Waste Coal: Time to finish what we started.

Alternatives to Waste Coal Plants – Waste coal piles continue to threaten our air and water, and burning them for energy creates as much waste ash as it removes. A more sustainable alternative is to plant beach grass on the piles to stabilize them, prevent leaching and erosion, and allow native plants to take hold. This approach costs a fraction of building more waste coal plants and eventually forms a plant layer that cools the surface and holds water.

Laws and Tax Credits for Waste Coal – Under Pennsylvania’s Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards Act, waste coal counts as a Tier II “alternative” energy resource and qualifies for several tax credits and grants. Despite these incentives, Tier II credits sell for pennies per megawatt‑hour, far less than renewable‑energy credits. Legislators have also tried to exempt waste‑coal plants from air‑pollution standards, while industry asks regulators to consider waste‑coal’s benefits when enforcing the Clean Power Plan and other rules.

Transparency – Before investing more in waste‑coal plants, Pennsylvania should evaluate alternatives, be transparent about decisions that affect our air and water, and involve the public. Whether DEP chooses to burn waste coal, plant beach grass or pursue other measures, it should analyze air and water impacts, publish findings and seek public comment. Our constitutional right to clean air and water depends on open and honest decision‑making.

lternatives to Waste Coal Plants – Waste coal piles continue to threaten our air and water, and burning them for energy creates as much waste ash as it removes. A more sustainable alternative is to plant beach grass on the piles to stabilize them, prevent leaching and erosion, and allow native plants to take hold. This approach costs a fraction of building more waste coal plants and eventually forms a plant layer that cools the surface and holds water.

Laws and Tax Credits for Waste Coal – Under Pennsylvania’s Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards Act, waste coal counts as a Tier II “alternative” energy resource and qualifies for several tax credits and grants. Despite these incentives, Tier II credits sell for pennies per megawatt‑hour, far less than renewable‑energy credits. Legislators have also tried to exempt waste‑coal plants from air‑pollution standards, while industry asks regulators to consider waste‑coal’s benefits when enforcing the Clean Power Plan and other rules.

Transparency – Before investing more in waste‑coal plants, Pennsylvania should evaluate alternatives, be transparent about decisions that affect our air and water, and involve the public. Whether DEP chooses to burn waste coal, plant beach grass or pursue other measures, it should analyze air and water impacts, publish findings and seek public comment. Our constitutional right to clean air and water depends on open and honest decision‑making.