Dr. Stephen Jay, Professor Emeritus, has been one of the leading voices in a grass roots effort calling for IPL to switch from coal to cleaner energy at the company’s Harding Street power plant in Indianapolis. On August 15, victory was achieved when IPL announced it would phase out coal by 2016, a move that Dr. Jay and others say will greatly improve the air quality in Marion County. According to the EPA, the Harding Street power plant is responsible for 88 percent of the toxic industrial pollution released in 2012 in Marion County and it is the largest source of dangerous soot and sulfur dioxide pollution in Marion County, contributing to Central Indiana’s failing grades for air quality. In speaking to reporters about the science behind the grass roots effort to convince IPL to make the switch, Dr. Jay said, “Research has shown that air pollution from the Harding Street coal-fired power plant causes premature heart attacks, strokes, asthma attacks and deaths in our community. These diseases fall disproportionately on our inner city, including families with children who are medically underserved. IPL's decision is a positive step for our community. I look forward to telling my asthma patients at a neighborhood free clinic that they will be breathing easier soon.” For more information, click here: http://go.iu.edu/dAN
