Their complaints seem to have fallen on deaf ears as train car loads of coal ash continue to be shipped into Alabama. But Wathen is speaking out. His letter to the EPA documents serious environmental health threats at the Arrowhead Landfill. Here is what Wathen contends:

• Dangerously high arsenic levels have been found in what’s described as “stinking gray/tannish waste” being pumped nightly from the landfill. Wathen tested the leachate from an on-site pump and found levels of arsenic that was 80 greater than the U.S. safe drinking water standard and far higher than what is considered safe for aquatic life.
• The arsenic-tainted waste runs in the landfill’s roadside ditches at levels that have exceeded safe drinking water limits. This water leads to private land where farm animals drink from surface water.
• An excessive amount of wet material is being dumped into the landfill, threatening the protective liner.
• Contaminated coal ash is falling from overloaded, uncovered trucks and spilling along the road. This contaminates the road in which the trucks travel. Untreated water there currently in flows into the Tayloe Creek. Some worry that when the weather dries out, the residue could become airborne.
• When the train cars hauling coal ash to the landfill are washed off, the runoff is allowed to flow into Tayloe Creek’s drainage basin, raising the same concerns.

Source: The Institute for Southern Studies, Facing South

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › Activist documents coal ash dangers in letter to EPA

Since the cleanup began, the effort has been focused on the Emory River, dredging the bottom of the waterway to keep as much ash as possible from floating downstream. Approximately 70 percent of the river has been dredged and the agency hopes to have the river cleanup completed by May.

The spill raised concerns by those living nearby. Coal ash contains arsenic and carcinogenic heavy metals that can be harmful to humans as well as wildlife. Locals have questioned the quality of their water supply. McCracken says testing of the water downstream has turned up clear and intakes for drinking water appear not to have been affected by the contamination. Monitoring of water downstream is expected to continue indefinitely.

“There’s no doubt in my mind that there will be a long-term monitoring program to determine that indeed there is no impact to people off-site,” McCracken told WPLN News.

But the spill also dampened the area’s appeal, covering pastures with gray sludge and all but destroying water recreation activities such as swimming, boating and fishing. McCracken assures that the cleanup effort has been so successful that swimming can resume in the waterways downstream from the spill; however, people may want to steer clear of the dredges.

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › TVA says Emory River coal ash cleanup nearly completed

Coal ash storage is currently under review by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), following the December 2008 Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) impoundment pond rupture that dumped more than a billion gallons of toxic sludge on to a neighboring east Tennessee community and the Emory River. Coal ash contains arsenic and carcinogenic heavy metals, which has raised concerns from environmental groups.

Coal ash is not currently regulated by the federal government, and environmental groups say that the lack of oversight has made storage plants lax, putting millions of people who live near those plants at risk. The EPA is expected to propose guidelines for coal ash storage in the next few months.

If the EPA reclassifies coal ash as a hazardous material, it would have a ripple effect that critics, including the group of Illinois lawmakers, say will crush an already weakened economy.

The Office of Management and Budget said in a statement that it has received the Illinois lawmakers’ comments and they “appreciate their input.” For now, however, the subject remains under review.

Source: Chicago Tribune

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › Illinois lawmakers ask White House not to classify coal ash as hazardous

Coal ash recovered from the Kingston spill is being shipped by train car to Arrowhead Landfill in Perry County, Ala. That deal is generating a handful of jobs and millions in storage fees for the chronically poor and predominantly black community. Despite the benefits, residents say the coal ash is stinking up their town. And they are worried about the toxins seeping into the ground and contaminating their water. Coal ash contains arsenic and carcinogenic heavy metals. So far residents’ concerns have fallen on deaf ears.

But not in south Alabama, where the coal ash effects have been trickling down. Runoff water from the Arrowhead Landfill was originally shipped to a water treatment plant in Marion, Ala., and discharged into a creek. After a community outcry, the Environmental Protection Agency recommended that the runoff be taken elsewhere.

The new location? Liquid Environmental Solutions, a wastewater processing plant in Mobile, Ala. The plant “properly accepted, tested and treated the non-hazardous Perry County landfill wastewater” just before it was routed through the Mobile Area Water and Sewer System and discharged into Mobile Bay, according to a statement by Liquid Environmental Solutions senior vice president Dana King. Recently, the company decided to stop accepting shipments of wastewater from the landfill after community members express concerns. Where will the coal ash runoff be shipped now? TVA spokeswoman Barbara Martocci said it is “something that will have to be worked out” by the companies involved.

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › Trickle-down effect causing problems for coal ash disposal

But before the citizens of Perry County could file their lawsuit, the owners of Arrowhead Landfill filed for bankruptcy, a move that stops the residents’ planned lawsuit in its tracks. No new litigation can be brought against entities in bankruptcy proceedings.

Perry-Uniontown Ventures I LLC (PUV), also known as Perry County Associates, the company that owns the landfill, filed the documents last week in Mobile. PUV claims it owes $3.9 million to Phillips & Jordan Inc., (P&J) $779,837 to the Perry County Commission, and $11,000 to the Alabama Department of Revenue. PUV claims P&J and Phill-Con Services have withheld money paid by the TVA.

An attorney for the residents says that while the planned litigation cannot go forward until the bankruptcy matter is cleared up, other options are being examined.

Beasley Allen attorney Rhon Jones, who represents residents of east Tennessee who have lost property in the TVA coal ash spill, told the Selma Times Journal that he is uncertain whether the landfill’s bankruptcy would have any effect on his clients’ cases.

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › Lawsuit to halt coal ash dumping held up by landfill’s bankruptcy

TVA has already said that the billion-dollar cleanup is being footed by customers through their utility bills. That hike is hidden by a recent drop in fuel costs that has helped keep customers’ bills somewhat steady. If and when fuel prices creep back up, customers will see the change. But if coal ash, which contains arsenic and carcinogenic heavy metals, is reclassified as hazardous, it could affect how the TVA continues the cleanup process. And that $1.1 billion price tag could leap even higher.

EPA spokeswoman Latisha Petteway says the agency is still mulling the decision on how to classify coal ash. Both Petteway and Barbara Martocci, spokeswoman for the TVA, declined to comment on how the EPA’s decision would affect the TVA’s cleanup. However, classifying the coal ash as hazardous would almost certainly affect how the waste is recycled. Byproducts from coal-firing plants are used to strengthen building products such as wallboard and cement, and are even used to break down soil and fertilize crops.

The TVA is the nation’s largest utility with nearly nine million customers in Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Kentucky, North Carolina and Virginia.

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › Coal ash classification could affect TVA customers’ bills

“You might have seen my picture in the paper,” she smiles at the video camera. John L. Wathen, a.k.a. Hurricane Creekkeeper, is shooting the video to capture community reaction to local government’s decision to store toxic coal ash in the nearby Arrowhead Landfill. That coal ash is recovered from the Emory River where more than a billion gallons of the toxic material spilled in December 2008 from a Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) coal-firing plant in east Tennessee.

As part of a years-long, billion-dollar cleanup of the area, the TVA is hauling truckloads of the recovered coal ash from the river to the landfill in Perry County, an impoverished and historically black community in rural Alabama.

Local government calls the deal a “boon to the community.” It is expected to bring more than $3 million in “host fees” plus generate a few dozen jobs. Locals worry that they will have to shoulder the burden while city and county officials rake in the benefits.

“Sometimes at night when I’m in my bed I have my window cracked a little bit for some fresh air to keep from running the fan. I pick up this odor,” Ms. Ruby says. “I really don’ t want to say what it smell like. Some kind of gas. And it’s a bad scent … It wakes me up and it gets all through my house.

“I am concerned about my health. I’m breathing this stuff.”

Ms. Ruby and her neighbors worry their concerns are falling on deaf ears. But they aren’t the only ones who fear their health is in jeopardy. The recovered coal ash from Tennessee is being dumped into the Arrowhead Landfill and combined with household garbage. The liquid that drains from that landfill, also known as leachate, is trucked to nearby Marion, where it is then dumped into an open sewer lagoon and combined with sewage.

“The stench is horrible,” Wathen points out in his video. “Citizens nearby both locations fear for their health and safety.”

Watch Ms. Ruby’s and residents’ reactions.

Click here to view the embedded video.

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › Perry County residents voice concerns about coal ash storage

That coal ash is a synthetic form of the mineral gypsum, produced by power plant “scrubbers” that remove sulfur dioxide from the smoke stack emissions. The chalky substance also contains mercury, arsenic, lead and other heavy metals that have been linked to serious health problems, like cancer, liver damage and neurological complications.

So why scatter toxic ash over the fruits and vegetables we eat? The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says the toxins are in such small amounts that they aren’t harmful to crops or humans. That’s hardly reassuring news considering a year ago coal ash wasn’t classified as a hazardous material, and plants that stored coal ash waste weren’t subject to federal inspections.

It wasn’t until the wall of a coal ash impoundment pond at a Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) plant in east Tennessee broke, sending a wave of coal ash onto a nearby community, that the government began to take a closer look at the waste produced by power plants. It found that coal ash contained higher levels of toxins that originally thought and was in fact dangerous to humans.

The TVA now faces lawsuits from hundreds of victims of that spill. Many residents lost property, but several have reported health problems ranging from nosebleeds to breathing complications. Some, including a small child, have even tested positive for heavy metal in their bloodstream.

Now that light has been shed on the real dangers of coal ash, perhaps the government might reconsider its stance on the safety of coal ash as a fertilizer for the foods we eat.

Source: Food Consumer

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › Why is toxic coal ash used to fertilize crops we eat?

Editorial: The Coal Ash Case
Published January 19, 2010, The New York Times

Just more than a year ago, one billion tons of toxic coal sludge broke loose from a containment pond belonging to the Tennessee Valley Authority, burying hundreds of acres of Roane County in eastern Tennessee and threatening local water supplies and air quality. The Environmental Protection Agency immediately promised new national standards governing the disposal of coal ash to replace a patchwork of uneven — and in many cases weak — state regulations.

The agency’s recommendations, which have not been made public, are now the focus of a huge dispute inside the Obama administration, with industry lobbying hard for changes that would essentially preserve the status quo. The dispute should be resolved in favor of the environment and public safety.

America’s power plants produce 130 million tons of coal ash a year, enough to fill a train of boxcars stretching from the District of Columbia to Australia. Some of this is usefully, safely and profitably recycled to make concrete and other construction materials. Much of it winds up in lightly regulated landfills, some as big as 1,500 acres, where toxic pollutants like arsenic and lead can leach into the water table.

One internal E.P.A. proposal suggested reclassifying coal ash as a hazardous material subject to federal regulation. It also recommended national standards requiring safe, sturdy disposal facilities. Industry counterattacked, arguing that the hazardous designation would ruin the recycling market and could trigger burdensome new investments. It also argued for continued state control, with the federal government providing “guidance.”

These arguments do not hold up. The recycling market will not disappear. Materials that are responsibly recycled are not, typically, designated as hazardous. The real problem is the 60 percent or so of the coal ash that winds up in porous landfills. Evidence suggests that tough but carefully tailored rules could encourage even more recycling, protecting the environment while yielding income to help pay for more secure landfills.

This debate is being conducted behind closed doors, mainly at the Office of Management and Budget, where industry usually takes its complaints and horror stories. A better course would be to let the E.P.A. draft a proposal, get it out in the open and offer it for comment from all sides. The Obama administration promised that transparency and good science would govern decisions like these.

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › EPA’s recommendations on coal ash the focus of dispute

Bruce Duncan’s

The Duncans – husband, wife, a disabled adult son, and an 8-year-old son – decided to stop suffering in silence. They are among hundreds of people who have filed lawsuits against the TVA claiming gross negligence. The Duncans are seeking $1 million in compensatory damages for personal injuries and losses in addition to unspecified punitive damages to punish TVA as a deterrent, according to the Associated Press.

The TVA is engaged in a years-long, billion-dollar cleanup of the coal ash-covered land. The utility has also given $43 million to the community to help improve city infrastructures and the community’s image, and has agreed to pay settlements to owners of 150 pieces of property. Thirty-three settlement offers were not accepted, and TVA now faces dozens of lawsuits from victims.

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › Hundreds of coal ash spill victims file lawsuits against TVA

Coal ash is not classified as a hazardous material and thus did not fall under federal regulations, but that changed in December 2008 when an impoundment pond at the east Tennessee TVA plant breached. The EPA has spent the past year inspecting coal ash storage facilities and utilities throughout the country and developing guidelines for safe storage. Those guidelines were expected to be announced by the end of 2009, but the EPA said it needed more time. That extra time may help the EPA identify and close loopholes that would otherwise leave customers of those plants footing the bill for any problems that arise.

The east Tennessee coal ash spill is a prime example. That disaster sent more than a billion gallons of toxic coal ash on to a neighboring community. The TVA is expected to spend more than a billion dollars over three years cleaning up that mess. Who is footing the cost of that cleanup? Millions of TVA customers every month in their utility bills.

TVA will soon begin negotiating with insurance companies, hoping to offset the cost of the spill for its customers. According to the South Carolina Post and Courier, many industries that handle hazardous materials must obtain bonds and other forms of insurance to cover potential toxic waste cleanups; however, power plants, chemical manufacturers and oil refineries in many cases were excluded from these requirements.

With any luck, when the EPA unveils its proposed guidelines, plants that store toxic materials will be required to hold money aside for such disasters so that their customers don’t have to pay for their problems.

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › EPA guidelines may require coal-firing plants to plan for disasters

Records reviewed by the Knoxville News Sentinel indicate that 10 firms will rake in more than $10 million each from the first phase of the cleanup effort, including Phillips & Jordan, a Knoxville-based disaster recovery specialist, which is expected to earn as much as $95 million from the TVA.

The TVA is engaged in a three-year, billion-dollar cleanup effort to restore the land, property that was once known for its pastoral landscapes and recreational waterways but is now covered with dark ash and heavy equipment.

It’s a hard pill to swallow for local residents, many of whom watched their homes destroyed or their property damaged when the wave of coal ash – piled as high as nine feet in some areas – poured out from a breached impoundment pond at the neighboring TVA coal-firing plant. Coal ash contains dangerous toxins that have been linked to serious health problems. Many environmentalists argue that if coal-firing plants had been properly inspected by the federal government, perhaps weaknesses in the pond’s infrastructure would have been brought to light sooner and the devastating spill could have been avoided. But hindsight is 20/20.

Besides the billion-plus dollars spent to clean up the devastated land, the TVA has shelled out millions more to buy up homes that were damaged or destroyed and to pay for county improvements and a public relations campaign as a sort of peace offering. More expenses are expected. The nation’s largest utility is also facing class action lawsuits filed by firms such as Beasley Allen on behalf of residents affected by the spill.

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › Contractors to make millions off coal ash spill cleanup

The spill, which piled as high as nine feet in some areas, knocked houses off their foundations, blanketed yards, and poured into the Emory River. Coal ash is laden with toxins such as arsenic, lead, chromium, manganese and barium, which have been linked to serious health problems such as cancer, liver damage and neurological complications. It’s also “notoriously difficult to clean up,” Schaeffer says. The TVA is making efforts, though, spending as much as three years and upwards of a billion dollars to clean up the land and waterways.

Despite its dangerous and toxic contents, coal ash is not classified as a hazardous material and does not fall under government regulations. That is expected to change soon, as over the past year the Environmental Protection Agency has been charged with inspecting all coal-firing plants in the country and developing safety and storage guidelines. Those guidelines were promised before the end of the year, but late last month the agency said it would need more time to issue guidelines, saying it hopes to have a proposal ready in the first few weeks of 2010.

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › Coal ash spill worse than originally thought

The nation’s largest utility is also holding out hope that insurance will cover the cost of the spill, lessening the impact on its rate payers. Before insurances will commit, the TVA must first lay out detailed plans on how it plans to cleanup and restore the land it damaged, and rationalize the cost.

“We have to come up with those plans; we have to then submit to the insurance companies what those plans are and what the costs are, and then they will come back and set a time when they can sit down and discuss that insurance with us,” TVA spokesperson Barbara Martocci told Nashville Public Radio.

The cleanup effort could take as much as three years to complete. It involves dredging the Emory River as well as removing the coal ash on land that built up as high as nine feet in some areas. As part of the cleanup, the TVA also purchased more than a dozen homes that had been damaged in the spill. The utility is also facing numerous lawsuits from people and businesses who lost property.

TVA officials say they hope to start discussions with insurance companies in the next few months.

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › TVA customers footing bill for coal ash spill

The company agrees the groundwater is polluted, but says it is not responsible for the contamination. “San Juan Coal Company is confident that allegations of water contamination as a result of coal combustion by-product (CCB ) placement at the San Juan Mine are incorrect and are not supported by water monitoring data,” Charles Roybal, senior counsel for the coal company’s parent company, BHP Billiton, told The Independent.

Skirting responsibility for such environmental disasters is not uncommon among coal-firing plants. Last year, a coal ash impoundment pond at the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Kingston, Tenn., plant breached, sending a wave of toxic material onto 300 acres of a rural community. The massive 1.1 billion gallon spill is listed as one of the largest – if not the largest – environmental disaster in U.S. history.

The TVA is engaged in a 3-year, $1 billion cleanup of the land in Tennessee, but critics worry the world’s largest utility could avoid many of the fines and penalties because a Department of Justice position on the issue shelters the agency from civil penalties in suits brought by citizen groups under some federal environmental statues.

Perhaps San Juan Mine is looking for the same “out.”

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › Environmentalists to sue NM coal mine for contaminating groundwater

The EPA was charged with defining the guidelines after last year’s devastating coal ash spill from an impoundment pond at the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Kingston, Tenn., plant. More than a billion gallons of toxic material tumbled down on neighboring land, knocking homes from their foundations, destroying property and contaminating waterways.

Coal ash is not considered a hazardous material, thus it did not fall under government regulations. However, since the Kingston spill, it was revealed that improvements in coal firing has made the ash left behind more toxic than years prior. Coal ash contains arsenic, lead, chromium, manganese and barium, which have been linked to serious health problems such as cancer, liver damage ad neurological complications.

The EPA says it is delayed in proposing guidelines because of “the complexity of the analysis the agency is currently finishing” and the agency is “still actively clarifying and refining parts of the proposal.”

Source: Geosynthetica.net

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › EPA says coal ash regulations will not come in 2009

“Humans have turned screwing up the earth into an art form, skillfully wreaking havoc on the land, water and air through negligence, lack of concern or even the greedy desire to profit at all costs,” according to the blog post. “American corporations are especially adept at causing severe damage to the environment and human health, and some of the worst offenders – including Exxon Mobil, Monsanto and W.R. Grace – have, by and large, gotten away with it.”

Victims of the Tennessee coal ash spill are hopeful the TVA will be held responsible for the massive spill. After all, inspection reports by both the TVA and the state show that the utility knew for several years that there were leaks in the coal ash pond and yet nothing was ever done to repair it. Only after the spill occurred did the public learn just how dangerous coal ash is.

The sludge, which mounded as high as 8 feet in some areas, contains toxins such as arsenic, lead, chromium, manganese and barium that have been linked to serious health problems such as cancer, liver damage and neurological complications.

Despite the evidence, some worry that the nation’s largest utility may be given a break from fines and prosecution. “TVA, like all federal agencies, and consistent with the Department of Justice’s position on the issue, is not subject to civil penalties in suits brought by citizen groups under some federal environmental statutes,” says TVA spokeswoman Barbara Martocci. “It would take legislation to change this.”

Try explaining that to the family who lost their home because the sludge knocked it off the foundation, or the developer whose business is in jeapordy because the lakefront homes aren’t selling because the waterways are contaminated, or the parents of the toddler who tested positive for heavy metals in his bloodstream. No wonder environmental groups and victims of the spill are calling for justice.

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › Tenn. coal ash spill among worst man-made environmental disasters

The coal ash, a byproduct of fossil fuel plants, which for years farmers have used to fertilize their fields, is also used to strengthen concrete for roads and as filler for recreational fields. It’s a convenient way for coal-firing plants to rid themselves of tons of waste each year. But some fear that the material, especially when used on crops, could be hazardous to human health.

“Basically this is a leap into the unknown,” says Jeff rush, executive director of Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, to the Associated Press. “This stuff has materials in it that we’re trying to prevent entering the environment from coal-fired power plants and then to turn around and smear it across ag lands raises some real questions.”

The safety of such byproducts was brought to light a year ago, after more than a billion gallons of coal ash from the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) plant in Kingston, Tenn., spilled from an impoundment pond and covered a nearby community. New testing revealed that coal ash, which was not classified as a hazardous material, contained dangerous toxins and heavy metals that could pose serious health problems for humans. Since then, the EPA has been inspecting coal ash sites across the country and is establishing guidelines for safe storage, expected to be unveiled early next year.

Despite the presence of dangerous toxins in coal ash, the EPA says scattering the material on crops is “safe in appropriate soil and hydrogeologic conditions.” But is it worth the risk? For a dozen years, Decatur Utilities in Alabama distributed waste in the form of sludge from its treatment plant to farmers as free fertilizer for their crops. While the EPA was aware that the waste in fertilizer could be dangerous to humans as early as 1979, it wasn’t until last year that the EPA realized that the fertilizer was actually being dumped onto crops. Decatur Utilities quickly halted the practice. This month, the agency announced it would test the blood of as many as 200 residents in Lawrence County for potential toxic chemicals.

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › EPA says coal ash is safe to use as fertilizer on crops

“The community that was the first affected by the ash spill on Dec. 22, 2008 (is) the same community that to this date has been overlooked and forgotten not only by the TVA but also by the state of Tennessee and Roane County,” said Randy Ellis, member of the Roane County Long-Term Recovery Committee at a meeting among residents affected by the spill.

The 300-plus acres that were blanketed by the coal ash – as much as nine feet in some areas – is a far cry from the picturesque countryside it was a year ago. Heavy equipment push mounds of earth-toned dirt over once-green pastures. Trucks line up to take recovered ash to landfills in other states and counties. Houses since bought by the nation’s largest utility sit uninhabited. The TVA says it is working tirelessly to restore the land, but residents remain skeptical that restoration is even possible.

“When the press flies over this, it looks like they (TVA) are doing lots of things. They’re moving ash here; they’ve got dikes built; they’ve got barges in the water. It looks like a lot of activity,” says resident Don Simon. “But show me where there’s been actual progress made.”

Source: Chattanooga Times Free Press

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › TVA coal ash spill – one year later

Alabama County Commissioner Albert Turner, Jr.

Turner testified at a congressional hearing last week about the coal ash cleanup and storage. Also testifying was TVA CEO Tom Kilgore, who said the nation’s largest utility will spend about $1 billion to improve coal ash storage facilities and convert wet storage to dry storage, considered a safer alternative.

The TVA is already shelling about $1.2 billion to clean up the mess it left when its impoundment pond breached, a process estimated to take about three years to complete. It also gave more than $40 million to Roane County, Tenn., to pay for upgrades to the city’s utilities and roads as well as fund a massive public relations campaign aimed at improving the city’s image following the spill.

But not everyone is sharing Turner’s excitement about the presence of recovered coal ash in Perry County. Environmentalist groups are accusing the TVA of using the impoverished county as a dumping ground for its toxic waste. Residents are also concerned about the threat of toxins leaching through the soil and contaminating ground water. Their voices are muted by those in power, like Turner, who last week told the TVA, “I say thank you, and send us some more.”

Source: Knox News

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › Turner calls coal ash storage a ‘godsend’

“No corporation or agency should be above the law, especially at the expense of the environmental well-being of our citizens, wildlife and waters,” said Robert Dreher, senior vice president for conservation law and climate change at Defenders of Wildlife, one of the environmental groups outraged by the notion that the TVA may skirt fines and charges because of the law.

TVA officials say the allegations are unfounded, as they are already subject to penalties and lawsuits filed by citizen groups and the Environmental Protection Agency. TVA also is taking measures to change the way it stores coal ash by converting its wet ash ponds to dry storage.

The Environmental Integrity Project, one of the environmental groups leading the fight against the TVA, says the utility is one of the nation’s worst polluters and displays the “latest and most dramatic example of environmental mismanagement.” The group sent a letter to President Barack Obama urging him to have the Justice Department stop protecting the TVA from penalties. The group also recommended that Obama appoint new directors to TVA’s governing board and order the utility to establish a timeline for its plan to convert its wet storage to dry and phase out old coal-firing plants.

Sources:
Associated Press
Chattanooga Times Free Press

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › Environmentalist groups want TVA to be prosecuted, fined

The report was released ahead of congressional hearings this week on the coal ash spill in Kingston that occurred last year. That spill dumped about 5.4 million cubic yards of coal ash on to 300 acres of rural land and into nearby waterways, and prompted the Environmental Protection Agency to investigate the safety of coal ash and the facilities that store the waste.

Recent studies have shown coal ash contains dangerous toxins that have been linked to serious health concerns such as cancer, liver damage and neurological complications. One study from Duke University suggests that exposure to fly ash and the contaminated river sediment could pose health risks to local communities as well as wildlife.

Officials from the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation say they will continue to monitor the TVA’s cleanup of the land, which will take an estimated three years and will cost upwards of $1 billion. The organization also says that while the spill has displaced homeowners, damaged property and contaminated waterways, tests on municipal water supplies have been ruled safe.

Sources:
Associated Press
The Tennessean

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › Emory River polluted with carcinogens, dangerous metals

Last December, the lives of the residents of Kingston, Tenn., were changed forever when a coal ash impoundment pond breached, dumping 1.1 billion gallons of toxic material on to 300 acres of rural community. The sludge, piled as high as nine feet in some areas, toppled houses, damaged property, and contaminated nearby waterways. Homeowners were displaced, businesses were compromised, locals began suffering from respiratory problems and were testing positive for heavy metals in their blood.

Suddenly, the country took notice. Environmentalists argued that what had been dubbed as one of the largest environmental disasters of its kind in U.S. history could have been avoided had the federal government been regulating the storage of coal ash. Instead, those regulations were left up to local governments and facility owners, who wallowed in denial instead of dealing with the warning signs of possible storage pond failures.

Recent tests on coal ash show that the sludge contains dangerous toxins that have been linked to serious health concerns such as cancer, liver damage and neurological complications. Yet, the material was never classified as a hazardous material, and thus never fell under federal regulations.

Since the coal ash spill last year, the Environmental Protection Agency has been inspecting coal storage sites throughout the country and offering recommendations. But where does that leave American citizens who live close to coal ash impoundment ponds, including residents who live in Perry County, which is now taking in coal ash recovered from the east Tennessee spill site?

Turner calls it a “godsend.” By storing the recovered coal ash, Perry County will reap millions of dollars in storage fees and about 50 new jobs have been created at the local landfill. A group of residents from Perry County beg to disagree. They have filed suit against the Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) saying the EPA should not allow the landfill to receive any more coal ash because there are no set standards for the safe disposal of ash and the prevention of it leaching into waterways, and because gasses from the lagoons are causing respiratory problems for area residents.

The attorney representing the residents says his clients are ready to file a lawsuit against the owners of the landfill as well.

Sources:
The Birmingham News
Selma Times-Journal

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › Perry County residents file lawsuit against ADEM

Harmon recently traveled to his hometown near Kingston and shot video of the spill site. “I made this video which falls short of showing truly how bad things are even now, almost a year later.”

Watch Harmon’s video:

People who live near the spill are also concerned. Coal ash contains dangerous 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. Many residents have reported heightened anxiety and respiratory problems since the spill. A few – including a toddler – have tested positive for heavy metals in their bloodstream.

Harmon tells us about others in the area – Crystal Hamby, who no longer lets her children play outside because she worries about their health; Joanie Smith, whose horse-riding business is suffering because parents don’t want their children on the land; Jot Raymond, who says no one wants to buy the houses he developed in the area.

TVA missed warning sites that the dams could rupture at any time, allowing the spill to occur and change lives forever. “It created an alien-looking landscape that resembles no recent natural disaster,” Harmon says. And even the Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen says the effects may be more dangerous than we realize. “It’s that uncertainty – fear of the unknown – that’s generating so much concern here,” Harmon says.

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › Coal ash spill site still devastated one year later

But sometimes materials that we think are safe for use are in fact harmful to humans. Consider this sad story now being played out in Lawrence County, Alabama.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced it will test the blood of as many as 200 residents in Lawrence County for potentially toxic chemicals – toxins that were scattered on fields by Decatur Utilities, a local wastewater plant.

For 12 years, Decatur Utilities distributed sludge from its treatment plant to farmers for free for use as fertilizer on their crops. More than 90 percent of the county – or about 5,000 acres of land – have been covered with the stuff. In 1979, 3M conducted tests and alerted the EPA of the possibility that the fertilizer was contaminated with PFCs, or perflourinated chemicals. It wasn’t until last year that the EPA learned that the potentially contaminated sludge was being dumped on to farmland. Once the connection was made, Decatur Utilities stopped giving away the sludge-fertilizer.

While studies have shown that there is danger of PFCs harming laboratory animals, the effect of PFCs on humans is unclear. The EPA has conducted tests of public water supplies and the Department of Agriculture has studied samples taken from cattle slaughtered near contaminated land. Both have determined that they were safe for human consumption. However, tests on cattle’s blood have levels of PFOS, a particularly toxic PFC, at levels as high as 500 times the EPA health advisory applicable to drinking water, according to the Decatur Daily.

Residents of Lawrence County who live near heavily contaminated fields or who drink from contaminated private wells will receive letters from the EPA soon offering the free blood tests.

Kind of makes you wonder what we will learn about coal ash byproducts, especially those used to fertilize farmland.

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › EPA tests Lawrence County residents for potential toxic chemicals

The salary reduction was blamed partially on a drop in power sales as a result of a slumping economy. But the TVA also did away with performance bonuses for top executives, including Kilgore – a wise move considering the nation’s largest utility is facing millions in lawsuits from residents affected by last year’s coal ash spill and at least $1 billion more from a massive cleanup of the land damaged by the spill.

“It has been a very difficult year,” said TVA chairman Mike Duncan at the utility’s last board meeting.

The TVA says Kilgore took the biggest hit in salary reduction among staff at the utility, and now earns 45 percent less than the average top executive at other utilities, according to a study conducted by the TVA. Kilgore receives a base salary of $875,000 per year plus a $300,000 annual retention bonus for the next four years.

While a handful of top executives will have to forgo performance raises this year, the remaining 12,000 TVA staffers are still eligible for raises in 2010.

The TVA reported to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that it earned $726 million on revenues of $11.3 billion during fiscal year 2009, compared to $817 million on revenues of $10.4 billion the previous year.

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › TVA CEO still well paid after salary reduction

Barbara Martocci, TVA spokeswoman, said the Dam Safety Group will take over the inspection of all the utility’s impoundments in 2011. And the utility is also taking steps to eliminate wet ash storage facilities at all its power plant locations.

Coal ash storage ponds have come under scrutiny since December 2008, when a coal ash impoundment pond at the TVA Kingston plant breached, sending a wave of toxic material on to a neighboring rural community.

Despite containing heavy metals that have been linked to serious health problems, coal ash isn’t classified as a hazardous material. Thus, facilities that store coal ash weren’t regulated by the federal government. Critics say that if the plants had been properly regulated and inspected, perhaps the massive spill that blanked an east Tennessee community with toxic material may not have happened in the first place.

The TVA, meanwhile, is involved in a years-long, multi-million dollar cleanup of the land and is facing a mountain of lawsuits from people who were harmed or lost property in the coal ash disaster. The customers of the nation’s largest utility will soon feel the pain, too, as that hefty expense is likely to translate into higher residential utility bills.

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › Advisory board recommends tougher controls over coal ash storage

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

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › Smith Mountain residents fight coal ash landfill

Several years ago coal ash from power plants was given a non-hazardous rating. Since then, technology has improved the quality of the smoke released into the air from coal-firing plants. The toxins that used to escape into the air are now kept in the ash left behind. Tests have shown that coal ash contains dangerous toxins such as arsenic, lead, chromium, manganese and barium, which have been linked to serious health conditions such as cancer, liver damage and neurological complications.

Environmentalists have tried over the years to have coal ash reclassified as a hazardous material, but little was done to push that effort until last year when a coal impoundment pond in east Tennessee breached, sending a massive wave of coal ash on to a neighboring community. The 1.1 billion gallons that spilled out toppled houses, destroyed property and contaminated the nearby Emory River. Several residents were displaced, but it is the health risk that concerns many of the people affected by the spill. Some have reported respiratory problems and heightened anxiety. Others, including a young child, have tested positive for heavy metal in their bloodstream.

Environmentalists and activists are urging the EPA to carefully consider how it will categorize both wet and dry coal ash impoundments. “Both pose a threat to human health and the environment so it doesn’t make sense to create that dichotomy (between wet and dry ash storage regulation),” said Lisa Evans, an attorney with Earthjustice, in an interview with the Tennessean.“We would not think that would be a protective scheme, with the many cases where dry disposal has caused contamination of groundwater and surface water.”

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › EPA considers hazardous material classification of coal ash

That spill, called one of the largest environmental disasters in U.S. history, knocked houses off their foundations, damaged property and contaminated waterways. The TVA is currently undergoing an estimated three-year, $1.2 billion cleanup effort to restore the land.

That’s just the kind of nightmare Kentucky residents don’t want to experience. A major spill from a larger coal ash pond built on the Ohio River flood plain could easily contaminate Louisville’s drinking water uptake just 30 miles downstream.

LG&E and Kentucky Division of Water officials say the pond wouldn’t affect the drinking water. But environmentalists have concerns. Coal ash is not categorized as a hazardous material and thus does not currently fall under federal regulation. But the massive Tennessee spill shed new light on coal ash.

Tests have shown that coal ash contains dangerous toxins such as arsenic, lead, chromium, manganese and barium, which have been linked to serious health conditions such as cancer, liver damage and neurological complications. As a result of last year’s devastating spill, the Environmental Protection Agency has been ordered to review all coal ash ponds in the country. The agency is expected to issue new rules for handling coal ash sometime in December.

Source: Chicago Tribune

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › Activists fight coal ash pond expansion along Ohio River

Coal ash

The report highlights the concern environmentalists have had for years – that coal ash produced by utilities like the TVA is toxic and should be regulated by the federal government. Tests have shown that coal ash contains arsenic, lead, chromium, manganese and barium, heavy metals that have been linked to serious health concerns such as cancer, liver damage and neurological complications. Based on the new report, the EPA says it is considering labeling coal ash as a toxic waste. Utilities industries oppose the move.

Meanwhile, the TVA is undergoing an expected years-long, $1.2 billion cleanup of the land it damaged. While the nation’s largest utility claims it will restore the property to its original condition and has given more than $40 million to Roane County officials for improvement projects and a pricey public relations campaign, locals and environmentalists say that the efforts don’t rectify the damage to wildlife and humans, many of whom have already tested positive for heavy metals in their blood.

Source: UPI

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › EPA report: Coal ash causes death, deformity in wildlife

The last thing residents want is for the public to view that mess at will, even while the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) undergoes a years-long, $1.2 billion cleanup of the mess it made. Those residents this week applauded a decision made by the TVA to keep an overlook area closed to the general public. Instead, the area will remain behind a locked gate and only be used for scheduled tours, visits by members of Congress and their staffs, other public officials, and the media.

“I am pleased that the TVA has taken into account the thoughts and wishes of the community this ash spill has affected and stopped plans for a public overlook,” says Randy Ellis, who serves on a community advisory panel.

While praised by some, the TVA’s announcement brought criticism from other residents, saying the TVA’s plan to make the overlook a public viewing area was never announced in the first place, says Roane County Executive Mike Farmer. He says he found out about the initial plans through word-of-mouth. “That is indicative of the issue we’ve had all long – a lack of communication between TVA and the county,” he says.

While he appreciates the nation’s largest utility’s willingness to be more transparent, “I really don’t want to draw neon signs to (the disaster),” he adds. “At least they’re working with us a little bit.”

Source: Knox News

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › TVA keeps overlook of coal ash spill site closed to general public

Last January, just one month after a coal ash pond at the TVA’s Kingston, Tenn., plant broke, sending a wave of toxic sludge on to 300 acres of neighboring property and waterways, contaminated water accidentally leaked from the Widows Creek plant. The TVA recalculated that pond’s rating as “high hazard” and spent $2 million to upgrade the ponds. The nation’s largest utility vowed to convert the ponds from wet to dry storage, considered a safer storage alternative. And, as a precaution, TVA also is buying property adjacent to the coal ash ponds where the leak occurred, land that is also adjacent to McCraw’s farm, property that is also historically significant as the site of the Civil War’s Battle of Bridgeport.

“We definitely don’t want to sell, but it’s scary for us,” McCraw says. “We fought the federal government on this land in the Civil War. I hope it doesn’t come to that again.”

Six weeks ago McCraw talked with officials from TVA and told them he was not interested in selling his land. He says he hasn’t heard from the utility since. But he fears the fight isn’t over. If the TVA doesn’t buy his land, what threat are he and his property under? Could contaminated water leak into the ground again? Could another spill like the one in Kingston occur on his land?

“I don’t know if it is dangerous or not, but we’ve asked and asked both TVA or ADEM (Alabama Department of Environmental Management) to check to see if there is a problem,” McCraw said.

Meanwhile, others in the area are not taking any chances. Darren McCloud readily sold 66 acres of his land just north of the Widows Creek ash ponds this summer to the TVA, and used the money to build a new home six miles away.

Sources:
Times Free Press
Gadsden Times

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › Families weigh decision to move away from TVA coal ash storage site

Toxic coal ash

“If coal ash poses an unacceptable level of risk, inconsistent state standards should be immediately replaced with national guidelines that would put the safety of the people in one community on the same level as families living in another,” said Rep. Artur Davis, D-Birmingham, in a letter to EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson and circulated around the House of Representatives.

Coal ash is not considered a hazardous material, and thus does not fall under federal regulation. However, improvements in coal ash burning facilities over the decades have made the smoke released into the air much cleaner. Those toxins instead settle in the coal ash left behind. Tests show that coal ash can contain dangerous levels of arsenic, lead, chromium, manganese and barium – toxins that have linked to serious health issues such as cancer, liver damage and neurological complications. That toxic ash is stored in dry or wet landfills throughout the country.

A December 2008 coal ash impoundment breach at a Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) plant brought the question of the safety of coal ash into the spotlight. Last year’s coal ash spill dumped more than a billion gallons of coal ash on to a neighboring community, knocking houses off their foundations, destroying property, and contaminating nearby waterways. Environmentalists called it the largest environmental disaster of its kind in U.S. history. The TVA began an estimated three-year, $1 billion cleanup of the area, which includes relocating the recovered coal ash to landfills in other counties and states. The first shipments of recovered coal ash have already been shipped by railcar to a landfill in Perry County, Alabama.

Storing the recovered coal ash in Perry County will generate about $3 million in storage fees and bring in about 30 jobs to the poverty-stricken, predominantly black county, which some local officials consider a boon. But people who live and work there say they fear they are sitting on a time bomb that could one day destroy their property and livelihoods.

Earlier this year, Davis met with residents of Perry County who voiced their concerns, asking if there are any guarantees that the dangerous toxins will leach into drinking water or create any health problems now or in the future. Davis’ letter to the EPA aims to address those concerns and move forward EPA efforts to establish federal safety standards that are balanced among all states.

Source: Selma Times Journal

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › Rep. Davis fights for people of Perry County in coal ash debate

The river was originally closed for 30 days in early August, followed by another 30-day extension. Now the TVA says it needs more time to remove the coal ash that spilled into the Emory River. TVA officials and the Environmental Protection Agency will review the situation in early February and decide when the river can be reopened at that time.

Six days a week, as many as 110 railcars filled with coal ash recovered from the river are being transported to a landfill in Alabama for storage. Despite the constant effort, only about one-third of the coal ash has been removed from the Emory. Once the river has been cleared, crews will turn their focus to the coal ash piled on the land.

During the closure, no river traffic will be allowed in order to make room for huge hydraulic dredging equipment. Those who have a significant need for transportation around the closed portion of the Emory River may request access by contacting the TVA by phone at least five days in advance.

Sources:
Knox News
OakRidger.com

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › Emory River to remain closed until February as cleanup continues

That spill, considered one of the largest environmental disasters in U.S. history, destroyed homes, damaged property, sickened residents, and left a deep scar on the county’s public image. Now that toxic material recovered from the river is shipping to the poor and predominantly black county in Alabama in epic speed.

TVA originally estimated that it would send about 85 railcar loads of coal ash per day from Kingston to Alabama. But now that number has increased to 110 railcar loads per day. The increase is credited to an increase in dredging operations at the Emory River. TVA officials say they hope to have the Emory clear of visible coal ash by spring 2010.

Once the Emory is cleared, however, the work will not be completed. Removing the remaining coal ash will take another two years or so. Even with a visibly clean palate, experts still have concerns about what the naked eye cannot see, such as the dangerous toxins from coal ash that can leach into the soil and ground water. Some of those toxins found in coal ash have been linked to serious health concerns such as cancer, liver damage and neurological complications. And may residents who lived in the area are already suffering ill effects from the spill.

Source: News Channel 5

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › TVA transports recovered coal ash to Alabama landfill at epic speed

Improvements in coal-burning filtering systems have made the smoke that passes into the air from smokestacks far less toxic than in years past. Meaning, the toxins that once escaped into the air we breathe now settles into the ash that is left behind. That ash is stored in wet or dry landfills at hundreds of facilities across the country. Much of that waste is recycled and used as filler in other products.

But tests have shown that coal ash contains a variety of dangerous materials, such as arsenic, lead, chromium, manganese and barium – products which have been associated with serious health concerns such as cancer, liver damage and neurological complications. Which has made many question whether the byproducts widely used in homes, schools, golf courses and even produce farms, can be harmful to humans.

As long as utilities continue to burn fossil fuels and reap profits from the sale of byproducts, the answer may continue to elude public knowledge.

View a clip from the 60 Minutes investigative report.

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › 60 Minutes report questions safety of coal ash byproducts

McCracken most recently served as assistant manager for environmental management with the Department of Energy in Oak Ridge, Tenn. At age 60, McCracken was set to retire when he was offered the TVA gig.

McCracken replaces Anda Ray, TVA’s senior vice president of Environment and Research, who has headed up the cleanup efforts since it began nine months ago. Ray will resume her role as head of the department but will remain involved with the spill project’s regulatory and remediation activities, continue to serve as the executive spokesperson on the effort, and serve on the board of the Roane County Economic Development Foundation.

McCracken says the cleanup process, which is estimated to cost around $1 billion, could take another three years. The ash should be fully removed from the Emory River by Spring 2010, and the remaining 2.4 million cubic yards on dry land fully removed about two years later.

Sources: Dayton Daily News, Knox News

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › TVA hires expert to manage coal ash recovery effort

About 500 people have been working almost nonstop to fill Norfolk Southern train cars with recovered toxic sludge and transport them to a landfill in Alabama. Judging by the vast stretches of gray on the ground, the end is far from sight. But TVA officials vow they will restore the land to its previous condition. Still, residents are skeptical.

Coal ash contains dangerous 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. Many residents in the area have complained of respiratory issues and heightened anxiety. Some, including a young child, have tested positive for heavy metal in their blood.

While removing the ash may make the land appear good as new, environmentalists fear that the damage is a deeper problem, that toxins have seeped into the ground and waterways, affecting wildlife and plant life, which ultimately will create more problems for those who go back to live on the land.

Source: KnoxNews

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › Coal ash cleanup still months, years away from completion

The threat of a lawsuit, filed by the Defenders of Wildlife, the Sierra Club, and the Environmental Integrity Project, comes as part of the wave of criticism on how coal-firing plants are regulated. That debate was spurred by last year’s coal ash spill in Kingston, Tenn. Coal ash, which is produced and stored at coal-firing plants, is not listed as a hazardous material and thus did not fall under federal regulations. However, improvements in pollution controls have kept toxins from leaving smokestacks, thus increasing the amount of toxins in the coal ash.

Coal ash has since been found to contains dangerous toxins including arsenic, lead, chromium, manganese and barium, which have been associated with serious health conditions such as cancer, liver damage and neurological complications.

“Toxic discharges from power plants can threaten the health of local communities, contaminate ground and surface waters and destroy aquatic life,” said Eric Schaeffer, executive director of the Environmental Integrity Project, in the Times Free Press.  “EPA should have limited these discharges decades ago as the law requires. EPA needs to stop kicking the can down the road and set a date for regulation.”

The EPA has pledged to issue federal regulations by the end of the year.

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › Environmental groups file intent to sue notice against EPA

The coal ash originates from the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) plant in Kingston, Tenn. Last December, more than a billion gallons of sludge from a breached impoundment pond poured down on to a neighboring community. The toxic wave knocked houses from their foundations, destroyed property, and contaminated nearby waterways when it spilled into the Emory River and traveled downstream.

In the months since, property values plummeted and residents have reported respiratory problems and heightened anxiety. Some people, including a toddler, have tested positive for heavy metals in their bloodstream. Coal ash is toxic, containing arsenic, lead, chromium, manganese and barium, which have been linked to serious health concerns including cancer, liver damage and neurological complications.

For months, the TVA has been undergoing a huge cleanup effort that is estimated to cost as much as $1 billion before it is complete. The cleanup effort includes shipping recovered coal ash from the spill site and storing it in distant landfills, including Arrowhead Landfill in Perry County.

Source: WSFA-TV

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › Perry County residents still upset about recovered coal ash storage

Roane County, Tenn.

TVA is engaged in a near $1 billion cleanup of the land and said it would also give money to the county to help improve its infrastructure as well as fund projects and campaigns to improve the area’s public image.

The spill has been called one of – if not the – largest environmental disasters in U.S. history. Coal ash contains dangerous toxins, such as arsenic, lead, chromium, manganese and barium, which have been linked to serious health conditions including cancer, liver damage and neurological complications.

Since the coal ash spill, residents have been displaced, water recreation activities have halted, and property values have plummeted. Some residents have reported heightened anxiety and respiratory problems. And some, including at least one young child, have tested positive for metals in their bloodstream.

A committee began Wednesday prioritizing projects and divvying up the money the TVA announced Monday it would give. Kingston’s wastewater treatment will double in size, thanks to a $5 million allocation; $1.7 million will be used to convert Harriman’s Princess Theater into a regional arts education center; and $32,000 has been allocated to pave the entrance to the county industrial park.

Source: Rocky Mountain Telegraph

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › Roane County divvies up TVA money to rebuild community after coal ash spill

Roane County, Tenn

“We are not trying to take advantage of anything. We didn’t ask for this. We didn’t go out looking for it. We are not ambulance chasers,” Kingston Mayor Troy Beets told the Associated Press. “We are trying to recover from a hit in the mouth.”

The TVA said it would consider local governments’ request for compensation. Local officials have drafted two options, one of which includes upgrades to water lines, sewer lines and schools, construction of nature trails, and a big public relations campaign that could total as much as $40 million. The nation’s largest utility also faces mounting lawsuits from residents who lost property or suffered injury from the spill.

“How do you recover (from such a huge environmental disaster)?” Roane County Mayor Mike Farmer said to AP. “You do something to make people forget about what today’s news story is — some wonderful announcement that says we are working on a wonderful new Roane County with a new school, new ball fields and a new senior center.”

The TVA is expected to announce this week how much it will pay to compensate the county.

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › County asks TVA for millions to clean up tattered image after coal ash spill

The nation’s largest utility has been caught in a swarm of  bad luck, beginning with the largest drop in sales it had ever seen in its 76-year history, thanks to a struggling national economy. That was compounded by court-ordered clean-air improvements to its plants, which will cost the TVA millions over the next several years. But the biggest slam to the agency is last December’s impoundment pond breach that sent more than a billion gallons of toxic coal ash tumbling down on to a neighboring community. The wave of sludge toppled houses, damaged property, and contaminated neighboring waterways.

A months-long cleanup is underway and expected to ring in at nearly $1 billion before it is complete. That cost doesn’t include money the agency is paying out to buy damaged property and pay off suffering residents. The TVA is also facing a mountain of lawsuits from residents and at least one business owner who suffered because of the spill.

TVA is also spending a pretty penny to salvage its tainted public image. Raising customers’ rates won’t help, but because fuel costs continue to drop, the TVA says most customers will actually see a reduction in their monthly power bills despite the rate change.

Aside from cutting or freezing cost-of-living pension increases and increasing rates, TVA will also defer capital projects in hopes of saving nearly $2 billion over the next three years.

Source: Associated Press

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › TVA to raise rates, borrow money, cut spending

Coal ash

“Money ain’t worth everything,” says Mary Gibson Holley, a retired teacher in Uniontown, in an interview with the New York Times.“In the long run, they ain’t looking about what this could do to the community if something goes wrong.”

When the coal ash spill occurred in east Tennessee last December, it knocked houses from their foundations, destroyed land, and contaminated nearby waterways. People living near the spill have reported heightened anxiety and respiratory problems. Even a young child was tested positive for heavy metals in his blood. Coal ash contains dangerous toxins such as arsenic, lead, barium, chromium and manganese which have been linked to serious health conditions such as cancer, liver damage and neurological complications, to name a few.

It is estimated that the TVA will spend close to $1 billion before its cleanup effort in east Tennessee is complete. That cleanup includes relocating the recovered coal ash to landfills in other states, including the Arrowhead Landfill in Uniontown, Ala.

Arrowhead is getting about 8,500 tons of recovered coal ash. The deal, arranged by the TVA and state and county officials, has brought 30 new jobs to the area and will bring in more than $3 million in “host fees.” The benefits sound like a great deal for the very poor and mostly black county. And even some environmentalists say storage at the Arrowhead site is ideal, with dry storage dug into a nearly impermeable bed about 600 feet above the water table.

But lack of trust runs high in Perry County, where residents fear environmental hazards, such as tornadoes and flooding, not to mention equipment failures, might cause another spill like that in east Tennessee.

“We’ve been taken advantage of by several groups of powers that be,” said Robert Bamberg, a catfish farmer and organizer of Concerned Citizens of Perry County, a group of landfill opponents. “There’s a sense among the population that we’ve been thrown under the bus.”

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › Uniontown residents concerned about shipments of coal ash

The December 22, 2008, spill dumped 1.1 billion gallons of toxic coal ash on to 300 acres of rural community and into the Emory River. Since the spill, the TVA has been involved in a massive cleanup, expected to cost the utility nearly a $1 billion before it is complete.

“It appears the TVA management made a conscious decision to present to the public only facts that supported an absence of liability for TVA for the Kingston spill, says Richard Moore, the utility’s Inspector General who wrote the report. TVA CEO Tom Kilgore in a written statement denied the agency was involved in a cover up.

The report also brings into question the structural integrity of other TVA coal storage sites. “There is reasonable risk of other dike failures if changes are not made in the design, construction, oversight, and operation of the wet disposal sites throughout TVA,” the report states.

The Inspector General’s report puts the blame for the spill on TVA management, arguing that it should have taken measures to address issues regarding the problems identified at the Kingston site that were raised previously in two separate reports, dated1985 and 2004. The report contends that “necessary systems, controls, standards and culture were not in place” at the TVA.

Moore testifies this week before the House Committee on Water and Infrastructure subcommittee.

Read the Inspector General’s Report.

Source: Tennessean
Additional News: Huntsville Times/Associated Press

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › Report accuses TVA of trying to dodge blame for coal ash spill

Environmentalists criticized the EPA for allowing the TVA to rate its own facilities. Two weeks after the protests, the TVA raised the hazard level of two coal ash storage ponds in Tennessee and two in Alabama. In a letter to the EPA, the TVA defended the move, saying it changed the ratings “in the interest of taking a conservative, self-critical approach.” The ratings do not gauge the likelihood of dam failure, rather the potential damage that could occur if the dam fails.

Last December, a coal ash storage pond at the TVA’s Kingston, Tennessee facility failed, spilling more than a billion gallons of coal ash on to more than 300 acres of a neighboring community. The spill damaged homes and destroyed property, contaminated local waterways, and has made residents in the area ill. The TVA is currently involved in a massive cleanup of the area, which is expected to cost nearly $1 billion before it is complete.

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › TVA rates coal ash dumps in Alabama, Tennessee as ‘high hazard’

Lisa Jackson

“Lisa Jackson, will you help us?”

The phrase is repeated over and over in a short film by Alabama activist Betsy Ramaccia. You can view the film on www.AshHoles.org. Last month at a Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) meeting in Tennessee, Ramaccia dressed in a haz-mat suit and handed out fake newspapers with the headline “The New Ash Hole of Alabama,” and directed them to the Web site. There, viewers can hear the voices and see the faces of several Uniontown, Alabama residents pleading with EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson to protect them from the dangers of coal ash. The Web site also has a form letter asking for protection where people can add their names and e-mails and submit them to Jackson.

“This is a case of environmental injustice, in which an underrepresented population of mostly African-American citizens who live at or below the poverty line are being taken advantage of. I ask that you protect me and my fellow citizens of Uniontown, Alabama, and the United States of America by calling coal ash what it is: a toxic substance that needs to be federally regulated,” the letter reads.

Earlier this week, the EPA approved the TVA’s request to store more than half of the toxic coal ash it recovers from east Tennessee site on which it spilled last December when a TVA impoundment pond burst, to a landfill near Uniontown in Perry County. Perry County is one of the poorest counties in Alabama. More than 30 percent of its population lives in poverty and the vast majority of residents are African-American.

Coal ash contains dangerous toxins such as arsenic and lead, which have been associated with serious health concerns.

Is it right to store dangerous material if it only affects the poor? Residents who expressed themselves on Ramaccia’s film don’t think so: “Ms. Jackson. Please help us here in Uniontown, Alabama.”

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › Uniontown residents plead with EPA, ‘Will you help us?’

Perry County is populated by predominantly blacks and is one of the poorest counties in the state where more than 30 percent of families live in poverty. Residents there will benefit from the plan, gaining about 50 jobs and earning millions off dumping fees. However, opponents say the plan is unjust.

More than a billion gallons of coal ash poured on Kingston, Tennessee, last December after a TVA coal ash impoundment breached. The massive wave of coal ash toppled houses, destroyed property and contaminated nearby waterways.

Coal ash contains dangerous toxins that have been associated with serious health concerns such as cancer and liver damage. Those living in and around Kingston, Tennessee, where the coal ash spilled, have reported more respiratory problems and heightened anxiety. Some, including a toddler, have already tested positive for heavy metals in their blood.

“As if the initial spread of sludge from the TVA was not bad enough, shipping that much coal ash to Perry County, Alabama, seems very short sighted,” says Rhon Jones, Toxic Torts Section Head with Beasley Allen Law Firm. “I feel certain that many residents of Perry County share our concern that this plan is not in the best interest of Perry County citizens.”

Source: New York Times

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › EPA approves TVA’s bid to store recovered coal ash in Alabama

“I’m not crazy about it,” said Hank James in an interview with the Tuscaloosa News. “From what I’ve read, it doesn’t sound like a great thing for any community to deal with.”

Coal ash is not classified as a hazardous material by the Environmental Protection Agency, but since 2000, improved pollution controls have kept toxins from leaving smokestacks and thus have increased the amount of toxins in coal ash. The material may contain arsenic, lead, chromium, manganese and barium, which can contribute to serious health complications such as cancer, liver damage and neurological complications.

When the coal ash spill occurred last December, more than a billion gallons poured over 300 acres of a nearby community, knocking homes off their foundations and piling as high as nine feet in some areas. Numerous people have been displaced, some have suffered medical complications, and despite TVA’s claims to fully restore the property, some say it will always hold traces of dangerous materials that can harm wildlife and plant life that live off the land and in the waterways.

More than half of the recovered coal ash is expected to be stored in the rural Alabama town. A breach similar to that at the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) plant in Kingston, Tennessee, could devastate the impoverished Perry County.

Perry County officials contend that the Arrowhead Landfill, where the recovered coal ash will be stored, was built to modern standards and is in full compliance with ADEM regulations. The landfill is lined with a heavy plastic to keep toxins from seeping into the ground and a purification system is capable of cleaning the fluids to a level clean enough to dump into nearby streams. A series of wells will help monitor to ensure hazardous toxins don’t get into drinking water.

But those reassurances aren’t enough to sway some concerned citizens. “As far as making any kind of benefit for this community, I don’t see any,” says John Osemer, 87, a lifelong resident of Uniontown.

Image courtesy Tuscaloosa News

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › Recovered toxic coal ash to be stored in rural Alabama

The comments from community members were telling:

“TVA says I’m not affected, I’ve never been so affected by anything in my life,” one concerned citizen says. “How are you going to make me whole again?”

“I generally don’t come to these meetings because I get really upset because I don’t believe anything they say,” says another resident.

“We’re still in the dark, everybody’s in the dark, nobody knows what’s going on,” says a third.

Gil Francis, a spokesman with TVA, says the agency is making progress in its cleanup of the area but there is still a lot of work yet to do. The massive cleanup is expected to ring in at more than $975 million, and there is no word when the cleanup will be complete. Some say the damage is too complex to be remedied by removing and relocating the spilled coal ash. Coal ash contains dangerous toxins that can cause serious health problems to humans. It’s toll on wildlife and plant life in the area is anyone’s guess. It already has severely affected the recreational activities that used to flourish in nearby waterways. Those rivers are now posted with warnings of contamination from the spill.

Still, packing up and leaving isn’t necessarily an option for some residents affected by the spill. “I don’t know if it can be made right. I don’t want to move, I love our place,” one resident says.

Source: WTVC NewsChannel 9

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › Victims of TVA coal ash spill speak out at town meeting

Glen and Lisa Sexton

To make matters worse, the “tsunami” of fly ash that poured down the river after heavy rains last month exacerbated Lisa’s auto-immune disorder. In short, the environmental disaster has made a disaster of the life they once had in Kingston.

It’s not much better for Gary Topmiller and his family, who live across from the spill site. “We started getting sick as soon as this happened,” he said. “We just keep getting sick … We’re tired of being sick.”

Residents affected by the TVA coal ash spill spoke to U.S. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson of Texas, who came to Roane County last weekend to hear first-hand what residents were suffering through. Johnson heads the House Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment, which has oversight of the TVA.

“This is a bit more serious than we anticipated,” Johnson said. “We didn’t know the frustration is at this level. I think we now have a real good understanding of how the community is being affected. I feel like the reports we’ve gotten have been incomplete. I will give you my commitment that we will look into what we heard today.”

Source: Knox News

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › Congressional subcommittee chair hears complaints of coal ash victims

Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU),

More than a billion gallons of coal ash spilled from an impoundment pond at the plant and poured on to a neighboring community, destroying homes and damaging property. Coal ash contains dangerous toxins that have been associated with serious health concerns such as cancer, liver disease and neurological disorders. Some residents already have tested positive for heavy metals in their bloodstream.

ORAU is developing protocols for testing and questionnaires about exposure and will notify the community about the program and which residents quality for screening. Local physicians and toxicologists from Vanderbilt Medical Center will meet with individuals at local clinics. Any trends discovered in the screening process will be submitted to the TVA.

Critics of the health plan argue that the TVA is still too much involved in the process, and that more should have been done sooner to ensure safety of residents affected by the spill. “TVA reserves all decision-making to itself about whether it will pay for any individual’s medical expenses,” says Sarah McCoin, who lives near the plant. “TVA can use the information obtained from the program it controls to downplay the legitimate health concerns of the community.”

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › ORAU to address health concerns of those affected by coal ash spill

Kentucky baker and former Republican Party chairman Mike Duncan, who has signed on to oversee the nation’s largest utility, made the comment at the board’s meeting earlier this week. He said the agency is already facing an uphill battle with lower electric sales from the downturn in the economy and mounting costs to clean up the mess left behind by the spill.

Those cleanup costs are estimated to ring in at more than $975 million. TVA is also facing numerous lawsuits from property owners and some are looking to the utility to foot a $1.9 million public relations campaign to restore the tattered image of the area since the coal ash spill.

Coal ash, which contains dangerous toxins such as arsenic, lead, chromium, manganese and barium, has been associated with serious health problems such as cancer, liver damage and neurological damage. Some residents in the area – including a young child – have tested positive for heaving metals in their blood.

Duncan says he is confident the utility can find “new efficiencies in our costs at the same time that we find new ways to protect our environment.”

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › TVA’s new chairman says coal ash disaster must not happen again

TVA has been involved in a massive cleanup effort ever since its Kingston, Tennessee coal ash impoundment pond burst last December and dumped more than a billion gallons of toxic coal ash on to 300 acres of a neighboring community and into the Emory River. No end seems to be in the near future for the country’s largest public utility, which says it expects to pay upwards of $975 million restoring the property.

That cleanup process has involved locating landfills and storage sites in neighboring states to store the coal ash removed from the spill site. However, residents of those sites have expressed concerns over having toxic coal ash in their backyards. Coal ash has been found to contain dangerous material such as arsenic, lead, chromium, manganese and barium, which have been associated with serious health concerns such as cancer, liver damage and neurological complications.

Smith Mountain Solutions, LLC, says it has an option on a 300-acre site owned by Crossville Coal Inc., located in a remote corner of Cumberland County near the Morgan County line that would accommodate the recovered coal ash. According to the proposal, TVA would pay Cumberland County between $7.5 million and $8.5 million over three years to hold the coal ash. Part of that cost would cover improvements to Smith Mountain Road. The project would also create about 100 jobs for local residents.

Members of Smith Mountain met with residents earlier this week to discuss the proposal, which was met with both support and objections.

While TVA has been told about the proposal, no agreement ha been signed. The plan also would have to be approved by the Cumberland County Commission, and Smith Mountain would have to obtain a state permit.

Source: Knoxville.biz

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › Proposal to store coal ash could bring jobs to Cumberland County

The sludge quickly surrounded her home and pushed her sunroom from her house. She was devastated and called her husband Perry for help. “It does make you realize that you’re not in control and how fast things can happen,” he said.

The sludge was part of the 1.1 billion gallons of coal ash that had broken loose from an impoundment pond at the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) coal-firing plant in Kingston, Tennessee, last December. The James’ home was just one of several that was destroyed when the sludge poured over 300 acres of the rural neighborhood and into the Emory River. They were told that rebuilding on the property would be impossible, so they packed up their belongings and left. The TVA put them up in a temporary rental home. Earlier this year the couple sold its property to the TVA, and says they are currently looking for a house in Knoxville.

Meanwhile, the TVA is involved in a massive cleanup to remove the toxic material from property in the area. Estimates put the cost of the cleanup at approximately $975 million.

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › Family recovers after losing home in coal ash spill

“Our farm is the largest acreage affected,” said Sandy’s husband Terry in an interview to the Chattanooga Times Free Press. “TVA does not want to admit that the spill has devastated our lives, tainted our land and reduced our livelihood to a fraction of what it was before the spill.”

The Guptons herd Gelvy cattle on their land, and worried for their cattle’s safety after the TVA’s coal ash pond failed last December and dumped more than a billion gallons of coal ash on to 300 acres of an east Tennessee community. Now, they are worrying about their own health. “We have both tested positive for heavy metals in our bodies,” Terry said. “We both have increased respiratory problems with asthma… We feel that we need to relocated to get away from the spill site.”

Coal ash contains dangerous toxins such as arsenic and lead, which have been associated with increased risk of cancer, liver damage and other serious health problems. When it rains, coal ash sludge backs up on to the Gupton’s pastures. As it dries, the ash flies into the air.

“I wouldn’t want to inhale either of these things for a long period of time — or even a short period of time if I had lung problems,” said Gregory V. Button, a University of Tennessee at Knoxville professor and medical anthropologist, in the news report. “There’s a lot of possibility here for exposing large populations with what may be very high concentrations of ash contaminated with a combination of toxic materials.”

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › Family worries about cattle, health, livelihood after coal ash spill

McNeely Pigott & Fox Public Relations LLC, which submitted a proposal and budget for the campaign, would use social media techniques such as blogs, blurbs and Twitter Tweets to highlight the positive side of Kingston.

The Nashville, Tennessee, firm’s budget also includes a two-year advertising campaign; a two-year, $726,000-per-year “news bureau;” and tracking data to gauge success. TVA officials “agreed in principal” that they would pay for the campaign.

Kingston Mayor Troy Beets hopes the campaign will restore the luster of the area. “This is the most beautiful municipal lakefront in the state of Tennessee,” he said.

Last December, an impoundment pond at the TVA’s Kingston fossil plant was breached, sending 1.1 billion gallons of coal ash on to 300 acres of that pristine lakefront community. The wave of toxic material knocked houses from their foundations and destroyed property in its wake.

Coal ash contains dangerous toxins such as arsenic, lead, chromium, manganese and barium, which has been associated with health problems such as cancer, liver damage and neurological complications. Since the spill, the TVA has been involved in a massive cleanup effort that could cost the utility as much as $975 million before it is complete.

For now, the area is overrun with cleanup crews, blocking streets and creating constant racket – a far cry from the area that once was a destination for water sports and recreation.

“This is the image that we need to project,” Mayor Beets said. “Kingston is whole. There is nothing wrong with our water supply here. There is nothing wrong with putting your boat in at Kingston.”

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › PR firm to use social media to improve image damaged by coal ash spill

McNeely Pigott & Fox Public Relations LLC submitted a proposal and budget, which includes a two-year advertising campaign; a two-year, $726,000-per-year “news bureau;” and tracking data to gauge success. TVA officials “agreed in principal” that they would pay for the campaign.

“I hope they will focus on repairing our damaged image,” said Kingston Mayor Troy Beets.

Last December, an impoundment pond at the TVA’s Kingston fossil plant was breached, sending 1.1 billion gallons of coal ash on to 300 acres of an east Tennessee community. The material stacked as high as nine feet in some areas, knocked houses from their foundations and destroyed property and waterways in its path.

Coal ash contains dangerous toxins such as arsenic, lead, chromium, manganese and barium, which have been associated with serious health problems such as cancer, liver damage and neurological complications. Since the spill, the TVA has been involved in a massive cleanup effort that could cost the utility as much as $975 million before it is complete.

Source: Knox News

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › TVA asked to pay for PR campaign to improve image of damaged area

Coal ash contains dangerous toxins such as arsenic, barium, chromium and manganese, which have been associated with serious health concerns such as cancer, liver damage and neurological complications.

“I don’t know what Tennessee law is, but under Pennsylvania law it would probably have to go to a residual waste landfill,” said Tom Rathbun, spokesman for the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.

A TVA spokesperson says it already had given up on storing the recovered coal ash in the Pennsylvania coal mines as the mines were not properly lined to prevent the toxins from leaching into the ground.

Meanwhile, TVA has located landfills in Alabama and Georgia to store the 1.1 billion gallons of coal ash that poured from a breached impoundment pond, destroying neighboring homes and property. Both sites are Class 1 landfills. One is located in Mauk, Georgia and the other in Uniontown, Alabama.

The TVA’s cleanup effort has caused headaches for the utility, which estimates it will spend as much as $975 million to restore the land. It could be months before the cleanup is complete.

Source: Forbes/Associated Press

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › Pennsylvania says no to TVA coal ash storage

Cleanup efforts have been extensive and costly, with estimates of upwards of $975 million. TVA officials say it could be months before the cleanup is complete. But a team of researches from Duke University say the next few months could be crucial. According to the scientists, the smallest particulate matter poses the most danger in terms of going airborne and toxicity, according to WBIR-TV.

“Fine fractions of fly ash are typically 4 – 10 times enriched in metals… affecting human health directly… through inhalation and indirectly through the food chains (agricultural products),” according to the study that was published last week in the Environmental Science and Technology scholarly journal.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is continually monitoring the area and says it has not yet seen dust exceed safe levels during its monitoring. However, the agency did recommend that people go inside if they see dust outside and to seek medical care if they experience any symptoms of respiratory problems.

According to the report, “sediments from the downstream Clinch River have higher (Mercury) content, which suggests a significant contribution of (Mercury) from the coal ash to the river sediments. We therefore conclude that ash transport and deposition in the Clinch River has increased the (Mercury) content in the river sediments.”

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › Summer conditions likely to increase coal ash going airborne

The locations were identified through TVA documents and interviews as a landfill in Taylor County near Mauk, Georgia, and a municipal waste landfill in Perry County in west central Alabama. According to landfill officials in Georgia and Alabama, the facilities are lined with both clay and synthetic barriers, which offers more protection than the unlined surface where the TVA stored ash at its Kingston, Tennessee plant.

Coal ash contains toxic material such as arsenic, lead, chromium, manganese and barium, which have been found to cause serious health issues such as cancer, liver damage and neurological complications.

According to The Institute for Southern Studies, the communities slated to receive the coal ash did not have a chance for meaningful involvement in the decision to store the coal ash in its landfills. Neither the TVA nor regulatory authorities provided an opportunity for public comment.

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › Poor, black counties to receive coal ash from TVA cleanup

As part of the oversight, TVA is required to perform a comprehensive cleanup from the Emory River and surrounding areas. The utility’s work will be subject to review and approval by the EPA, which will consult with the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC). Any remaining contamination will be assessed and determination will be made whether additional actions are needed.

The agreement was reached under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980, or Superfund law, which gives the EPA the authority to step in and force responsible parties to take action at hazardous waste sites and ensure community involvement.

Residents near the damaged spill site say they see the move as positive. “I just don’t think the TVA has the know-how to do this work,” one resident said to WBIR-TV. “It’ll be better with the EPA taking over. I think they’ll do the right thing.”

“TDEC welcomes EPA’s action and the continued collaborative partnership between our agencies,” said TDEC Deputy Commissioner Paul Sloan. “This successful partnership is vital to the cleanup of the TVA ash spill and we will continue to work with EPA to ensure the cleanup in Roane County is thorough and protective of both public health and the environment.”

Source:
EPA

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › EPA to oversee TVA’s coal ash cleanup efforts

Cancer rates

The EPA screening study conducted in 2002 was not made public until March 4, 2009. Numerous attempts to get the information made public through the Freedom of Information Act to the EPA during the Bush Administration were denied or released with the risk estimates blacked out. The data finally made public after seven years shows that cancer risk is substantially higher for up to one out of every 50 Americans living near wet ponds used to dispose of ash and scrubber sludge from coal-fired power plants across the United States.

The analysis focuses on 100 landfills and 110 surface impoundments examined by the EPA that lack effective synthetic liners to prevent leaks as the EPA found unlined and clay-lined waste units present far greater risks to both human health and ecosystems. These high-risk coal ash dump sites are in more than 35 states.

According to the report: “Can living next to one of these dumpsites increase your risk of getting cancer or other diseases? The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) thinks so, especially if you live near one of those wet ash ponds, or surface impoundments, that dot the landscape near large coal plants, the pond has no protective liner, and you get your drinking water from a well … (N)earby residents have as much as a 1 in 50 chance of getting cancer from drinking water contaminated by arsenic, one of the most common, and most dangerous, pollutants from coal ash. And that’s not all. That same risk assessment says that living near ash ponds increases the risk of damage to the liver, kidney, lungs and other organs as a result of being exposed to toxic metals like cadmium, cobalt, lead, and other pollutants at concentrations far above levels that are considered safe. In addition, the danger to wildlife and ecosystems is simply off the charts, with one contaminant—boron—expected to leach into the environment at levels two thousand times thresholds generally considered to be safe.”

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › Study: Cancer risk ‘disturbingly’ higher near coal ash ponds

The cleanup is expected to cost more than $975 million and take years to complete and involves some controversial decisions, such as where to dump the mess it cleans up. TVA officials insist that it will involve the public in the selection process.

Members of the Cumberland County Commission’s Environmental Committee plan to meet next week to discuss the utility’s plan to use its strip mine, according to the Crossville Chronicle. The Crossville Coal Mine is an underground thermal coal mine that is owned by Hillsborough Resources Limited from Vancouver, B.C. Commission officials say that moving the fly ash to the strip mine would require a significant number of trucks occupying space and time on Smith Mountain Road to transport the ash.

“My main concern is about the citizens. I would want to be responsive to the needs of the citizens. We would want to have improvements made on that road and proper monitoring afterwards,” Cumberland County Mayor Brock Hill said.

“TDEC has told me that fly ash is used frequently in reclaiming mines. It could potentially be controversial, but this is a process that’s not new. It’s been being done this way a long time. If TDEC says it’s OK, or if it’s safe then I’m comfortable with it. If they (TDEC) say it’s OK, then we can’t say it isn’t safe,” Hill told the Crossville Chronicle.

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › TVA considers new sites to bury coal ash from spill

The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) in a financial report submitted last week, estimated the cleanup costs to be as much as $975 million, up from a previous estimate of $525 million to $825 million. The utility said those costs may continue to climb as the environmental damage is assessed.

The spill dumped 1.1 billion gallons of coal ash onto a community and into the Emory River. In some areas the sludge stood 9 feet high. It knocked homes off foundations and destroyed property in its wake as it poured from a breached impoundment. The utility already has spent more than $77 million buying up properties and cleaning up the area. Some environmentalists argue it is impossible to completely restore the land.

Coal ash contains dangerous toxins such as arsenic, lead, chromium, manganese and barium that can cause serious health complications such as cancer, liver damage and neurological problems. Some residents in the area say they have experienced respiratory problems as a result of the fly ash in the air. At least one young child has tested positive for heavy metal in his blood.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is providing independent air monitoring and oversight of the area and is inspecting coal ash storage plants in hopes of preventing future spills.

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › TVA ups coal ash cleanup costs to $975 million

The EPA is expected to prepare a public report for each unit assessed, with the goal of completing all assessments by the end of the year.

The inspections are in response to concerns raised by residents, lawmakers and environmental groups following the December 22, 2008, coal ash spill at the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Kingston, Tennessee plant, which dumped 1.1 billion gallons of toxic material on to 300 acres of an east Tennessee community and into the neighboring Emory River. Coal ash can contain dangerous toxins such as arsenic, lead, chromium, manganese and barium, which have been linked to serious health problems such as cancer, liver damage and neurological complications.

More than 125 million tons of coal ash combustion waste is produced by power plants in the United States, most of which ends up in dry landfills or in above-ground coal slurry ponds. That material was classified by the EPA in 2000 as non-hazardous and thus was exempt from government regulations. However, since 2000, improved pollution controls have kept toxins from leaving smokestacks and thus have increased the amount of toxins in coal ash, says Rhon Jones, Toxic Torts Section Head with Beasley Allen law firm.

“Hopefully, these actions by EPA and Congress will either increase safety near these facilities, require alternative methods of disposal, or both,” says Jones.

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › EPA to begin inspection of coal ash storage areas

Both the House and the Senate approved the legislation, however the House rewrote the language, requiring the bill to pass back through the Senate for final approval. The bill will not allow laying liners on existing facilities and placing more coal ash on top.

The bill is just one effort by lawmakers to make coal-burning facilities like that in Kingston safer. Last December’s coal ash pond breach dumped more than a billion gallons of coal ash sending a wave as high as 9 feet on to nearby homes and property. Houses were knocked off their foundations, property was damaged, and several residents in the area had little choice but to flee.

Preventing another environmental disaster like the TVA coal ash spill has been on the forefront with legislators, environments and residents alike raising questions about the hundreds of U.S. power plants that produce more than 125 million tons of coal combustion waste each year. Coal ash is currently listed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as non-hazardous and thus does not fall under strict governmental regulations, says Rhon Jones, Toxic Torts Section Head with Beasley Allen law firm.

As a result of the Kingston coal ash spill, the EPA committed to propose new regulations governing coal combustion waste by the end of 2009. The EPA also committed to act immediately to prevent more spills in the future.

“Hopefully, these actions by EPA and Congress will either increase safety near these facilities, require alternative methods of disposal, or both,” Jones adds.

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › Lawmakers, EPA search for methods to prevent future coal ash spills

The utility claims its responsibility is to clean up the spill. It also says it has a financial responsibility to its 9 million customers.

To date, the TVA has spent more than $68 million to clean up the area. The utility estimates it will spend between $525 million and $825 million before the effort is complete. That total doesn’t take into consideration the money the utility will shell out for related fines and damages from lawsuits.

The TVA has purchased more than 70 properties at a cost of about $20 million, and is considering more offers from homeowners. The TVA already has turned down several more offers.

In a statement released by the TVA, the utility said it “is making meaningful progress to restore conditions near the Kingston site. We are working as quickly and safely as possible to do this while maintaining public health and safety.”

A plaintiff’s attorney responded to the statement by saying the TVA’s claim “is a slap in the face of people who have suffered for four months. … Clearly, TVA has delayed taking responsibility with respect to the many residents and how they’ve suffered.”

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › TVA asks federal judge to dismiss lawsuits

“We are trying to balance between doing the right thing by the people that were impacted by this (and) keeping in mind that this is ratepayer money,” TVA senior vice president Peyton Hairston told The Associated Press last week.

The buyout is part of a massive cleanup and recovery effort by the nation’s largest utility after its Kingston, Tennessee, impoundment pond failed, dumping more than a billion gallons of coal ash sludge onto 300 acres of a rural, east Tennessee community. The sludge piled as high as eight feet in some areas and knocked several homes off their foundations.

TVA received more than 200 requests from property owners wiling to sell property they felt was affected or devalued by the spill, and is deciding which properties warrant buying out. “As we work through this process we have to be able to determine that some people are just outside the area that we feel has been impacted,” Hairston said.

But critics say that even those whose property didn’t suffer immediate damage may still suffer ill effects from the spill, from diminished home values to noise pollution from the 20-hour-per-day cleanup crews. But at higher concern is the environmental issues that may arise as coal ash sludge seeps into the ground, pours into the Emory River, and flies into the wind as it dries up. Coal ash may contain toxins that can lead to serious health conditions such as cancer, liver damage and neurological disorders. Several residents in the area also have complained of respiratory problems and heightened anxiety since the spill.

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › TVA leaves some coal ash spill victims high and dry

However, the method for the regulation of coal ash has come under scrutiny after a Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) impoundment pond failed last December and dumped more than a billion gallons of coal ash sludge over 300 acres of an east Tennessee community, destroying homes and damaging property in its wake. Both residents and environmentalists began asking questions about the toxic material that had poured into the neighboring Emory River and heaped as much as nine feet high in some areas.

Since 2000, improved pollution controls have kept toxins from leaving smokestacks and thus have increased the amount of toxins in coal ash, says Rhon Jones, Toxic Torts Section Head with Beasley Allen law firm. The material may contain arsenic, lead, chromium, manganese and barium which can contribute to dangerous health conditions such as cancer, liver damage and neurological complications, to name a few.

Many residents in the area already have complained of respiratory problems and half reported experiencing increased stress and anxiety. “In addition, EPA has improved testing which reveals toxins are leaching into groundwater more than originally thought,” Jones adds.

To date, EPA has found groundwater contaminated with heavy metals from coal ash dumps at 63 sites. An independent report asserts that nearly 100 coal ash dumps across the United States pose similar or even greater potential dangers than the TVA Kingston plant, Jones says.

“On March 9, 2009, EPA sent a survey to the 163 utilities that manage approximately 300 coal ash ponds in the U.S. The survey calls for plant operators to provide information about coal ash pond design, engineering, and inspections and to list any spills or unauthorized releases within the last decade. While a step in the right direction, EPA’s survey does not ask for information on whether the coal ash ponds are lined, whether the ponds have water collection systems to catch toxins leached from the ash, or whether groundwater monitors are in place near the ponds,” Jones says.

After survey results are reviewed, EPA plans to follow up with on-site visits and order improvements where the ponds are found to be unsafe.

In response to the December 22, 2008 coal ash spill in Kingston, Tennessee, the EPA committed to propose new regulations governing coal combustion waste by the end of 2009. The EPA also committed to act immediately to prevent accidents such as the TVA spill in Kingston.

“The Kingston, Tennessee, spill and others like it show the need for strict standards on how this waste is disposed. In addition to EPA’s renewed interest in regulating coal ash disposal, the U.S. Congress is looking into the spill,” Jones says. “Hopefully, these actions by EPA and Congress will either increase safety near these facilities, require alternative methods of disposal, or both.”

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › Coal combustion sites need government regulations

The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) ordered total remediation so that the utility must clean up the site completely. That cleanup effort is so massive it could take years to complete and is estimated to cost the utility between $525 million and $825 million.

“It is unlikely that the land can be fully restored to conditions present before the spill,” says Rhon Jones, Toxic Torts Section Head with Beasley Allen law firm. “It will take a long time for the area to heal, and the long-term effects may not be known entirely for some time.”

Coal ash may contain dangerous toxins such as arsenic, lead, chromium, manganese and barium which can contribute to dangerous health conditions such as cancer, liver damage and neurological complications, to name a few. Many residents already have complained of respiratory problems and half reported experiencing increased stress and anxiety.

The TVA has offered buyouts to many of the victims of the coal ash spill, “but it is unclear whether residents, in their desperation to leave the hazardous conditions, are getting fair deals,” Jones says. “Our firm is working on behalf of individuals and a class of clients. Through these cases, we are working to 1) Bring about a complete cleanup of the area; 2) Ensure that our clients are fully compensated for the damage to their property (including their property values); and, 3) Obtain long-term medical monitoring relief for area residents who have been exposed to the dangerous contaminants in TVA’s coal ash sludge. “

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › Coal ash victims may not get the compensation they deserve

Yet, an October 2008 inspection deemed the Kingston Fossil Plant structurally sound. And life went on as normal for the residents of Kingston. Until December 22, 2008, when the walls of the impoundment pond broke down and poured 1.1 billion gallons of toxic material on to 300 acres of property and into the Emory River.

“The coal ash spill has both immediate and long-term impacts for Kingston residents whose land and homes have been affected by the spill,” says Rhon Jones, Toxic Torts Section Head with Beasley Allen Law Firm. As the sludge poured out from the impoundment pond as high as nine feet tall in some areas, it destroyed multiple homes and knocked some completely off their foundations. Several homes were left uninhabitable. “Aside from the immediate impacts of losing one’s home and use of property, other impacts include diminished property values and increased health risks,” Jones says.

The toxins found in coal ash include arsenic, lead, chromium, manganese, and barium. According to news reports, potential health problems associated with these toxic substances include cancer, liver damage and neurological complications, among other health problems.

While cleanup efforts are underway, there is little to stop the dust particles that fly into the air as the sludge dries, which is likely to aggravate the problem, Jones adds.

“In a recent public meeting with Kingston residents, health officials warned that the dust associated with the spill will pose an increasing challenge as the slurry dries and spring winds arrive,” he says. The fine particulate matter also is linked to respiratory illness. “There are reports of residents complaining of increased illness already,” Jones says. “A recent survey by the Tennessee Department of Health found that one-third of residents living near the spill reported breathing problems and one-half reported increased stress and anxiety.”

Those dust particles may also pose a threat to individuals living farther away from the spill site. “From diminished property value to loss of recreational opportunities, residents throughout the Kingston area are affected by the spill regardless of whether their property suffered directly,” Jones says. “Property values may be diminished due to the proximity of the spill. Dust particles may blow into surrounding areas as the sludge dries. Clean-up activities will be disruptive to the area, because the enormous task of cleaning up the spill is similar to a massive construction project. Dredging of the Emory River began in March, and crews are working 20 hours a day. The clean-up involves trucking the dredged sludge to a yet determined location, and the truck traffic not only will be noisy but also has the potential to spread dust along the travel route.”

Recreational opportunities may be lost due to the dredging activities, because fishing, swimming, and other recreation near the site are no longer appealing, he adds. “The impact of the spill will be long-lasting and the entire community will be affected either directly or indirectly.”

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › Coal ash disaster affects those not directly affected by spill

The engineers concerns about the stability of the pond walls are detailed in documents released earlier this year by the TVA. The documents were requested by the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) in an effort to pinpoint why the pond breach occurred in the first place.

The documents show that the dikes making up the coal ash pond were in frequent need of maintenance and re-engineering. TVA officials made decisions based on opinions of both in-house engineers and consulting engineers. The pond’s most recent stability inspection – which showed nothing that would indicate failure – occurred just two months before the spill.

So far, the utility has spent more than $68 million cleaning up the mess, and that cost is expected to rise to as high as $825 million. The utility also has spent $11 million to buy out property from locals affected by the spill. Additional expenses are expected to cover litigation, penalties and settlements.

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › Engineers raised questions about coal ash pond walls decades ago

TVA also faces millions of dollars in pollution control expenses due to an environmental court ruling in North Carolina that ordered the TVA to accelerate its cleanup actions so the plants would stop polluting the air in neighboring North Carolina. Those improvements are expected to cost the utility $1.8 billion – about $1 billion more than the TVA had expected to pay.

Adding to TVA’s headache is the downturn of the economy, which has resulted in a 5 percent drop in power sales. TVA relies on the sale of power to generate revenue. The utility also experienced a $3 billion loss to its corporate retirement fund.

TVA CEO Bill Sansom is encouraged by the recent drop in fuel prices, but says he cannot guarantee that the company will not raise rates given the financial constraints the utility has come under.

“I hope these energy costs keep coming down enough that we can help not increase your customers’ rates. I know this winter it has been tough because we’ve had the higher rates and a cold winter. So we are very conscious of that,” he said.

TVA will set its fiscal 2010 budget in August.

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › TVA may have to raise customers’ rates to relieve financial woes

AlterNet.org

More than a billion gallons of coal ash sludge spilled over 300 acres of community property and into the Emory River last December after a coal ash impoundment pond at the TVA’s Kingston, Tennessee coal-burning plant failed. Coal ash contains dangerous toxins such as arsenic and lead which can lead to serious health concerns such as cancer, liver damage and neurological disorders.

Since the spill, the TVA has undergone a $1 million a day cleanup effort that is expected to ring in between $525 million and $825 million. TVA has vowed to restore the land to as good, if not better, than new.

However, residents are skeptical. Many have complained of breathing problems and at least one young child has tested positive for heavy metal in his blood. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) tests of water near a drinking water treatment plant the day after the spill showed alarming amounts of arsenic – 149 times higher than allowed by federal drinking water standards.

While the government is claiming that water treatment facilities can effectively filter tap water for toxins, some residents say that they have noticed a gray film in their tap water and have experienced a burning sensation on their skin and in their eyes after taking a shower.

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › Drinking water may be contaminated by coal ash spill

The new coal ash byproduct, called Cenocell, has good insulating properties and is fire resistant, making it an ideal replacement for concrete, wood and other materials used in various applications in construction, transportation and aerospace.

Coal ash contains dangerous toxins such as arsenic and lead which can, as in the case of the TVA spill, damage property and may lead to serious health complications. The new product, however, is not considered harmful and in fact, is being touted as a “green” product because unlike cement, Cenocell does not generate carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas.

“This material could help develop communities by allowing people living near coal-burning facilities to create a new industry and new jobs,” Doyoyo said. “This could be an engine of development for people who have been struggling. It really is a material with a social conscience.”

This may not be exciting news to those living in communities in close proximity to coal-burning facilities. The alternative uses for coal ash do not stop the coal-burning fumes from polluting the air nor does it eliminate the threat of another devastating coal ash spill, like that caused when a TVA coal ash pond failed last December and dumped more than a billion gallons of toxic material on to a neighboring community. Rather than alternative uses for coal ash, many are asking for greener alternatives to coal-burning all together.

Doyoyo will present Cenocell and his findings at the World of Coal Ash meeting May 4-7, 2009.

Source:
Reliable Plant

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › Scientist develops new product from coal ash

The TVA had asked for more time to carry out those orders, requesting one more year – to 2012 – to install smokestack scrubbers at its John Sevier plant in Rogersville, Tennessee, and two more years – to 2014 – to carry out other pollution controls. U.S. District Judge Lacy Thornburg denied the TVA’s request, saying North Carolina’s experts offered a more compelling argument than the TVA.

The order came within a month of another pricey situation for the utility. On December 22nd, a coal ash impoundment pond at the TVA’s Kingston, Tennessee plant spilled over, dumping 1.1 billion gallons on to 300 acres of an east Tennessee community. The utility is currently undergoing a huge cleanup operation which is expected to cost the TVA between $525 million and $825 million.

The TVA has not yet decided whether it will appeal the entire ruling. “This is a fiscal problem for us,” said TVA Chairman Bill Sansom. “Can we fiscally do what the court tells us to do?”

The lawsuit was originally filed in January 2006 by North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper, arguing that the TVA needed to take stronger measures to reduce the emissions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and mercury that were drifting east and polluting the air in the North Carolina mountains.

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › Judge denies TVA’s request for more time to carry out pollution controls

Since the spill, the TVA has spent a reported $1 million a day to clean up the mess, estimating its total cleanup cost to ring in between $525 million and $825 million. Clean up efforts include building temporary dams to stop the flow in neighboring waterways, dusting grass seed on dry land to keep the fly ash at bay, and, most recently, dredging the nearby Emory River. The TVA has vowed to restore the land to its previous condition, though affected property owners and environmental groups remain skeptical.

Last month, a smaller spill occurred when a pipeline at a coal-burning plant ruptured, leaking 4,000 gallons of coal ash into the Potomac River and fanning the flames of concern from lawmakers of the safety and lack of federal regulation of coal ash impoundments.

TVA president and CEO Tom Kilgore, Congressman Lincoln Davis and representatives from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are among those who testified to members of the House subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment as part of the committee’s investigation into why such spills occurred.

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › Congressional committee to ask ‘why’ coal ash spills occur

Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU)

More than a billion gallons of toxic material poured on to 300 acres of an east Tennessee neighborhood late last year when a coal ash impoundment at the TVA’s Kingston, Tennessee, plant failed. The spill destroyed homes and damaged property, and has raised serious concerns about human safety not only among residents but also with environmental groups. Coal ash contains dangerous toxins such as arsenic and lead that can cause serious health problems such as cancer, liver damage and neurological complications.

As a result, residents in the area are cautious. “We need more information and increased communications,” said resident Sarah McCoin, a member of the Tennessee Coal Ash Survivors Network. “Many families fear they are poisoning their children by remaining in their homes and they do not have the resources to pay for testing those children. They need help, they need answers.”

ORAU is an education and research consortium of 100 universities including Georgia Tech, Duke, Tennessee, Tulane, Johns Hopkins and Vanderbuilt. According to the TVA, ORAU will bring in toxicologists to design medical tests to identify health problems that can be caused by the toxins in coal ash. The group also will review the results of air, water and soil tests to determine whether the cleanup has been thorough enough not to pose a risk to those living in the area.

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › Research consortium to guide coal ash cleanup, health monitoring

The TVA launched a massive cleanup effort which includes dredging the Emory River to remove the ash and spreading grass seed over the affected land to keep the ash from flying about. The cleanup operation is costing the TVA about $1 million per day and is expected to ring in between $525 million and $825 million before the cleanup is complete and the land is restored.

The TVA also admitted publicly that it should have been more forthcoming about the possible dangers of the coal ash from the beginning. Since then, the utility has made efforts to keep the public informed of cleanup efforts through community meetings and the media.

Regardless, the cleanup has come under scrutiny by both environmental groups and community members who want more oversight and environmental studies performed.

Source:
WBIR-TV

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › TVA hosts second community open house about coal ash spill

This is the sixth federal lawsuit filed against the TVA as a result of the utility’s coal ash pond breach last December that flooded an east Tennessee community with more than a billion gallons of coal ash sludge. Not only did the massive spill destroy houses and damage property, it also poured into the neighboring Emory River. Coal ash contains toxic material such as arsenic, lead, barium, manganese and chromium, which can be harmful to human health.

This latest lawsuit against the utility claims the TVA “submitted a vague, misleading and piecemeal environmental assessment and remediation plan which, in significant places, massaged the data and blatantly removed to avoid real and appropriate vigorous scrutiny.”

The TVA claims that it has been open about its cleanup efforts by posting updates on its Web site. A U.S. magistrate judge has set a hearing on the issue for April 29th.

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › Residents ask judge to halt TVA’s cleanup efforts

And now the TVA is arguing that the process of saving the voice mails could possibly “bring down” the utility’s voice mail system. Magistrate Judge Guyton was unmoved by the TVA’s argument that keeping the past voice mails is straining its system.

TVA says it believes it has preserved most of the voice mails related to the spill and says it doubt future voice mails will have any bearing on the pending lawsuits against the utility.

Magistrate Judge Guyton says he will issue a written ruling soon. An April 8 hearing has been set to determine how soon the lawsuits could be resolved or tried, according to the Knoxville News Sentinel.

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › TVA voice mail system facing possible crash

The utility reported that to date, 61 payouts were made to the owners of 40 homes and about 51 properties on 210 acres of the 300 acres affected by the spill. The homes and land acquired by the TVA generated $62,900 a year in Roane County property taxes. Roane County Property Assessor Teresa Kirkham says more parcels of land affected by the spill may be purchased by the utility.

The spill destroyed three homes and damaged a dozen more in the wake. Not just land, but the neighboring Emory River was affected.

The $1 million-a-day cleanup effort is expected to cost the TVA between $525 million and $825 million before it is complete. TVA has vowed to restore the land to its previous condition – if not better condition. However, many property owners are skeptical.

Coal ash may contain dangerous toxins such as arsenic, lead, barium, manganese and chromium which can lead to potential health problems such as cancer, liver damage and neurological complications. Many residents in the area have complained of respiratory problems and at least one child has tested positive for heavy metal.

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › TVA pays millions to property owners affected by coal ash spill

The spill dumped more than a billion gallons of coal ash sludge on to 300 acres in an east Tennessee community. Dozens of homes were destroyed or damaged and property was left a mess. Aside from the physical damage, homeowners in the area are concerned of the risk to human life.

Coal ash contains dangerous toxins such as arsenic and lead that can cause serious health issues such as cancer, liver damage and neurological complications. Several homeowners in the area already have complained of respiratory problems.

The cleanup already has taken months and could cost the utility between $525 million and $825 million, according to earlier reports. A cleanup plan that included the dredging effort was outlined in a report submitted by the TVA and approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The utility vows to restore the property to its original condition, but homeowners wonder if doing so is even possible, given the magnitude of the spill.

More than 100 property owners have filed federal lawsuits against the TVA, but many residents who live closes to the spill have opted to either reach settlements with the TVA or say they plan to wait things out.

Sources:
News Channel 5
iStock Analyst

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › Dredging begins at Tennessee coal ash spill site

Sen. Benjamin Cardin

The spill caught the attention of lawmakers and environmentalists alike, who are debating how such coal ash ponds should be regulated by the government after the disastrous coal ash spill at a Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) plant in Kingston, Tennessee last December. That spill dumped more than a billion gallons of the toxic sludge onto a rural neighborhood, destroying homes and damaging property in its wake.

The TVA continues to clean up that mess, which could cost the utility between $525 million and $825 million. The effects on wildlife and humans are yet to be played. Coal ash may contain high concentrations of selenium, sulfate, arsenic, iron and manganese which can lead to serious health problems such as cancer, liver damage and neurological complications.

Environmental activists and lawmakers are pushing the government to step up regulation of coal ash plants. In a letter to the Cumberland Times-News, Joy M. Oakes with the National Parks Conservation Association in Arlington, Virginia wrote, “There are about 300 coal waste storage sites in the U.S., many much larger than the ones operated by the New Page Corporation, which currently are not subject to any meaningful federal regulation. New regulations to manage coal waste must avert risks to our health, and the health of our national parks, so that our children and our grandchildren may continue to enjoy these treasured places.”

Sources:
MSNBC
Cumberland Times-News

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › Senator asks for more regulation of coal-burning plants

President

According to Kentucky.com, “The Department of Energy will soon announce whether it will use $1 billion in stimulus funds to resurrect FutureGen, a proposal to create in Illinois the world’s first coal-fired power plant designed to capture and bury carbon emissions underground.” The Bush administration decided against building the plant because it would cost more than $1.8 billion. The Government Accountability Office says that price tag is more like $1.3 billion. Proponents of “clean coal” argue that  not building that plant put the effort back a decade.

Renewable resources are front-and-center with lawmakers these days, after a Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) coal ash pond failed last December, dumping more than a billion gallons of toxic coal ash sludge on to an east Tennessee community. Previously unregulated by the federal government, coal ash ponds and storage units will soon have to follow standards outlined by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for regulating coal ash.

The economic stimulus plan has $3.4 billion for the coal industry, as opposed to $16.8 billion for renewable energy and efficiency programs. The Obama administration also is says it will implement a program that would cap companies’ carbon emissions.

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › Obama administration focuses on clean coal practices

As part of the campaign, protestors will march Saturday along Palm Canyon in Palm Springs and ask Congress to “quit coal and other fossil fuels and support a clean energy economy,” according to the report. “It is a major source of air and water pollution and leaves in its wake huge, toxic waste piles of ash.”

The protest comes two and a half months after the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Kingston, Tennessee coal ash impoundment failed, dumping 2.2 million pounds of toxic coal ash on to 300 acres of property in rural east Tennessee. Coal ash contains toxins such as arsenic and lead, which contribute to serious health issues such as cancer, liver damage and neurological complications. Residents in the area already have reported experiencing breathing problems since the spill occurred.

The utility is shelling out a million dollars daily to clean up the mess, which destroyed homes and damaged property. Total cleanup costs are expected to ring in between $525 million and $825 million, according to the TVA. The utility also has vowed to convert the coal ash ponds at its Kingston plant to dry ash storage, which will take up to two years to complete.

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › Southern California communities march for safer alternatives to coal-burning

The spill originated from a small hole in one of NewPage Corp.’s pipelines that cross the Potomac. The leak began about 8 p.m. Sunday night and continued to leak until 6 a.m. Monday morning.

The spill is just a fraction of the size of the one caused when the Tennessee Valley Authority impoundment pond failed and oozed toxic coal ash into a rural Tennessee neighborhood and into the nearby Emory River. But Maryland state regulators are still concerned of the potential environmental problems the leak may cause.

Coal ash could contain high concentrations of selenium, sulfate, arsenic, iron and manganese, which can contribute to serious health problems such as cancer, liver damage and neurological complications. The Tennessee spill has already caused many locals to complain of respiratory problems, and a young child in the area recently tested positive for heavy metals.

The storage and disposal of coal ash is not currently regulated, but Environmental Protection Agency officials have vowed since the TVA spill to draft rules for coal ash storage and disposal.

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › 4,000 gallons of coal ash pour into Potomac River

The Obama administration backed up the promise by vowing to propose new regulations governing coal combustion waste by the end of the year and acting immediately to ensure more dangerous spills do not happen again, according to the New York Times.

The EPA’s Office of Resource Conservation and Recovery is deciding now whether to regulate the waste as hazardous or nonhazardous. In 2000, the material was classified as nonhazardous, but because of better pollution controls, the ash has become more dangerous. Coal ash contains toxins such as arsenic, lead, chromium, manganese and barium. Those materials can lead to serious health problems such as cancer, liver damage and neurological complications.

Residents who live hear the Kingston, Tennessee plant have already complained of breathing problems and some have even tested positive for high levels heavy metal.

TVA is undergoing a million-dollar-a-day cleanup program that is expected to total between $525 million and $825 before it is restored.

The coal industry has long opposed regulation, saying the move will cost billions each year. Activist groups say regulation is necessary to ensure the safety of those living near the plants. EPA has raised concerns from improved tests that show more toxins than previously thought leaching from the ash into groundwater, according to the report.

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › Obama administration vows to propose regulations for coal ash

Homes were destroyed and property was damaged when the coal ash impoundment failed and poured on to the rural east Tennessee community. TVA announced that it plans to buy the damaged properties, including lakeside homes. It will also end wet-ash storage at the plant.

Other efforts include temporarily holding the recovered ash at the Kingston site to allow it to drain before sending it to landfills or possibly recycling it. Officials vow they will work to keep the fly ash from becoming airborne.

Coal ash contains dangerous toxins such as arsenic, lead, chromium, manganese and barium that has been linked to serious health issues such as cancer, liver damage and neurological complications. A survey of 368 residents living in the area of the spill found a third of them experienced breathing problems and half experienced increased stress and anxiety.

TVA estimates its cleanup efforts to total between $525 and $825 million before the land is restored.

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › TVA granted permission to dredge Emory River

Converting the coal ash ponds to dry ash storage will take about 18 to 24 months to complete. Meantime, TVA will continue working on cleaning up the mess made by the coal ash pond that failed. That cleanup effort is expected to ring in as high as $825 million. TVA has vowed to make the area affected by the spill “as good, if not better than before” the spill occurred. It also will continue to support regulators in the monitoring of water, soil and air.

TVA also is working with state Environment and Conservation for a safe way to remove the ash in the main channel of the Emory River. Once removed, that ash will be temporarily placed on a ball field and at another site at the Kingston plant.

The cleanup will be “developed and reviewed by an interagency team” including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, Tennessee Department of Health, the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Roane County officials. TVA also is developing a community involvement cleanup plan.

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › TVA releases details of coal ash spill cleanup plan

It’s no wonder. The coal ash that poured from a Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) impoundment in Kingston, Tennessee, contained dangerous toxins such as arsenic, lead, chromium, manganese and barium, which may lead to serious health problems such as cancer, liver problems, neurological complications and a host of other irritants.

Never mind that houses and property in the wake of the outpour were destroyed or damaged. The utility is shelling out more than $1 million a day to build temporary dams to stop the flow down the Emory River and dust grass seed to keep the fly ash at bay, and carry out other measures to ensure the area returns to its previous beauty. It could cost the TVA as much as $825 million to do that, and even then, it is unsure what toll it will take on wildlife and plants in the area.

According to the Associated Press report, 368 residents within a 1.5 mile radius of the plant were surveyed by the Tennessee Department of Public Health. A third of those surveyed say they experienced worsening upper respiratory symptoms. Half reported mental health issues such as stress and anxiety. Astonishingly, only 66 percent said they “washed their hands after touching the sludge.”

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › East Tennessee residents waiting for breath of fresh air

The practice of utilities selling coal ash byproducts is not unusual. The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) recently released a report stating that it sells about a third of the 7 million tons of fly ash, bottom ash, gypsum and boiler slag generated in its plants each year. Those byproducts have been mixed into concrete for roads in bridges and in blocks for buildings. The gypsum has been used in wallboard, granules for roofing shingles and grit for sandblasters. The byproducts even have been used as filler material for recreation areas, ball fields and industrial parks, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution.

Yes, this is the same type of toxic material that spilled on to 300 acres of rural east Tennessee last December when one of the utility’s coal ash ponds failed, destroying nearby homes and causing hundreds of millions of damage to property. Environmentalists say the damage to wildlife and plant life is still to be determined, and many locals who live near the site have already suffered health problems. The coal ash contains toxins such as arsenic, lead, chromium, manganese and barium, which have been associated with serious health problems such as cancer, liver damage and neurological complications.

So it comes as little surprise that the Chinese drywall containing coal ash byproducts is also making people sick. The lawsuit alleges that the drywall emits one of several sulfur compounds giving homes made of it a foul odor. Some say those fumes also may cause respiratory health problems, headaches, dry eyes and nosebleeds. The long term affects of exposure are yet to be determined.

Other problems caused by the Chinese drywall include corrosion of air condition coils, putting homes at serious risk for electrical fires.

The class action lawsuit names the Knauf Group, PKT’s parent company; Banner Supply, a Miami-based materials supply company; and Rothchilt International, Ltd. , an export company in China. Legal experts believe many more lawsuits will follow.

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › Coal ash byproducts used in building supplies making people sick

The spill occurred when a coal ash impoundment pond at the Tennessee Valley Authority’s (TVA) Kingston, Tennessee plant failed and dumped more than a billion gallons of toxic material on to a rural, east Tennessee neighborhood. Not only did the spill cause immediate damage, its long-term effects may cause even more problems. Coal ash contains toxins such as arsenic, lead, chromium, manganese and barium, which may contribute to serious health problems such as cancer, liver damage and neurological complications.

In the Daily Yonder photo essay, Poynter talks about his two experiences photographing the site, during which he had to go through TVA’s public relations department and be escorted in by TVA staff. Most other entrances to the spill site are restricted by police, allowing access to only those who live in the area or their friends and family.

Poynter says visibility in the area is limited – one can only see about a quarter of a mile in the distance. There is no media access to the homes damaged immediately by the spill. Thus, he says, “It looks fairly benign, of out of the larger context of who has been harmed and what has been destroyed.”

Still, the slideshow is worth watching.

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › Photographers capture images of devastating coal ash spill

An Associated Press report found that there are 162 power plants in the county that have coal ash ponds. Those ponds store anywhere from 500 tons to 653,300 tons of coal ash. While coal ash has stayed somewhat below the environmental issues radar, its safety has come into question recently after the December 2008 spill in Kingston.

That spill fell on 300 acres of rural community, destroying houses, damaging property and pouring into nearby rivers. While cleanup efforts are underway, there is much debate surrounding the safety of the land, water and air. Coal ash contains dangerous toxins that can cause serious health concerns such as cancer, liver damage and neurological complications.

The TVA spill has spurred environmental and industry officials in other parts of the country to take a closer look at coal ash ponds at other sites. According to the Gillette News Record report, industry officials in Wyoming say coal ash ponds there are not in jeopardy of leaking or spilling, adding that the TVA incident likely was the result of bad engineering and not the lack of federal regulation.

Despite the reassurance, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has vowed to study the issue and decide whether regulation is necessary. Environmental groups continue to argue that regulating the giant toxic ponds are a must for human safety.

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › Officials in other states review safety of coal ash plants

We told you earlier about Penny Dodson and her 18-month-old grandson Evan. For 10 days after the spill, they stayed in their home instead of fleeing. She was told by TVA authorities that they would be safe. But when Evan started having trouble breathing, doctors tested him for heavy metals. The tests revealed that Evan had elevated levels of arsenic in his body, which doctors determined was from fly ash in the community. Penny is now guilt-stricken.

While no one was injured when the coal ash pond failed and dumped more than a billion gallons of toxic material on to 300 acres of a rural east Tennessee neighborhood, authorities want to be sure damages, such as those experienced by little Evan and by the property owners whose homes and property were affected, are kept to a minimum.

TVA has executed a massive clean up, building temporary dams in Emory River in hopes of keep the ash from flowing any father downstream, and laid grass seed to keep the coal ash from flying. Sludge is being scooped out of waterways and land. How long the cleanup will take is still unclear, but the price of getting the land livable again could cost TVA as much as $825 million.

The hearings continue this week with more testimony from victims as well as testimony from representatives of the TVA and the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation.

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › TVA coal ash victims testify about property, personal damages

Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)

“When I got the results I was horrified,” Penny said to News Channel 5. “It showed that Evan has increased levels of arsenic and lead and other heavy metal in his system. … They said that his problem was due to the airborne fly ash in the community. He was directly impacted, and we were told that we would have to leave the area.”

The toxic mud and sludge that poured on to the east Tennessee community destroying homes and damaging property in its wake, contained potential toxins such as arsenic, lead, barium, chromium and manganese. Problems associated with those materials include cancer, liver damage and neurological complications.

Last week, TVA acknowledged that the spill was worse than initially reported, calling it a “catastrophe.” Lawmakers are looking into the cleanup efforts, which some are calling too slow. Those efforts include building temporary dams to stop the flow into neighboring bodies of water and dusting the area with grass seeds to keep the coal ash from becoming airborne. The cleanup could cost the utility as much as $825 million and the toll on wildlife and plant life – and ultimately, human life – is yet to be known. But some, like Penny, say the worst damage already has been done.

“I carry guilt because we stayed, because I was told that we were going to be safe, and I believed them, and it’s not true – we are not safe,” she said.

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › Toddler near coal ash spill site tests positive for heavy metal

“It was a catastrophe,” said Tom Kilgore, TVA president, referencing an internal memo that was obtained by the Associated Press that downplayed the incident by changing the description from “catastrophic” to “sudden, accidental.” The memo was also edited to remove references of a public health risk, instead choosing to call the spill an “acute threat” to fish.

The spill has caused heartache to both the TVA and residents in the area. When the December coal ash pond spilled over, it destroyed homes and damaged property. The environmental damage has yet to be determined. Several property owners have filed suit against the utility and just last week, TVA announced that its has cut incentive programs for all employees, including senior management. TVA also is facing mounting cleanup costs as much as $1 million a day, which is expected to total as high as $825 million. How it will pay for the cleanup is still unclear. TVA said after insurance payments are made it will consider options that include raising customers’ rates.

In an effort to improve its credibility and garner more respect from the communities in which it serves, TVA has hired an outside consultant to lead an investigation into the cause of the massive spill. The utility also is inspecting ash storage areas at its other coal-fired plants, in particular the coal ash ponds like that in Kingston that failed.

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › TVA calls coal ash spill disaster a ‘catastrophe’

The bleak outlook is in part the result of the utility’s coal ash pond failure in December that dumped 1.1 billion pounds of toxic waste on to 300 acres of east Tennessee. TVA is facing numerous lawsuits from property owners as well as mounting cleanup costs that could reach as high as $825 million.

TVA said insurance should cover some of the costs but it also will consider disposing assets, using debt and raising power rates. The slashing of its annual incentive awards will also help cover costs.

As a result, President and Executive Officer Tom Kilgore said not only will he and upper management not receive the annual incentive awards for the fiscal year, compensation adjustments and lump sums also would not be paid for the year. However, annual incentive pay tied to performance of individual units would remain in place.

“I know that in these tough economic times, this news will be disappointing to our employees, but it is a realization of the challenges we face. I am grateful to everyone for their understanding,” Kilgore said in the memo.

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › TVA cuts incentive programs for all employees