Hold corporate polluters accountable for a coal ash disaster

Article Contributed by Friends of the Earth | Published on Tuesday, January 5, 2021

In April, an ash pond burst at the Sasan coal plant and mine in the remote district of Singrauli, India. This caused a flood of toxic coal ash. Six people died. Take action to stop the US from financing this deadly project.

The U.S. government helped prop up the coal plant responsible for this disaster. The Export-Import Bank, Ex-Im, provided $917 million in long-term financing to Reliance Power to construct and operate the plant.

We need your help to stop the U.S. from continuing to finance this dirty project and polluting company.

Take Action: Demand Ex-Im terminate its involvement with the Sasan coal plant and mine.

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Burning coal releases toxic pollutants in the environment. It produces carbon dioxide, mercury and sulfur dioxide – which have been linked to acid rain. And coal is one of the leading contributors to climate change.

Additionally, coal ash harms our health. Residents living near coal plants have an increased risk of respiratory problems, heart and kidney disease, and central nervous system issues. A study found blood samples from residents living near the Sasan coal plant had mercury levels six times higher than what is considered to be safe.

Since its spill in April, Ex-Im has made no public statements and taken no concrete actions to hold anyone accountable for the devastation and deaths of six people. Mike, will you demand that our tax dollars not be utilized to fund these abuses towards people and our planet?

Tell Ex-Im: Stop your investment and involvement in the deadly Sasan coal plant.

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Ex-Im has been regularly notified about the destruction the Sasan coal plant has caused to local communities, villagers, and the habitat. In 2015, the Inspector General of Ex-Im issued a report stating that the plant was responsible for 19 fatalities. Since then, reports have shown an additional 8 deaths linked to the Sasan coal plant and mine, although the death count is likely even higher.

But Ex-Im continues to look the other way and use your tax dollars to enable this dirty project to operate.

Enough is enough. We can’t let Ex-Im be complicit in the negligent operations of the Sasan coal plant and its operator, Reliance Power. But we need your help to push the bank to pull out of its investments.

Demand Ex-Im cut all ties with Reliance Power and the Sasan coal plant.

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