News Tagged ‘federal regulation’

Advisory board recommends tougher controls over coal ash storage

tennessee seal 100x100 Advisory board recommends tougher controls over coal ash storage A state advisory board is calling for tougher regulation of coal ash impoundment ponds and recommending that the Tennessee Valley Authority () turn over control of its storage ponds to the Dam Safety Group, according to WRAL. The board, which formed in the wake of last year’s massive coal ash spill from the Kingston, Tenn., plant, released a report this week outlining its recommendations. The board also recommended that an independent board oversee the design, construction and closure of ash retention ponds.

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Activists fight coal ash pond expansion along Ohio River

Ohio River BasinConcerned citizens and environmental activists are opposing plans to expand a coal ash pond along the Ohio River in northern Kentucky because they say if the pond ruptures, it could contaminate drinking water. The proposal from LG&E would build 100-foot-tall walls around an existing pond, giving it more capacity than the impoundment at the Tennessee Valley Authority () Kingston, Tenn., plant, which failed last year and dumped more than a billion gallons of toxic waste on to a neighboring community.

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

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