Safety is our top priority. Nothing is more important than protecting our neighbors, employees, customers and the planet we all cherish.
That’s why Consumers Energy is working each day to safely manage the coal combustion residuals (CCR), or coal ash, created at our current and former coal-fired generation plants.
In addition to state regulations, the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) regulates CCR. In compliance with this law, you can find a wide variety of data related to the operation and maintenance of CCR disposal facilities at our current and former coal-fired power plants on this website.
Federal regulations are designed to protect human health and the environment by establishing a set of requirements for the safe disposal of coal ash. The rule lays out a prescriptive, phased process for monitoring groundwater, identifying and reporting any concerns, and then addressing any issues through corrective action. Michigan recently adopted legislation to strengthen environmental protections by giving the state oversight responsibility to implement federal CCR rules.
We’ve monitored groundwater at our generating sites since the early 1980s, and plan to maintain compliance with both the Michigan and new federal regulations by implementing regulatory mechanisms and measures, such as pond and landfill closures, to improve groundwater quality.
In fact, we are ahead of schedule in implementing corrective measures:
We are aligned with the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality and committed to safe operations and caring for Michigan’s air, land and water today and in the years to come.
BC Cobb, JH Campbell - Richard Houtteman - Richard.Houtteman@cmsenergy.com
DE Karn, JC Weadock, JR Whiting - Madison Clements - Madison.Clements@cmsenergy.com
Consumers Energy has Coal Combustion Residual (CCR) units in the following locations:
JH Campbell
DE Karn
JC Weadock
BC Cobb
JR Whiting
Bottom Ash Ponds Units 1-2
'Bottom Ash Ponds Unit 3
Dry Ash Landfill
Cell 5
Cell 6
Date | Rule Section Number | Document Title |
---|---|---|
January 2023 |
257.90 (e) |
2022 Annual Groundwater Monitoring and Corrective Action Report |
December 2022 |
257.80 | Fugitive Dust Control Plan |
December 2022 |
257.80 | 2022 Annual Fugitive Dust Control Report |
October 2022 |
257.70 |
Construction Certification |
October 2022 |
257.8 |
Fugitive Dust Control Plan |
October 2022 |
257.102 |
Closure Plan |
October 2022 |
257.104 |
Post-Closure Plan |
October 2022 |
257.7 |
Documentation of Design Criteria for Landfill Expansion |
October 2022 |
257.60-64 |
Location Restrictions |
October 2022 |
257.81 |
Run-on and Run-off Control System Plan |
Lined Impoundment
Dry Ash Landfill
>Charah Solutions, through its subsidiary Muskegon Environmental Redevelopment Group, LLC (MERG) has taken ownership of the ash ponds to execute the closure by removal of CCR at Consumers Energy’s former B.C. Cobb Generating Facility site. As owner, MERG, LLC will maintain the current RCRA documents on their website at: https://merg-ccrrule.com while Consumers Energy will retain these archive documents as required by RCRA regulation.
Bottom Ash Pond (Archive)
Pond 6
Date | Rule Section Number | Document Title |
---|---|---|
January 2023 |
257.90 (e) & 100(e) |
2022 Annual Groundwater Monitoring and Corrective Action Report |
March 2022 | 257.102(i) | Deed Notification |
January 2022 |
257.90(e) & 100(e) |
2021 Annual Groundwater Monitoring and Corrective Action Report |
January 2021 |
257.90 (e) | 2020 Annual Groundwater Monitoring and Corrective Action Report |
May 2020 |
257.93 | Groundwater Statistical Evaluation Plan |
May 2020 |
257.91 | Groundwater Monitoring System Certification |
January 2020 |
257.90 (e) | 2019 Annual Groundwater Monitoring and Corrective Action Report |
December 2019 |
257.8 |
2019 Annual Fugitive Dust Control Report |
December 2018 | 257.80 | Fugitive Dust Control Plan |
December 2018 | 257.80 | Annual Fugitive Dust Control Plan |
March 2018 | 257.104 | Post-Closure Plan |
December 2017 | 257.100 | Notice of Closure |
November 2017 | 257.102 | Closure Plan |
January 2017 | 257.100 | Annual Report |
December 2015 | 257.10 | Notification of Intent to Initiate Closure |
July 2017 |