Indiana AG Holds Utility Company Accountable for Coal Ash Pollution

MARCH 4, 2022

Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita and the U.S. Department of Justice announced a consent decree with Northern Indiana Public Service Company for its contamination of soil and drinking water at the Pines Groundwater Plume Superfund site in northwest Indiana. The company’s power generating facility produces coal ash as a byproduct, which contains hazardous substances such as arsenic and lead. Instead of properly disposing of the coal ash, the company distributed it across the town to be used as landscaping fill, contaminating nearby soil and groundwater, according to the complaint. The consent decree, which was subject to a public comment period and approval by the court, required the company to identify and clean up remaining contaminated soil and monitor for additional contamination at residential areas within the site.