Local Residents, Environmental Advocates Spoke Out at EPA Coal Ash Public Hearing

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Yesterday, Jacksonville residents joined advocates and environmental leaders from across the country to participate in a public hearing regarding EPA's attempt to roll back its Coal Combustion Residuals (CCR) rule, a move which experts warn would put communities, waterways, and public health at greater risk. During the more than eight-hour hearing, participants shared testimony about the ongoing impacts of coal ash pollution in Jacksonville and communities nationwide, urging the EPA to strengthen safeguards for neighborhoods near coal ash disposal sites.

"As someone who spends so much time around these facilities, I worry about what people are breathing in and what may already be getting into our groundwater and environment," said Gary Lamp, a local semi truck driver. "I worry about workers, nearby neighborhoods, and future generations who will still be dealing with this contamination long after these plants stop operating."

Raul Kahle, a local community volunteer, said that it is "dumbfounding that the EPA would decrease safety regulations rather than increase them." He urged the committee to "uphold the mission of the EPA as detailed on their Website."

More than 13,000 people live within three miles of coal ash sites in Duval County connected to JEA's Northside Generating Station and the former St. Johns River Power Park. Coal ash which is the waste remaining after burning coal contains toxic heavy metals including arsenic, mercury, lead, and selenium, which can contaminate drinking water supplies which can cause cancer, neurological damage, and various other serious illnesses.

Coal ash contamination threatens groundwater, public health, and the St. Johns River while disproportionately impacting nearby working-class neighborhoods and communities of color.

Carolina Gutfrend, a GenCLEO campus organizer and recent USF graduate said that "decisions made by this decision from the EPA will impact the rest of her generation's lives." And implored the EPA to "fulfill their mission to protect lives and her generation by ensuring we have clean air, water, and are protected from future coal ash catastrophes here in Florida."

Suzanne Sapp, Sierra Club Beyond Coal Senior Organizer said, "Jacksonville residents should not be treated as expendable while utilities avoid accountability for toxic waste. We live near these sites, we work near these sites, and many families worry about what may already be in our groundwater and environment. The people of Jacksonville and across our nation deserve better."

"The EPA should be strengthening protections for communities impacted by coal ash and not weakening them. We need stronger monitoring, stronger cleanup requirements, full transparency, and real accountability from utilities like JEA."

Throughout the hearing process, speakers urged the EPA to maintain and strengthen existing safeguards, enforce comprehensive cleanup requirements, and hold utilities accountable for the safe management of coal ash waste. Testimony also highlighted the long-term health, environmental, and economic impacts coal ash pollution continues to have on Jacksonville families and communities across the country.

The EPA will accept public comments through June 12, according to its website.

About the Sierra Club

The Sierra Club is America's largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit https://www.sierraclub.org.