Local and statewide organizations on Tuesday will host a free screening in Salisbury of short films about coal ash in North Carolina.

The screening will take place at 7 p.m. on Tuesday in Room 300 of the Center for the Environment at Catawba College. The series of short films focuses on the public health and community impacts of coal ash storage in wet, unlined basins in North Carolina and across the country.

Rhiannon Fionn, a journalist and producer of “Coal Ash Chronicles,” will speak at the screening. She will be joined by representatives from Clean Water for North Carolina and the Yadkin RiverKeeper. The speakers will provide background on coal ash nationally and locally, answer questions about well testing, help attendees get ready for the upcoming public hearing in Salisbury on March 22. The public hearing will also be at the Center for the Environment.

Concerned local residents are urged to speak out for a transparent, swift, protective plan to store coal ash and ensure safe drinking water for neighbors of Duke Energy’s now-retired Buck plant.

Fionn, who has toured many locations for screenings, says “These films offer a chance for folks to learn how serious the impacts of coal ash are and to get involved. When citizens become galvanized, the government will finally begin to listen.”