MoveOn Petition Against Coal Ash Landfill Gains Traction

The coal waste depository proposed at Ameren Missouri's Meramec Energy Center has a petition forming against it online.

The proposed site is located a little bit more than one-mile from Rogers Elementary in the Mehlville School District.

Ameren officials say they want to build new facilities for coal waste because the current storage is running out of room. 

But while the project was first announced in 2012, opposition to the project is strong and began taking shape earlier this year. The Missouri Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal campaign organizer has hosted community forums for residents looking for additional information. Opponents also have their own Facebook group, No Coal Ash Landfill in Oakville.

The petition statement reads:
"The health of the residents of the St. Louis area should not be written off as the cost of doing business. As a resident of St. Louis County I am asking for County Executive Charlie Dooley and the County Council to be our heroes and call upon the Missouri Department of Natural Resources to: Ask DNR to require Ameren to lower its sulfur dioxide emissions to levels that are safe for residents to breathe and in accordance with the Clean Air Act. Call on DNR to require groundwater monitoring at all current coal ash disposal sites. "

If you'd like to see the online petition, click here.

Learn more about the proposed coal ash landfill: 

• Ameren Proposes New Storage Facility at Oakville Plant
• Mehlville Parent: No to Coal Ash Landfill Near Elementary School
• South County Residents Spreading Awareness of Proposed Coal Ash Landfill
• Coal Ash Landfill Is Subject of Sierra Club Panel