Most Active Stories Wed February 6, 2013 Environmentalists
Demand Action on MSU Coal Ash Environmental advocates are
calling on Michigan State University to properly dispose of
large deposits of coal ash buried for years beneath the campus.
The group Clean Energy Now says tons of residual toxic ash
produced by MSU’s coal-fired power plant were found during a
2007 excavation. Some ash was sent to a landfill, but the group
asserts more than 90,000 cubic yards of ash were improperly
relocated on university property. Clean Energy Now’s Nick Clark
says buried coal ash poses an immediate public health hazard.
“During precipitation events or snow melts, we’re highly
susceptible to having this coal ash material leach out into the
surrounding wetlands, and having this area surrounded by
dangerous coal ash is extremely alarming," says Clark. The group
wants MSU to step up its water quality monitoring efforts. The
university maintains it is following the state’s environmental
protocol, but adds it will investigate the g