Beasley, Allen, Crow, Methvin, Portis & Miles, P.C.

Tina Nicholson walks down her driveway in Cumberland County, Tenn., every afternoon to meet her kids as they get off the school bus. They often detour down the winding Smith Mountain Road to look at wild growing herbs and enjoy the fresh air. The road is so narrow that when cars pass by, the Nicholson family has to step into a ditch that runs parallel to the road to make room. “Two regular cars cannot pass each other on this road as it is,” she says.

But if Crossville Coal Company and Smith Mountain Solutions have their way and are allowed to reclaim a surface mine on top of Smith Mountain to store coal ash recovered from the east Tennessee site of a massive coal ash spill, the narrow roadway where the Nicholsons walk will become even more treacherous with heavy trucks carrying tons of coal ash.

Smith Mountain Solutions says it will make safety improvements to the road and enforce low speed limits with GPS tracking, which would ultimately be a benefit to residents in the area. But few locals find the promise reassuring. Their concerns go beyond traffic issues. They are worried about their property and their health.

Coal ash is not categorized a hazardous material and thus does not fall under federal regulations. Last year, when a coal ash impoundment pond at the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Kingston, Tenn., site breached and sent a wave of toxic material onto a rural community, the government and environmental groups took a closer look at coal ash and realized just how dangerous the material can be.

Tests have determined that coal ash has become more and more toxic over the years, as technological advances have improved the quality of smoke that is released into the air. The coal ash left behind has been shown to contain toxins such as arsenic, lead, chromium, manganese and barium, which have been linked to serious health concerns such as cancer, liver damage and neurological complications, to name a few. As a result, the Environmental Protection Agency has been inspecting coal ash impoundments nationwide and is expected to provide guidelines by the end of the year.

Meanwhile, the TVA is undergoing a years-long, $1.2 billion cleanup effort at the site of the massive coal ash spill in east Tennessee. That cleanup includes removing the spilled coal ash and shipping it to other landfills for storage. One landfill that is currently receiving the reclaimed coal ash is in Alabama.

TVA is eyeing the Smith Mountain landfill as another storage site but residents are fighting the plan. Not only will the traffic along Smith Mountain Road be heavier, thanks to trucks hauling tons of recovered coal ash, but there is the threat of the coal ash leaching into the soil and contaminating the land and drinking water. And then there’s the risk of another breach like that in Kingston, which toppled houses, damaged property and displaced numerous residents.

Proponents of the Smith Mountain landfill plan say it would be a win-win for the community. Not only would it ensure improvements of Smith Mountain Road, it will create jobs and generate millions of dollars in fees for the community. The companies have also promised to ensure the safety of the landfill with synthetic liners to cut down on leaching.

But arguments for the landfill have fallen on deaf ears. “This has been sold to us as a win-win proposition, which it clearly is not unless you are one of a couple of groups,” says Smith Mountain resident Earl Tyler.

Source: Crossville Chronicle

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