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The Martin Lake power plant in Rusk County, Texas, ranks first in the state for total coal waste and most of the contaminated coal waste is disposed of in landfills.

Coal Plants in Texas

The eight new coal plants proposed to be built in Texas are projected by NRDC to generate 4,093,087 tons of contaminated coal waste, including 4,231 tons of toxic metals. Texas ranks 1st in waste production expected from new coal plants, and 1st in toxic metals from those plants.

Texas ranks 1st in the country for contaminated coal waste, with 13,454,000 tons of waste reported to the U.S. Energy Information Administration in 2005. The state also ranks 1st in toxic metals contaminating the waste, with 8,915 tons of toxic metals, based on NRDC estimates.

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Statistics for Proposed Plants in Texas

Statistics for Existing Plants in Texas

† While these plants use oil, natural gas or other fuels rather than coal, they are listed here because they reported their waste to the Energy Information Administration.

Percent of waste disposed indicates the proportion of contaminated coal waste disposed of in landfills, ponds, or on- or off-site disposal facilities. For detailed information on how each plant reported its waste disposal in 2005, see the detailed data Excel spreadsheet.

Sources: Permit applications for new plants; Energy Information Administration data; NRDC estimates. The most recent data available from the EIA is from 2005 and it is possible that operational changes at particular plants will have changed the yearly waste volumes and disposal methods. Click here for detailed glossary of terms and our methodology.

last revised 3/12/2009