MEDIA ADVISORY
CONTACT
Susan Thomas, Press Coordinator, Just Transition Northwest Indiana:
[email protected] | 847-767-1870
Kathryn McGrath, Media Relations, Earthjustice:
[email protected] | 202-516-6932
Jessica Xiao, Narrative Strategy Manager, Climate Justice Alliance:
[email protected] | 202-550-1042
WHAT
A People’s Delegation led by Earthjustice, Climate Justice Alliance, Just Transition Northwest Indiana, and Chicago Jobs with Justice and composed of the organizations listed below will be convening a press conference during a historic public hearing on the proposed EPA Coal Combustion Residuals (CCR) Rule. This is the only in-person hearing on the proposed rule being held in the country (The public hearing is Wednesday, June 28th, 9 AM-6 PM CST, the Adler Ballroom, 15th Floor, Kimpton Gray Hotel, 222 W. Monroe St., Chicago, IL.)
WHEN/WHERE
Press Conference: Wednesday, June 28th, at 1:15 PM CST, the Federal Plaza, 219 S. Dearborn, Chicago, IL
WHO
The press conference will feature the wives of the poisoned cleanup workers from the 2008 Kingston, Tennessee, coal ash spill, the worst industrial disaster in U.S. history, regional and national environmental justice organizers, representatives of the first nations, allies and local communities living with the threat of coal ash.
THE BACKSTORY
In 2015, the Obama Administration signed the U.S. EPA’s CCR Rule into law to address the risks of coal ash. The rule exempted hundreds of inactive coal ash landfills and unlined ponds across the country, bypassing critical monitoring and cleanup requirements and endangering the health and well-being of workers and the communities living near these power plants.
The EPA proposed a new CCR Rule that would extend federal monitoring, closure, and cleanup protections to hundreds of older landfills, legacy ponds, and fill sites previously excluded. Earthjustice sued the EPA twice on behalf of environmental, civil rights, and community groups, challenging this loophole. The draft rule is a result of those lawsuits. This is a big leap for environmental justice, but the EPA needs to complete the job to include all toxic coal ash sites and commit to enforcement.
HOSTED BY:
Earthjustice, Climate Justice Alliance, Just Transition Northwest Indiana, and Chicago Jobs with Justice in partnership with:
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And more!
Sponsored by Southern Environmental Law Center, Natural Resources Defense Council, and Environmental Integrity Project.
