Coal ash contains known carcinogens such as arsenic, lead and mercury. This is why the EPA is now regulating coal ash. As power companies shut down or upgrade their facilities, the need to permanently dispose of this hazardous byproduct is growing. So far, these companies have dumped millions of tons of coal ash into unlined landfills across America -- putting our water supply at risk.

As a registered Republican who voted for McCrory in 2012, Deb thought her governor would be willing to help clean up the coal ash pollution she believes contributed to her husband's early death. But after her repeated attempts to contact the governor's office were ignored, Deb is starting to regret helping McCrory become governor.

Leases on federal land ignore coal's real cost, Greenpeace says.

As Americans retreat to cooler locales for the worst of the summer's heat, the Department of the Interior is on a listening tour about coal royalty reform. Interior manages coal on public lands for the public's best interest, which has been ill-served by the below-market prices attached to federal mineral leases for decades.

Climate change constitutes a planetary emergency that we all must confront. And the retirement of these coal plants feels like 200 breaths of fresh air.