Coal Ash Landfill Is Subject of Wednesday Sierra Club Panel

The Sierra Club, alternative energy consultants, and even the Mehlville School District Board of Education president will be participating in a panel Wednesday evening on the potential effects of a proposed coal ash landfill near Rogers Elementary School.

Last year Ameren proposed a coal waste landfill at Ameren Missouri's Meramec Energy Center. Energy company officials want to build the new facilities because its current storage is running out of room. 

The panel, titled A community conversation: Coal, Climate, and Our Clean Energy Future, “will address the impacts of the Meramec Coal Plant and the local Clean Energy Solutions that can move our community away from dirty coal,” according to an email from Sara Edgar, the Missouri Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal campaign organizer.

The panel will take place March 27 at the Cliff Cave Library at 7 p.m. in Meeting Room 1.

Panelists include:

• Sister Barbara Jennings, Midwest Coalition for Responsible Investment
• Patricia Schuba, Labadie Environmental Organization
• John Hickey, Sierra Club
• Dane Gleuck, Straight Up Solar
• Venki Palamand, Mehlville School Board
• Gary Steps, Butterfly Energy Works

The event will be moderated by Climate Reality’s Brian Ettling.

Spreading awareness

While the coal ash landfill was proposed in August, concerns about its potential health impacts picked up steam in the last month. One Mehville School District parent submitted a St. Louis Post-Dispatch letter to the editor encouraging both the school and residents to get involved. Edgar held an informational meeting in Oakville on March 5.

Residents are also taking their concerns to the county level. Sierra Club members and South County residents attended the March 12 St. Louis County Council meeting asking the board to stop the project, according to a KMOX report.

While St. Louis County Health Director Dolores Gunn said the concerns are on her radar, KMOX reports that the County doesn’t have the authority to make a decision regarding the landfill.

Interested residents can get more information on the issue and find out about upcoming meetings by contacting Edgar at 314-497-8757 or via email at sara.edgar@sierraclub.org.

Learn more about the proposed coal ash landfill: 

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