The top 100 coal waste storage sites in the United States

This article is part of the Global Energy Monitor coverage of the coal-fired power station coal ash

Sub-articles:

Industry groups promoting the use of coal ash

American Coal Ash Association
Association of Canadian Industries Recycling Coal Ash (CIRCA)
Ash Development Association of Australia (ADAA)
Japan Coal Energy Center
European Coal Combustion Products Association (ECOBA)
Informational & Analytical Center "Ecology of Power Engineering" of Moscow Power Engineering Institute (IACEE MPEI)
National Coal Ash Board, Israel
South African Coal Ash Association (SACAA)
United Kingdom Quality Ash Association (UKQAA)

In January 2009, Sue Sturgis of the Institute of Southern Studies compiled a list of the 100 most polluting coal plants in the United States in terms of coal combustion wastes stored in surface impoundments like the one at TVA's Kingston Fossil Plant. Sturgis used data from the EPA's Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) for 2006, the most recent year available.^[1] The following table represents the amount of coal combustion waste released to surface impoundments in 2006 by the top 100 polluters.^[2]

A January 2009 study by The New York Times following the enormous TVA coal ash spill found that there are more than 1,300 surface impoundments across the U.S., each of which can reach up to 1,500 acres.^[3] Also in January 2009, an Associate Press study found that 156 coal-fired power plants store ash in surface ponds similar to one that ruptured at Kingston Fossil Plant. The states with the most storage in coal ash in ponds are Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Georgia and Alabama. The AP's analysis found that in 2005, 721 power plants generating at least 100 MW of electricity produced 95.8 million tons of coal ash, about 20 percent of which - or almost 20 million tons - ended up in surface ponds. The rest of the ash winds up in landfills or is sold for other uses.^[4]

The top 100 coal waste storage sites

Rank	Facility	Corporate Owner	City	State	2006 Surface Impoundment Releases (lbs.)
1	Stanton Energy Center	Orlando Utilities Commission	Orlando	FL	8,423,056
2	Sherburne County Generating Plant	Xcel Energy	Becker	MN	4,721,862
3	Coal Creek Station	Great River Energy	Underwood	ND	4,372,709
4	Scherer Steam Electric Plant	Georgia Power / Southern Company	Juliette	GA	4,114,502
5	Detroit Edison Monroe Power Plant	DTE Energy	Monroe	MI	4,110,859
6	Gibson Generating Station	Duke Energy	Owensville	IN	3,030,524
7	Gorgas Steam Plant	Alabama Power / Southern Company	Parrish	AL	2,888,290
8	Cholla Power Plant	Arizona Public Service Company	Joseph City	AZ	2,863,427
9	Wansley Steam Plant	Georgia Power / Southern Company	Roopville	GA	2,673,672
10	Ghent Generating Station	E.ON US	Ghent	KY	2,664,501
11	J.M. Stuart Station	Dayton Power & Light, Duke, AEP	Manchester	OH	2,456,637
12	Harllee Branch Generating Plant	Georgia Power / Southern Company	Milledgeville	GA	2,433,945
13	Barry Steam Plant	Alabama Power / Southern Company	Bucks	AL	2,350,349
14	Gaston Steam Plant	Alabama Power / Southern Company	Wilsonville	AL	2,306,006
15	Miller Steam Plant	Alabama Power / Southern Company	Quinton	AL	2,160,349
16	La Cygne Generating Station	Great Plains Energy	Lacygne	KS	2,127,000
17	Gallatin Fossil Plant	Tennessee Valley Authority	Gallatin	TN	2,093,068
18	Boswell Energy Center	Minnesota Power	Cohasset	MN	2,009,628
19	Leland Olds Station	Basin Electric Power Cooperative	Stanton	ND	1,937,821
20	Widows Creek Fossil Plant	Tennessee Valley Authority	Stevenson	AL	1,864,177
21	Paradise Fossil Plant	Tennessee Valley Authority	Drakesboro	KY	1,765,148
22	Labadie Power Station	AmerenUE	Labadie	MO	1,740,882
23	Kingston Fossil Plant	Tennessee Valley Authority	Harriman	TN	1,738,437
24	Cardinal Plant	American Electric Power	Brilliant	OH	1,707,225
25	Bowen Steam Plant	Georgia Power / Southern Company	Cartersville	GA	1,684,118
26	Pearl Station	Soyland Power Cooperative	Pearl	IL	1,661,744
27	New Madrid Power Plant	Associated Electric Cooperative	Marston	MO	1,514,440
28	Kammer and Mitchell Plants	American Electric Power	Moundsville	WV	1,372,687
29	Kyger Creek Station	Ohio Valley Electric Corp.	Cheshire	OH	1,356,475
30	Greene County Steam Plant	Alabama Power / Southern Company	Forkland	AL	1,343,973
31	Baldwin Energy Station	Dynegy	Baldwin	IL	1,324,467
32	Rush Island Power Station	AmerenUE	Festus	MO	1,307,769
33	Karn and Weadock Generating Plants	Consumers Energy	Essexville	MI	1,171,382
34	Cayuga Generating Station	Duke Energy	Cayuga	IL	1,154,623
35	Council Bluffs Energy Center	MidAmerican Energy	Council Bluffs	IA	1,092,320
36	Chesterfield Power Station	Dominion	Chester	VA	1,088,260
37	Milton R. Young Station	Minnkota Power Cooperative	Center	ND	1,036,290
38	Wabash River Generating Station	Duke Energy	W. Terre Haute	IN	951,610
39	A. B. Brown Generating Station	Vectren	Mount Vernon	IL	944,944
40	Big Sandy Plant	American Electric Power	Louisa	KY	915,079
41	Amos Plant	American Electric Power	Winfield	WV	864,024
42	Big Cajun II	NRG Energy	New Roads	LA	860,640
43	Hammond Steam Generating Station	Georgia Power / Southern Company	Rome	GA	849,068
44	Tanners Creek Plant	American Electric Power	Lawrenceburg	IN	819,840
45	Muskingum River Plant	American Electric Power	Beverly	OH	791,757
46	Mayo Generating Plant	Progress Energy	Roxboro	NC	786,128
47	Killen Generating Station	Dayton Power & Light, Duke Energy	Manchester	OH	715,435
48	Roxboro Steam Plant	Progress Energy	Semora	NC	698,290
49	Trimble County Generating Station	E.ON US	Bedford	KY	637,434
50	E.W. Brown Generating Station	E.ON US	Harrodsburg	KY	637,230
51	George Neal Station North	MidAmerican Energy	Sergeant Bluff	IA	612,005
52	Clifty Creek Station	Ohio Valley Electric Corp.	Madison	IN	590,808
53	Welsh Power Plant	American Electric Power	Pittsburg	TX	562,064
54	Coleto Creek Power Station	International Power	Fannin	TX	550,623
55	L. V. Sutton Electric Plant	Progress Energy	Wilmington	NC	548,210
56	Laramie River Station	Basin Electric Power Cooperative	Wheatland	WY	541,970
57	Lansing Smith Generating Plant	Gulf Power / Southern Company	Southport	FL	520,282
58	Naughton Power Plant	PacifiCorp / MidAmerican Energy	Kemmerer	WY	517,966
59	Meramec Power Plant	AmerenUE	Saint Louis	MO	481,318
60	Shawnee Fossil Plant	Tennessee Valley Authority	West Paducah	KY	467,616
61	Brayton Point Station	Dominion	Somerset	MA	464,254
62	Duck Creek Station	Ameren	Canton	IL	462,272
63	Twin Oaks Power Station	OptimEnergy	Bremond	TX	449,002
64	Conesville Power Plant	American Electric Power	Conesville	OH	447,846
65	G.G. Allen Steam Plant	Duke Energy	Belmont	NC	439,208
66	Montrose Station	Great Plains Energy	Clinton	MO	422,100
67	Allen Fossil Plant	Tennessee Valley Authority	Memphis	TN	416,705
68	Cliffside Plant	Duke Energy	Mooresboro	NC	413,459
69	Asheville Plant	Progress Energy	Arden	NC	411,793
70	Meredosia Power Station	Ameren	Meredosia	IL	398,106
71	Louisa Generating Station	MidAmerican Energy	Muscatine	IA	382,063
72	Asbury Generating Station	Empire Distric Electric Co.	Asbury	MO	381,186
73	H. W. Pirkey Power Plant	American Electric Power	Hallsville	TX	380,111
74	Yates Steam Generating Plant	Georgia Power / Southern Company	Newnan	GA	376,610
75	Joppa Steam Plant	Ameren	Joppa	IL	366,675
76	Havana Power Station	Ameren	Havana	IL	360,772
77	Apache Generating Station	Arizona Electric Power Cooperative	Cochise	AZ	360,465
78	Canadys Station	SCE&G / SCANA	Canadys	SC	357,897
79	Lee Steam Plant	Progress Energy	Goldsboro	NC	356,078
80	Kincaid Generating Station	Dominion	Kincaid	IL	355,108
81	Cape Fear Steam Plant	Progress Energy	Moncure	NC	334,076
82	Intermountain Power Station	Intermountain Power Service Corp.	Delta	UT	333,589
83	Frank Ratts Generating Station	Hoosier Energy	Petersburg	IN	330,014
84	McDonough / Atkinson Steam Plant	Georgia Power / Southern Company	Smyrna	GA	318,051
85	Petersburg Generating Station	AES	Petersburg	IN	309,961
86	Dolet Hills Power Station	Cleco	Mansfield	LA	291,208
87	Rockport Plant	American Electric Power	Rockport	IN	281,995
88	Buck Steam Station	Duke Energy	Spencer	NC	279,190
89	Hugo Plant	Western Farmers Electric Cooperative	Hugo	OK	275,203
90	Wood River Station	Dynegy	Alton	IL	267,066
91	Gallagher Generating Station	Duke Energy	New Albany	IN	260,183
92	Oklaunion Power Station	American Electric Power	Vernon	TX	254,652
93	Gadsden Steam Plant	Alabama Power / Southern Company	Gadsden	AL	249,740
94	Iatan Generating Station	Great Plains Energy	Weston	MO	240,245
95	Sioux Power Plant	AmerenUE	West Alton	MO	226,193
96	Flint Creek Power Plant	American Electric Power	Gentry	AR	221,456
97	Riverton Power Plant	Empire District Electric Company	Riverton	KS	212,688
98	Spurlock Power Station	East Kentucky Power Cooperative	Maysville	KY	196,954
99	Jeffrey Energy Center	Westar Energy	Saint Marys	KS	190,417
100	W.S. Lee Steam Station	Duke Energy	Pelzer	SC	190,030
				Total	114,790,602

Table courtesy of Sue Sturgis and the Institute for Southern Studies, based on EPA data for 2006. Figures rounded to the nearest pound.^[2]

Articles and resources

References

↑ TRI Explorer, EPA, accessed January 2009.
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 Sue Sturgis, "Coal's ticking timebomb: Could disaster strike a coal ash dump near you?," Institute for Southern Studies, January 4, 2009.
↑ Shaila Dewan, "Hundreds of Coal Ash Dumps Lack Regulation," New York Times, January 7, 2009.
↑ Dina Cappiello, "Toxic Coal Ash Piling up in Ponds in 32 States," Associated Press, January 9, 2009.

Related GEM.wiki articles

External links

[1] TRI Explorer, EPA, accessed January 2009.

[iss-2] 2.0 ^2.1 Sue Sturgis, "Coal's ticking timebomb: Could disaster strike a coal ash dump near you?," Institute for Southern Studies, January 4, 2009.

[dewan-3] Shaila Dewan, "Hundreds of Coal Ash Dumps Lack Regulation," New York Times, January 7, 2009.

[ap-4] Dina Cappiello, "Toxic Coal Ash Piling up in Ponds in 32 States," Associated Press, January 9, 2009.

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