Coal ash land fill (IMAGE) University of Texas at Austin Caption An ash landfill in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts. Recent research by The University of Texas at Austin tallied up the potential rare earth elements that could be extracted from coal ash around the country. Credit: Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection. Credit Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection Usage Restrictions Credit must be given to the creator. License CC BY Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.