“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

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’

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

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

The spill, one of the largest environmental disasters in our country’s history, knocked houses from their foundations, damaged property, and contaminated nearby waterways, hindering water recreation activities in the area and diminishing nearby property values. While the TVA is engaged in what will amount to a near-$1 billion cleanup of the damaged land, plus a litany of lawsuits related to the spill, Roane County officials say that the city’s public image has also been scarred and the TVA needs to pony up the funds to help restore it.

The TVA had said it would help compensate the city and county and considered two different proposals submitted by local governments. One proposal asked for $40 million to cover upgrades to water lines, sewer lines and schools as well as the construction of nature trails and a hefty public relations campaign.

“That bell has been rung and you can’t unring it,” said Mayor Troy Beets of Kingston to the New York Times. “We can’t unring the fact that we had the ash spill on Dec. 22; we can’t unring all the negative publicity that came out about it. You try to ring some more bells, just as loudly, that are positive.”

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › TVA to spend $43 million to improve county where coal ash spill occurred

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