A group of Puerto Rican citizens says it will take AES Corporation to federal court for illegally dumping highly toxic waste from its Guayama coal-fired power plant unless the energy giant meets the group's demands, which include a call for an end to AES' illicit disposal practices.

Public Justice and Salinas, Puerto Rico, attorney Ruth Santiago sent a Notice of Intent to Sue letter to AES on Wednesday, enumerating the demands of the Comité Dialogo Ambiental, Inc., a group of concerned citizens from Guayama and Salinas. The group says AES' practice of dumping carcinogenic coal ash in local residential areas poses an "imminent and substantial endangerment" to public health and the environment. (Pictured above are horses near an uncovered pile of coal ash waste in Guayama.)

The waste at the sites contains carcinogenic heavy metals, radioactive isotopes and hexavalent chromium -- all cancer-causing substances highly dangerous to humans. It also contains high levels of boron, a common constituent of coal ash that is harmful to the environment. Despite these hazards, AES provides the waste to local contractors for use as fill in road projects and housing developments and advertises that it case be used for agricultural purposes. None of the places the waste has been dumped are designed to prevent the waste from coming into contact with people or the environment.

"AES tried dumping its coal ash in the Dominican Republic, but the government there sued to block that disposal route," explained Public Justice Power-Cotchett Attorney Richard Webster. "After that, AES took the cheap and easy route and started dumping this carcinogenic waste in Puerto Rico without any regard for the health of the local people or their environment."

Note SP's editor: AES corporation, indee dumped 100 millions pound toxic coal ash in the rural community of Arroyo Barril.

- See more at: https://publicjustice.net/content/citizens-group-puerto-rico-poised-sue-energy-giant-aes-corp-illegal-coal-ash-dumping#sthash.Uj9COSMS.dpuf