• In the wake of the Gulf Oil Catastrophe and the Senate bill collapse, the need to hold dirty energy companies accountable for their pollution is clearer than ever.
  
  
• We have a critical opportunity this summer to defend the health and safety of our communities by calling for strong federal regulation of toxic coal combustion waste, or “coal ash.” Coal ash contains toxic chemicals like arsenic, lead and mercury that cause disease and birth defects and poison local water supplies and communities.
  
  
• We saw the devastating impacts of coal ash in December 2008, when over a billion gallons of this toxic sludge flooded communities in Eastern Tennessee. In response the Obama Administration’s EPA has proposed rules to place the first federal regulations on coal ash as a hazardous waste.
  
  
• The coal industry is already fighting tooth and nail to water down these proposed regulations and we can’t let that happen. If the coal companies have their way, toxic coal ash would be regulated no more stringently than household garbage – letting them off the hook for their pollution!
  
  
• 1Sky firmly believes that the Obama Administration must protect the public from dirty energy and immediately begin transitioning to a clean energy future. We need strong safeguards to prevent future disasters and ensure that that the coal industry’s toxic waste does not endanger our communities and our health.
  
  
• Strong safeguards on coal ash will also create a powerful incentive to transition away from dirty fossil fuels towards clean, renewable sources of energy.
  
  
• 1Sky supporters are signing a petition for public comments to encourage the EPA to follow through on regulating coal ash as hazardous waste. 1Sky organizers and supporters will also appear at EPA public hearings in Arlington, VA, Charlotte, NC, Denver, Dallas, Chicago, Pittsburgh, and Louisville, KY to voice their support for strong coal ash regulations.
  

Additional facts and figures

• Ensuring coal combustion waste is properly disposed of would result in economic savings by reducing premature deaths, disease, and illness. These economic benefits will total up to $7.4 billion per year.
  
  
• The coal industry claims that regulating coal waste as a hazardous waste would increase consumer prices for electricity and be harmful to the economy. In fact, coal waste regulation would increase electricity costs by less than 1% and have positive economic effects while simultaneously safeguarding public health.

More on the 1Sky Campaign:

April's Dirty Energy Hunt was the first stage of 1Sky's six-month campaign to show broad public support for bold federal solutions on climate and clean energy in the lead-up to this fall's mid-term elections. Upcoming 1Sky campaign activities include the following:

June and July: Clean Energy Jobs Hunt
Following up on the Dirty Energy Hunt, the Green Jobs Hunt will identify local and sustainable solutions to the climate crisis, with a strong emphasis on highlighting the potential of clean energy jobs in local communities. During this time period 1Sky supporters will reach out to local green businesses and clean energy stakeholders, gathering their stories to convey the economic benefits of a green economy and continue to highlight the need to transition away from fossil fuels.

August: Congressional Recess Meetings
The August congressional recess presents an opportunity for constituents to visit and meet with their elected officials in district. 1Sky supporters will use this time window to present their representatives and senators with their findings from the Dirty Energy and Green Jobs Hunts and urge them to make climate change and clean energy top priorities.

September: Energy Efficiency Canvas
To continue highlighting the benefits of a green economy and to synergize with ongoing canvass efforts from Change to Win and other partners promoting home weatherization, 1Sky will organize an energy efficiency canvass day of action on September 12. 1Sky supporters will use this day of action to engage people in their communities about the potential for financial and energy savings through efficiency and use this as an avenue to bring them into the climate movement.

October: 10/10 Public Events
In coordination with 350.org and other partners, 1Sky will participate in a nationwide "Day of Work" on October 10 to hold hundreds of community forums, rallies and other public events to highlight local clean energy solutions and engage elected officials. The message to decision makers is as follows: "We're getting to work building the clean energy economy – and you should too!" Coming less than a month before the mid-term elections, October 10 will elevate clean energy and climate as top-tier issues for candidates for federal office.