News for 2010

Coal ash spill worse than originally thought

Neighborhood FloodedThe December 2008 coal ash spill from a Tennessee Valley Authority () power plant in Kingston, Tenn., was already considered one of the nation’s largest environmental disasters, but one year after the spill, authorities say the devastation is even bigger than first imagined. Eric Schaeffer, executive director of the Environmental Integrity Project, tells The Environment Report’s Tanya Ott that the 2.6 billion pounds of toxic sludge from the east impoundment pond is more than the total discharge of all United States power plants last year.

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TVA customers footing bill for coal ash spill

us money photo 100x100 TVA customers footing bill for coal ash spillCustomers of the Tennessee Valley Authority () are footing the bill for the massive billion-dollar cleanup effort in an east community where more than a billion gallons of coal ash spilled creating the largest environmental disaster in U.S. history. However, because of a drop in fuel costs, customers aren’t seeing much change in their bills. If fuel prices creep back up, customers will be in for an unpleasant surprise.

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Environmentalists to sue NM coal mine for contaminating groundwater

new mexico 7 100x100 Environmentalists to sue NM coal mine for contaminating groundwaterEnvironmentalist group The Sierra Club plans to sue San Juan Coal Company, a New Mexico coal mine, because the coal ash stored in its unlined landfills has seeped into the ground and is contaminating nearby waterways and wells, according to The New Mexico Independent. The Sierra Club insists that this seepage of toxic material into groundwater poses a danger to livestock, wildlife and families.

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