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Alaska Collaborative on Health and the Environment Statewide Teleconference Seminar Series
The Hidden Hazards of Coal Development in Alaska: Health Risks of Coal Combustion Waste
Call Information	About the Call:
Presenters	Dear Friend, Alaska currently has six coal-fired power plants, all located between Healy and Fairbanks in Alaska's Interior. Coal ash from these facilities may pose a health hazard to nearby communities. Coal combustion waste, or coal ash, is the material that remains after coal is burned. Coal ash may contain a number of harmful substances including heavy metals like mercury and arsenic, radioactive elements, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and particulate matter. This waste from burning coal poses a risk to public health and the environment, yet is unregulated. Facilities in Alaska dispose of coal ash by giving it away as free fill and by placing the waste in holding ponds or landfill sites. These disposal methods may result in hazardous exposures to people unaware of the presence of coal ash nearby and unaware of the potential dangers. Recognizing the dangers of coal ash, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is currently considering ways to regulate this dangerous waste stream. Join us for a discussion of the hazardous chemicals in coal ash, how these chemicals may affect our health, air, water and food, and how you can help protect Alaskans from the health hazards of coal ash. Photo: Healy coal plant by Erin and Hig, Ground Truth Trekking.
Resources
What is CHE-AK?
Call Information:
Date: Wednesday, August 11, 2010 Time: 9 am Alaska Time (10 am PST) This call will last one hour. To join this free call and receive the dial-up instructions, please RSVP to Alaska Community Action on Toxics at diana@akaction.org or (907) 222-7714.






Presenters:
Barb Gottlieb is Deputy Director of the Environment and Health Program at Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR), where she works on climate and energy issues and directs "Code Black," PSR's campaign to end U.S. reliance on coal-powered energy. Ms. Gottlieb is coauthor of PSR's 2009 report Coal's Assault on Human Health and lead author of a forthcoming report on the health impacts of coal ash.
Lisa N. Widawsky, is an attorney for Environmental Integrity Project, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization established in March 2002 by former EPA enforcement attorneys to advocate for more effective enforcement of environmental laws. Ms. Widawsky focuses on litigation and regulation related to coal combustion waste, or "coal ash." She graduated cum laude with a Certificate in Environmental and Natural Resources Law in 2008 from Lewis and Clark Law School, where she was on the editorial board of the Environmental Law Journal and was inducted into the Cornelius Honor Society.
Russ Maddox of Seward, Alaska serves on the Board of Directors for Resurrection Bay Conservation Alliance and on the Alaska Chapter of the Sierra Club's Executive Committee. Since 2001 when his property was irreversibly contaminated by his neighbor's illegal actions, Russ has been active in the conservation community. His personal experience opened his eyes to how difficult it is for a victim to navigate the agencies and courts to achieve justice. Since 2004, he has dedicated his free time to investigating alleged contaminated sites and advocating for victims.
Resources
Fact Sheet: Coal Ash and Your Health (PDF) Report by Environmental Integrity and Earthjustice - Out of Control: Mounting Damages from Coal Ash Waste Sites (PDF) published February 24, 2010 Letter to President Obama re: Coal Ash Regulations (PDF)
What is the Collaborative on Health and the Environment - Alaska (CHE-AK)?
The Collaborative on Health and the Environment - Alaska is a regional partnership group of the national Collaborative on Health and the Environment (CHE). CHE is a diverse network of health care providers, scientists, environmental health and justice advocates, students, and health-affected people working collectively to advance knowledge and effective action to address growing concerns about the links between human health and environmental factors. CHE-AK aims to foster collaboration around environmental health and justice education and policy efforts that are of concern in Alaska. We welcome your suggestions and engagement. Click here to learn more about CHE-AK or here to listen to previous teleconference seminars.
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Alaska Community Action on Toxics
Phone: (907) 222-7714
505 W. Northern Lights Blvd., Ste. 205
Anchorage, Alaska 99503

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