MCC purchased the 1,357-acre property in 1996 and entered into an agreement with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to begin site reclamation.

Most notably, is MCC's perpetual violation of the Air Pollution Control Act which prohibits allowing particulate matter to leave the boundaries of the dumpsite.

In addition to this, coal ash contains numerous harmful constituents including mercury, lead, arsenic, hexavalent chromium, cadmium, boron, and thallium.

[8] A rally to raise awareness and to call for the shutdown of SCI Fayette was held Sept. 19 outside Philadelphia’s historic Eastern State Penitentiary, birthplace of the modern U.S. prison system.

The event, attended by around 50 people, was organized by the Pennsylvania Human Rights Coalition to raise awareness of the health impacts of toxic coal ash, as well as fracking wastes, and the link between environmental justice and prison abolition.