Coal Ash Along the Shores of the Great Lakes
Articles/Websites
Grades9, 10, 11, 12Earth and Space Sciences, Civics
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Provided by Inside Climate News
What it is
- This easy-to-read article from Inside Climate News gives a succinct overview of the health and environmental issues connected to unregulated coal ash dumping along Lake Michigan.
- The article gives details on the responsible parties' compliance with the Coal Combustions Residuals Rule and how environmental justice communities, like Waukegan, Illinois, are disproportionately affected.
Teaching tips
Positives
- There are related articles linked at the end of this resource that students can explore to learn more about coal ash hazards.
- Students learn examples of both environmental and human health threats that coal ash dumping poses.
Prerequisites
- Students should have an understanding of the process of coal-powered energy and its effects on climate change.
- Readers will need to enter an email to read the article. To avoid having students go through this step, teachers may want to print the article or save it as a PDF.
Differentiation & Implementation
- This lesson on coal ash dumping can be used following the article to provide students the opportunity to put together a community member's viewpoint on the issue to provide an environmental justice connection.
- The video in this lesson on the coal ash pollution of Lake Michigan can be used prior to reading the article as a warmup.
- Students can conduct further research on the Coal Combustions Residuals Rule and specific cases in Illinois along Lake Michigan.
- Time can be given to students to further explore the Inside Climate website and investigate topics of personal interest.
From the scientist review
This resource highlights the environmental issues of the myriad coal ash ponds along the shores of the Great Lakes. Numerous court rulings, environmental reports, and news stories are linked throughout the clear, well-organized text. The groundwater contamination issues with coal ash storage are clearly tied to environmental justice and climate change. This resource is recommended for teaching.
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