The shutting down of the coal-fired power plant is a welcome development to some environmentalists—but a hollow victory if NIPSCO fails to clean the remaining coal ash to the extent activists want.

Coal ash, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, is the result of burning coal, which “contains contaminants like mercury, cadmium and arsenic” and “is one of the largest types of industrial waste generated in the United States.”

Just Transition Northwest Indiana, a two-and-a-half-year-old group looking for a “just transition to a regenerative economy that protects the environment, climate, and future generations,” recently sent a petition to EPA Region 5—which covers six states including Indiana—according to a press release.

The petition, created in partnership with Illinois Green New Deal Coalition, is through Action Network—an organization that raises money helping Democratic candidates and progressive groups—and currently has 1,971 signatures.

Those who sign the petition endorse a statement saying NIPSCO should “ensure a clean closure at the Michigan City Generating Station through the full removal and cleanup of all the onsite coal combustion residuals (CCR), including in both the coal ash pits and estimated 2 million tons of coal ash fill along the lakefront.”

WTTW reported at the end of September that NIPSCO is getting rid of over 300,000 cubic yards of the ash from settling ponds, but JTNWI disagreed that’s all that needs to be removed.

The American Coal Ash Association, in its yearly Production and Use Survey, reported that 69.2 million tons of coal combustion products were produced in 2020 and 40.8 millions tons of it were used “beneficially,” such as in the production of drywall or closing of coal ash ponds.

Jack Sells is a reporter at TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students.