The Asheville Power Station as seen from the air with smoke billowing from one of its chimneys. The Progress Energy owned Asheville Power Station burns coal obtained by the most destructive form of coal mining, mountaintop removal, which is flattening mountains across Appalachia. The plant produces 1,994 pounds of sulfur dioxide, 788 pounds of nitrogen oxides, and 2,629,243 tons of carbon dioxide. Its coal ash ponds are designated “high hazard” by the EPA, meaning they are likely to kill people if they spill.