In 2010, As You Sow filed the first shareholder proposals on coal ash. Shareholders displayed record support for our resolutions at coal-burning utilities MDU Resources Group and CMS Energy, at 43% and 40% respectively. Our proposals asked the utilities to reduce the environmental and health hazards associated with coal combustion waste – including waste ponds, impoundments, and mines – and ensure that their coal ash is recycled, and done so in an environmentally safe manner.

As You Sow also coordinated an investor letter, representing over $240 billion in assets under management, to the EPA in support of the "Subtitle C" regulations governing coal ash disposal. For more coverage of the letter, see the video above from "CSR Minute."

Background

The ash residue from coal combustion contains arsenic, mercury, lead, and other heavy metals. Disposal of this residue is currently not regulated and is stored in open ponds where it can leach into ground water. Coal combustion waste (both in the air and the ash) has been linked to cancer, organ failure, and other serious health problems. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) found that “Pollutants in coal combustion wastewater are of particular concern because they can occur in large quantities (i.e., total pounds) and at high concentrations …in discharges and leachate to groundwater and surface waters.”