first published week of: 07/11/2016
Georgia Power says it is speeding up its closures of toxic ash ponds near its coal-fired power plants in the state. This is an ash lagoon at Plant McDonough near Smyrna in a 2011 photo. Bob Andres bandres@ajc.com
Georgia Power is accelerating its closure of toxic coal ash ponds, a move welcomed by environmental groups who fear arsenic, lead and other heavy metals can leach into groundwater and poison homeowners’ wells.
The action, announced Monday by the Atlanta-based utility, brings Georgia more in line with neighboring states that have already closed coal ash ponds or ordered them cleaned up.
“This is good news for the people of Georgia,” said Stephen Smith, executive director of the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, a nonprofit that has pressured Georgia Power for years to close waste lagoons. “It is a significant move and it does appear to be comprehensive.”
Georgia Power said its 29 ash ponds statewide will no longer receive coal ash within three years, as opposed to a much lengthier timeline previously announced. continued…