I-Team: Why did Adams County cleanup crew pump coal ash into Ohio River?
The I-Team has committed to a year of reporting about the retirement of coal-burning power plants in our region, in a series we call “Closed and Undisclosed.” Since 2013, utilities have shuttered or announced the closure of seven of the 10 plants that kept the lights on for decades in Greater Cincinnati. It’s part of a national trend that includes a 69% decline since 2008 of coal-fired electricity generation, driven by environmental rules and the emergence of cheaper energy sources. As coal-fired plants retire, new questions emerge about the billions of pounds of coal ash waste that remain. How will the sites be cleaned up? Who is monitoring air quality and drinking water? Will developers move in with new jobs or will the legacy of these coal towns be tainted land and unemployment?
