johnson plans to introduce federal legislation later this month that will work to close the landfill loophole to ensure such locations meet the federal regulations recently created for coal ash disposal facilities. Johnson serves on the House Armed Services and Judiciary Committees.

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