The Trump administration may approve a controversial plan to allow state oversight of coal ash ponds throughout Alabama. The website of Inside Climate News reports the proposal would allow millions of tons of toxic coal ash to remain buried in place alongside the state’s rivers. Critics say much of that material is sitting in groundwater where it can leach into the environment.
APR News reported on one campaign to spread the word of possible coal ash pollution of Mobile-Tensaw Delta, often referred to as “America’s Amazon.” The late Sallie Smith led a trio of senior citizens along Alabama’s Gulf coast called the “Coal Ash Action Group.” She later died of cancer. APR’s coverage of the story helped to inspire California film makers to create the documentary “Sallie’s Ashes,” which premiered last year at Colorado’s Telluride Film Festival.
This story was part of APR’s yearlong, national award-winning, investigation into toxic chemicals threatening Alabama neighborhoods, titled “Bad Chemistry.”
“We want that coal ash moved,” Smith told APR’s Cori Yonge in 2023. “We are educating people so people know how big the issue is.”
Despite a stage-four cancer diagnosis and being an Alabama Power shareholder, Smith co-founded the Coal Ash Action Group. It’s a grass roots environmental effort. Seventy-five year old Diane Thomas is another senior in the group.
“When we go out, we tell people there’s a ticking time bomb, 20 miles from the head of the bay,” said Smith.
Alabama Power has a state permit to cap the pond. That means the ash would stay at the water’s edge forever. But the women are worried the ecologically diverse tangle of rivers and streams feeding Mobile Bay is just one flood away from an environmental catastrophe.
Seventy-nine year old Savan Wilson is the group’s third co-founder. She’s in charge of social media.
“We also now have an Instagram. And we even have a thread account because they’re tied together,” said Wilson.
The women want Alabama power to mirror actions in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia where they’re moving coal ash to lined landfills.
Smith later died following her cancer diagnosis.
The Environmental Protection Agency announced a proposal to approve Alabama’s coal ash permitting program. That would let the state oversee the closure of coal ash ponds at its major power plants. The Biden administration rejected the same plan in 2024 for failing to meet federal safety standards. It is the same proposal rejected by in 2024 for failing to meet federal standards.
“We remain committed to complying with all state and federal environmental rules and regulations,” said Alabama Power, which operates six major coal ash ponds throughout the state.
