Hello and welcome to Eco Report.

Today on the program, we have award winning screenwriter Angelo Pizzo, whose film ‘Hoosiers’, about a small town basketball team winning the Indiana state championship, has been honored as the best sports film of all time. He speaks with us today about preserving our state’s natural heritage.

And now for your environmental reports:

  • For decades, utilities disposed of coal ash — the hazardous substance left after burning coal for energy — by dumping it in unlined ponds and landfills. Kentucky has 68 coal ash dumpsites.
    Kentucky is one of the nation’s top coal ash-generating states, ranking fourth in ash production in 2020.
  • In Illinois, the number of active and inactive coal ash ponds in 2025 is not explicitly stated in the provided search results, but the total is approximately 70. The state has regulations and ongoing efforts to address coal ash disposal and environmental impact.
  • In 2025, Michigan is seeing both the continued environmental challenge of coal ash and innovative solutions for its remediation. While some coal plants are facing closure and coal ash is being removed and repurposed, others are being kept open by federal orders, leading to concerns about pollution and grid reliability.
  • Ohio has a significant issue with coal ash disposal, ranking as one of the top coal ash-generating states and facing widespread groundwater contamination from its coal ash ponds and landfills.
  • Heavy rains this April flooded parts of central and southern Indiana. Fortunately, the Indiana Department of Environmental Management said it didn’t receive any reports of damage to the state’s coal ash ponds.
  • Indiana is home to more than 73 million cubic yards of coal ash stored on at least 16 sites that lack a liner. There are about 65 coal ash ponds with liners according to data compiled by Earthjustice in 2022 based on companies’ own reporting required under federal rules. For the ponds without liners, that’s the equivalent of more than 22,000 Olympic swimming pools.
  • A recent pact between North Dakota and the Trump administration shows how coal-friendly states could enshrine lax standards and block future federal enforcement on toxic coal ash pollution.
    North Dakota earned preliminary approval from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency last month to regulate coal ash — a byproduct of burning coal — at the state instead of federal level. Indiana environmentalists fear that their state will follow the same path.
  • Picking a state outside the Midwest reveals a different mentality. In New York, there are 12 known coal ash dumpsites, with at least 8 regulated coal ash disposal sites and 4 legacy ponds and inactive landfills. The exact number may be higher, as utilities were not required to report all such sites. The EPA issued a new rule in 2024 requiring power plants to clean up their toxic coal ash.

Feature Report:

And now, we have Correspondent Zero Roze and his interview with acclaimed screenwriter Angelo Pizzo about his efforts to aid forest protection and a benefit concert happening tomorrow in Paoli, over in Orange County Indiana.

Attention citizens! Did you know that you are part owner of thousands of acres of forest land in Indiana?The Hoosier National Forest belongs to all of us. And you can learn more about this public resource while participating in an auction, attending a benefit concert and while partaking of food from the Lost River Co-op and Cafe in Paoli on Saturday, June 28th. That’s tomorrow!For a chance to receive a complimentary ticket to the Tim Grimm concert in Paoli, just email us at: ecoreportextra@gmail.com. And now for some upcoming events:

  • Plan to attend the Tim Grimm Protect Our Woods Concert at the First Presbyterian Church, located at 110 NE 1st Street in Paoli, Indiana, on Saturday, June 28th beginning at 6 pm. Tickets are available from WFHB radio and more information here.
  • There will be a Night Sky Viewing at the Ferguson Dog Park on Saturday, June 28th, from 9 to 10:45 pm. Join members of the Indiana Astronomical Society to view the planets and stars through a variety of telescopes. Register at bloomington.IN.gov/parks.
  • Step Into a Summer Hike at Spring Mill State Park on Saturday, June 28th, beginning at 11 am. This will be a multi-trail hike on Trails 1, 2 and 4. It is a moderate 1 hour hike.

Credits:
This week’s headlines were written by Norm Holy.
Today’s news feature was produced by Zero Roze.
Julianna Dailey assembled the script which was edited by the EcoReport team and produced the upcoming events.
Kade Young is our engineer.

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