EPA Public Hearing

On September 12, US EPA will hold an online public hearing to discuss the agency’s proposal to extend compliance deadlines for coal combustion residuals management units (CCRMUs). CCRMUs are known more simply as “coal ash dumps.” US EPA’s proposal is officially the CCR Management Unit Deadline Extension Rule.

Coal ash is the waste material left over from the burning of coal to generate our electricity. For decades, utilities dumped coal ash in unlined ponds, landfills, and mines. Known to contain contaminants like mercury, cadmium and arsenic, according to the US EPA, immense quantities of coal ash have polluted, and continue to pollute, the surrounding groundwater, surface waters and soil.

Exposure to the contaminants found in coal ash is linked to increased risk of numerous types of cancer, heart and thyroid disease, respiratory illness, and neurological harm.

Earthjustice has prepared a map of buried coal ash sites for the United States. Illinois has 26 sites, including several in the Chicagoland area. Monitoring these coal ash sites is needed to clarify the extent of the pollution leached to local groundwater, helping to prioritize the dump sites that should be cleaned up first.

If you would like to attend the hearing, you can register here: EPA Online Public Hearing Registration

EPA may allow some or all persons in attendance to present oral testimony at the public hearing by registering the day of the hearing. EPA will consider such requests on a first-come, first-serve basis during the hearing as time permits.

You can also submit written comments online at Regulations.gov until 10:59 PM CDT Monday, September 15, 2025.

Earthjustice has posted an informational/messaging/action toolkit that you can access here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BmqSrsmBpwljSF4on4_zD7ainfU32-bqcWHMPqGMQDo/edit?usp=drivesdk

Citizens Against Ruining the Environment (CARE) urges everyone to oppose US EPA’s CCR Management Unit Deadline Extension Rule. Delays in monitoring groundwater will only delay final cleanup of toxic coal ash sites. This serves the interests of industry and not public health.