Hank Johnson: “Power companies are closing coal-fired power plants as we move toward cleaner, more sustainable ways to generate…”

“Power companies are closing coal-fired power plants as we move toward cleaner, more sustainable ways to generate electricity. A material known as coal ash is a byproduct of this industry. Coal ash contains carcinogens, known carcinogens, such as arsenic, lead, and mercury. The EPA is now regulating coal ash with its final rule on the disposal of coal combustion residuals from electric utilities. Many of the neighborhoods already exposed to dangerous levels of coal ash are in predominantly low-income and minority communities. The problem of low-income and minority communities being disproportionately exposed to chemicals, hazardous waste, and toxic materials is neither new nor confined to one area of the country. More than 134 million Americans--their homes, schools, businesses, parks, and places of worship--are in harm's way from dangerous exposure to coal ash. A 2014 study found that residents in vulnerable zones are disproportionately African American or Latino, have higher rates of poverty than the U.S. as a whole, and have lower housing values, incomes, and education levels. The poverty rate in these zones is 50 percent higher than the national average. The percentage of Blacks is 75 percent greater than for the U.S. as a whole, while the percentage of Latinos is 60 percent greater. This means that almost half of the people more likely to suffer from exposure are Black or Latino.…”