"Indiana Leads Nation in Coal Ash Ponds, Raising Toxic Concerns"

"Even though Indiana has the most coal-ash ponds of any state in the nation and a troubling number of spills, state environmental regulators have done little to address the ongoing problems of how to dispose of coal waste.

So contends a new report by the Hoosier Environmental Council, which is calling on the federal government to step in and do what Indiana so far has been reluctant to do: Come up with stringent standards on how to dispose of the wastes left over from burning coal.

In its report released today called "Our Waters at Risk," the council says Indiana electric utilities generated 6.6 million tons of coal ash in 2012. Much of that ash — which is known to contain toxins such as arsenic, selenium, lead, mercury and chromium — ends up a Indiana's 84 coal ash ponds, the most of any state in the nation."

Ryan Sabalow reports for the Indianapolis Star May 5, 2014.