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Central illinoiS

HealtHy Community allianCe


Building the transition Beyond Coal to Secure Clean air,
Clean water and a Strong economy in Central illinois
edwardS Coal Plant and Pollution
The Edwards coal-fired power plant near Bartonville
is an outdated coal plant that lies on the banks of the
Illinois River. Operating for more than 50 years, the
Edwards power plant burns coal and pollutes central
Illinoisincluding Peoria, Bartonville, Pekin and East
Peoria. This coal plant contributes to dangerous levels
of air pollution in the area.

Peoria

eaSt Peoria

HealtH imPaCtS and CoStS oF Pollution


The pollution from the Edwards plant has a significant
impact on human health. Emissions from coal plants
include dangerous pollutants like sulfur dioxide,
nitrogen oxides, carbon dioxide and mercury. High
levels of exposure to these emissions can cause
irritation of the throat and lungs, leading to difficulty
breathing, increased asthma symptoms, more
respiratory illnesses and cardiovascular disease.
Pollution affects the Illinois River and area water
resources too. Just one gram of mercury is enough
to contaminate a 20-acre lake making fish unsafe to
eat. The Edwards coal-fired power plant emits over
200 pounds (or 90,718 grams) of mercury each year.
When mercury from coal plants falls into waterways,
it accumulates in plants, organisms and fish up the
food chain. This neurotoxic mercury can cause serious
developmental impairment in fetuses and children, and
at higher concentrations it can damage the nervous
system and organs of adults. The popularity of fishing
near the Edwards coal plant puts Central Illinois area
residents in direct risk of ingesting mercury.
Central Illinois residents also pay the price for coal
pollution through their medical bills. In 2012 the Clean

edwardS
Coal Plant

Pekin lake

PeKin

Air Task Force released an updated Toll from Coal


report calculating health effects of pollution from coal
plants. Using 2012 Edwards plant emissions data, the
report concluded that pollution from the Edwards plant
contributed annually to:
490 asthma attacks
29 premature deaths
45 heart attacks
18 incidence of chronic bronchitis
31 asthma er visits
Coal aSH and water Contamination
in tHe Peoria area
Coal ash is the waste material left after coal is
burned. It contains arsenic, boron, mercury and
other pollutants, many of them toxic to people, fish
and wildlife.
When coal ash comes into contact with water, these
hazardous materials leach out of the waste and can
contaminate both surface water and groundwater.

These substances are poisonous and can cause cancer


and damage the nervous system and other organs,
especially in children.
Throughout its 52 years of operations, the Edwards
plant has dumped large amounts of coal ash
dangerously close to the Illinois River. The accumulated
toxic coal ash currently sits in an 89-acre, 32-foot
high pond near the plant and has left contamination
problems on the site. Each day, more than 5 million
gallons of water is polluted by coal and coal ash
processing. To date, the Illinois Environmental
Protection Agency has failed to place limits on the
amount of dangerous heavy metal pollution that the
plant can send from the ash ponds into the river.
The Edwards coal plant sits on the Illinois River
upstream from recreational areas where families gather,
including Pekin Lake and fishing sites along both
sides of the river. The Edwards plant puts the health
of families who enjoy Peorias resources at risk by
discharging polluted water.
Cleaner Air and Setting a Plan Forward
for Central Illinois
In March, 2013, the United State Environmental
Protection Agency (USEPA) declared a portion
of the Peoria and Tazewell Counties as being in
nonattainmentwith the national sulfur dioxide air
quality health standard. This designation means that
here in Central Illinois, residents breathe some of the
dirtiest air in the state. Within the boundaries of this
nonattainment area sits the Edwards coal-fired power
plant, a massive emitter of sulfur dioxide pollution
due to its lack of installed modern pollution control
technology.
The Edwards coal-fired power plant needs additional
modern pollution controls installed to comply with air
quality laws. As the owner and operator of the Edwards
plant, Ameren never announced a plan for bringing the
plant into compliance. Instead, it asked for and received
more time from the state to clean up its act. In a filing
before the Illinois Pollution Control Board, Ameren
identified Edwards as a plant it would be forced to
close if it had to install pollution controls.
Even with the extended time frame from the state,
Amerens assessment was that the pollution controls

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were still not worth the investment and the company


decided to sell the plant and focus instead on its
business in Missouri to maximize profits.In March 2013,
Ameren announced that the Edwards facility and its
other Illinois coal plants would be sold and operated
by another company, Dynegy. As the new operators of
the Edwards plant, Dynegy can either invest in modern
pollution controls to dramatically reduce pollution,
or it can phase out the plant all together. Meeting
environmental regulations is not a choice for Dynegy, it
is the law.
Dynegy only exited bankruptcy in 2012, and has a
history of slash and burn tactics that have hurt workers
and left communities in debt. Communities affected
by decades of pollution from the Edwards plant must
come together to ensure that Dynegy does not leave
the same legacy in Central Illinois.
The time to put the Edwards plant on a path toward
retirement is now. The community deserves cleaner
air and water and a safer place to recreate and raise
children. The fact that the Edwards coal-fired power
plant was sold to Dynegy for no cash demonstrates
that the outdated plant has little monetary value.
The state of Illinois is following a national trend of
phasing out dependence on outdated coal-fired
power plants in favor of renewable energy and
energy efficiency. Dynegy must be up-front with the
community and establish a clear plan moving forward
for the coal plant that includes a reasonable phase-out
date and ensures a just transition of the workers.
A New Future for Central Illinois: AHealthy
Economy and a Healthy Placeto Live
While the Peoria area has a long industrial history,
that legacy can be built upon with clean 21st
century technology. It is possible to craft solutions
that address community air and water issues while
smoothing the transition for affected workers and
preserving the tax base. Local groups are calling on all
stakeholderselected officials and regulators, Ameren,
Dynegy, the plants workers and their unions, health
care providers and their patients, environmentalists,
neighborhood and community groups, churches and
schoolsto collaborate on a phase-out plan that
ensures justice for all.

Central Illinois

HEALTHY

CommunitY ALLIANCE

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