Even Young has gotten sick. She was diagnosed with melanoma and two precancerous conditions in her breast and thyroid. She says dogs living in the area have died from cancer. She has since become an environmental activist, fighting for government regulations for plants that store coal waste in an effort to save others from getting sick. It’s an uphill battle.

Coal ash is listed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a non-hazardous material and thus is exempt from federal regulation. The December 2008 spill from a Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) coal-firing plant in east Tennessee that dumped more than a billion gallons of toxic material onto a rural neighborhood and into the Emory River brought national attention to the safety of coal ash. Coal waste contains dangerous toxins and heavy metals that have been found to cause serious health problems, including cancer.

Following a year-long investigation into the safety and storage of coal ash at sites nationwide, the EPA proposed new guidelines for the plants. Despite nearly 35 meetings between representatives of coal ash industries and members of the White House Office of Information Regulatory Affairs, action has yet to be taken.

Meanwhile, the TVA’s three-year, $1 billion cleanup of the spilled coal ash in east Tennessee continues. That process includes shipping tons of the recovered coal ash across state lines to a landfill in Perry County, Alabama, a poor and predominantly black community. Despite outcries from residents concerned about their health, the shipments keep on coming.

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › Report shows coal ash makes people sick

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

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