March 12th, 2009
Here is the Natural Resources Defense Council’s list of the 15 states that would be the biggest polluters — the “Filthy 15” — based on their total of 54 planned coal plants that create nearly 14 million tons of dangerous waste (state; number of proposed plants; estimated coal ash waste in tons):
- Texas (8 proposed plants; 4,093,087 tons of coal ash waste)
- South Dakota (2; 952,630)
- Florida (3; 911,118)
- Nevada (3; 888,272)
- Montana (3; 848,278)
- Illinois (4; 797,450)
- South Carolina (2; 731,110)
- Ohio (3; 711,616)
- Wyoming (5; 697,850)
- Michigan (5; 686,897)
- Kentucky (4; 593,662)
- Missouri (4; 515,709)
- Wisconsin (3; 512,632)
- Georgia (2; 507,952)
- West Virginia (3; 445,202 )
Related links:
Photo: The Redford Center at the Sundance Preserve and Alpheus Media
Narrated by Robert Redford, Fighting Goliath: Texas Coal Wars, followed the story of Texans fighting a high-stakes battle for clean air.
