To the Journal editor:

The Mining Journal recently reported on the accumulation of coal ash next to coal-fired power plants in Michigan.

The article made clear that such ash deposits have contaminated nearby drinking water supplies. As a follow up to this piece, I would encourage The Mining Journal to investigate and report on this issue as it applies to the Presque Isle Power Plant here in Marquette, which, according to the article, “generated 54,000 tons of coal ash in 2016 — 3.8 percent of the state’s total.”

This raises an important question: How much coal ash was generated in previous years?

In addition to the above question, such an investigation might answer the following questions:

1. Is there any kind of ongoing testing of ground water around the Presque Isle plant?

2. If there has been testing, when was it done and what were the results?

3. What sort of remediation or reclamation is planned for the existing Presque Isle plant site–especially as such remediation regards coal ash and ground water?

Thanks for the excellent reporting you do on local and state environmental issues. I do hope to see some follow-up on this one.

Tim Clancy

Marquette