Key Takeaways
- EPA’s Coal Combustion Residuals (CCR) Rule mandates coal power plants maintain CCR websites for compliance data.
- Subdomains under ccrsites.com lack an official public sitemap, complicating access to key documents.
- Critical environmental data resides on these sites, affecting community accountability and oversight.
- Search queries can help uncover hidden CCR resources, but centralized access is needed for better transparency.
- These CCR portals provide valuable data for advocacy, reporting, and deeper investigations into environmental risks.
Being a tech nerd and an investigative journalist tends to pair well. And today, I am happy to report that one-two punch has yielded some important results in the ongoing Adamo, Ron Froh, SCM saga.
EPA’s Coal Combustion Residuals (CCR) Rule requires coal-fired power plants to maintain publicly accessible “CCR websites” documenting monitoring data, safety inspections, and remediation plans. Many utilities consolidate these into subdomains under ccrsites.com, creating portals like /killen, /beckjord, and others.
What the Sitemap Tells Us—and Doesn’t
Although https://www.ccrsites.com/sitemap.xml doesn’t list visible links, a pattern emerges through WHOIS-style exploration and Google indexing:
- I personally confirmed subpages like
/monticello,/stuart,/muskingum-river, and/wood-riverthrough Google search and direct visits. - The site lacks an official public sitemap, making discovery dependent on search engines and manual browsing.
The WhoIs registration doesn’t reveal much, other than the site is registered through GoDaddy. However, the Killen site credits Kingfisher Development (a Froh company), and considering these demo sites are owned by Ron Froh and his crew, it’s safe to say who owns and maintains them.
Why This Hidden Network of Sites Is So Important
1. Transparency Where It Matters Most
Each subdomain holds critical compliance data such as groundwater monitoring reports, dam inspection findings, fugitive dust plans, all things that shed light on potential environmental threats. Without knowing where these docs are, communities likely lack the tools to hold polluters and regulators accountable.
And of course no one is going to advertise what they don’t want you to see.
2. A Mirror of Risk-Revealing Patterns
From Killen’s unresolved soil contamination to Beckjord’s unlined coal ash pits, these CCR compliance sites document ongoing environmental and structural risks across multiple plants. Comparing data across sites can expose patterns of neglect or recurring red flags.
3. A Path to Discovery (With a Caveat)
Search queries like site:ccrsites.com help uncover existing subpages, but missing ones remain invisible. Regulators and environmental groups must centralize or index these records for easier public access.
4. A Foundation for Deep Investigations
Each CCR portal offers raw data ripe for analysis: structural integrity trends, groundwater contamination trajectories, emergency action plan updates. Aggregating that across plants can reveal systemic failings or lax oversight, not just at Killen and Beckjord, but other notable sites on clutch’s radar, such as:
- https://www.ccrsites.com/stuart
- https://www.ccrsites.com/killen
- https://www.ccrsites.com/big-brown
- https://www.ccrsites.com/monticello
- https://www.ccrsites.com/harbor-beach
- https://www.ccrsites.com/muskingum-river
- https://www.ccrsites.com/beckjord
- https://www.ccrsites.com/wood-river
- https://www.ccrsites.com/niles
Sample CCRSites Subdomains Uncovered
Here are just a few of the CCR-specific portals published under ccrsites.com:
- Monticello Power Plant: annual reports and remediation plans since 2015.
- JM Stuart Station: dam inspection and dust control documents, including joint Killen-Stuart public meeting records.
- Muskingum River Power Plant: latest 2024 security and construction documentation.
- Wood River: extensive groundwater, dust, and stabilization reports from 2015–2025.
How You Can Use This Knowledge
| Purpose | Action |
|---|---|
| Community Awareness | Search site:ccrsites.com [plant] to locate local CCR reporting pages. |
| Advocacy & Oversight | Gather inspection dates, hazard classifications, emergency plans to flag regulatory gaps. |
| Reporting & Visual Storytelling | Compare risk patterns across sites or create regional dashboards of CCR compliance. |
| Policy Push | Call for a centralized directory of CCR public portals for easy public access and transparency. |
Pulling it Together
While CCR compliance domains like Killen and Beckjord offer vital public insight, the fragmented and non-indexed nature of ccrsites.com acts as a barrier. This opacity undermines accountability, delays scrutiny, and delays action, especially for communities living downstream or nearby legacy coal sites.
Join me in the hunt! Check out the sites and if you find something interesting, submit your findings here.
