Sierra Club Georgia Chapter announces three-part documentary “Rising from the Ashes” about Georgia Power’s coal ash catastrophe

ATLANTA, GA — Today, the Sierra Club Georgia Chapter and Sierra Club Beyond Coal Campaign announced the upcoming release of a three-part documentary series to raise public awareness of the dangers of coal ash in Georgia.

The trailer for the documentary is available above or can be found on You Tube.

“We owe it to future generations to invest whatever it takes so that we aren’t passing off to our great-great-grandchildren a problem that we could have handled more responsibly in 2021,” Dink Nesmith, chairman of The Press-Sentinel newspaper in Jessup, says in the trailer for the documentary.

In addition to Nesmith, the documentary will feature community organizers, health experts, faith leaders, and environmental advocates. The documentary will be released in three chapters over the coming weeks.

The documentary is being produced by Atlanta-based Solis Films.

Over the coming months, the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) will take public comments about Georgia Power’s proposed storage plans for decades of coal ash, the waste left behind from burning coal for electricity.

Jessica Morehead, Georgia Chapter Director, made the following statement:

“We are at a turning point for coal ash in Georgia. The decisions made by the Georgia EPD over the next few years will have impacts for generations to come. We want to lift up the voices of community members who are on the frontlines of this public health crisis and call on our state regulators to do right by all Georgians. We stand with our communities in demanding that Georgia Power dewater, excavate, and move its toxic coal ash to dry, lined landfills at every site. The health and safety of our kids and grandkids are at stake.”

About the Sierra Club Georgia Chapter

The Sierra Club Georgia Chapter is the largest grassroots environmental organization in the state, with more than 75,000 members and supporters. The Chapter supports a robust outings program and has active committees working on forest and coastal protection, transit expansion, and clean energy. For more information, visit sierraclub.org/georgia.

About the Sierra Club

The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3.5 million members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit sierraclub.org.