Coal harms communities and public health at every step of its use – from mining the coal to burning it to storing the leftover toxic waste.

Smog and asthama:
Each year, coal pollution causes 12,000 emergency room visits and $100 billion in health costs. Half of U.S. families live in places with unsafe air. 

#1 source of mercury pollution:
Burning coal releases toxic mercury that rains down onto rivers and streams and contaminates fish. The pollution then makes its way into our bodies when we eat the fish.

Mountain-top removal mining:
Mountaintop removal is exactly what it sounds like: Mining companies clear-cut forests and then blow the tops off mountains to get the coal. They then dump millions of tons of waste into the valleys below — permanently burying streams, poisoning drinking water, and increasing the risk of flooding.

Toxic coal ash:
When coal is burned it leaves behind toxic waste ash. This waste is dumped in thousands of sites nationwide and often stored in open-air pits, where it can spill or seep into the ground and contaminate drinking water. 

But there's hope -- the grassroots campaign to move beyond coal has seen an outpouring of support and victories that no one thought possible just a few years ago. Will you pledge to join the grassroots movement to stop Big Coal in your state?

Hundreds of thousands of people around the country -- people just like you -- are talking to their neighbors, community leaders, media outlets, and most importantly, decision-makers.

They've successfully stopped over 150 coal plants to date! But with 500 coal-fired power plants still operating, spewing out deadly pollution, we have our work cut out for us as we create the citizen movement that will shut down coal and create a clean energy future.