A Tennessee valley flooded by toxic coal ash.

More than 1.3 million tons of toxic coal ash sludge are stored in ponds and landfills at Missouri and Illinois power plants. About 300 similar sites are located across the country. Federal environmental…

AP photo

President Barack Obama is moving swiftly to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. He cleared the way this week for California to set strict new carbon-dioxide standards for cars and trucks. A dozen other states are poised to adopt the standards once…

Each year, U.S. power plants generate enough coal ash to fill 1 million railroad cars. It contains toxic metals — including  arsenic, lead, selenium and mercury — that can cause cancer and other serious health problems.
Individually, each of those toxins…

Illinois sits atop the nation’s second-largest coal reserves. Whether that fuel represents the nation’s energy future or its past is the subject of an increasingly bitter debate playing out over the nation’s airwaves.
Industry groups have been working hard to sell…