News Tagged ‘toxic coal ash’

EPA guidelines may require coal-firing plants to plan for disasters

epa 150x150 EPA guidelines may require coal firing plants to plan for disastersThe Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) may be delayed in proposing new regulations for storage of toxic coal ash, but one item expected to be on the agency’s proposal is gaining applause from conservation groups. The EPA says its plan includes a requirement for coal-firing plants to set aside money that would be used in the event of future toxic waste problems, such as spills or leaks like the one from the Tennessee Valley Authority () plant in December 2008 that devastated a neighboring east community.

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Rep. Davis fights for people of Perry County in coal ash debate

Artur DavisToxic coal ash recovered from a massive spill site in east was deemed too dangerous by the state of Pennsylvania to be stored there, but some Alabama officials welcomed that with open arms. One U.S. Representative from Alabama is standing up for the people, urging the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish consistent standards at the federal level that would fully address legitimate concerns about the content of waste.

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Cumberland residents say ‘no;’ officials say ‘yes’ to coal ash

Cumberland County 2Cumberland County, , officials saw dollar signs and improved highways when they approved the relocation of coal ash recovered from a neighboring spill site to a landfill atop Smith Mountain. “I call it the Good Neighbor Plan,” says Commissioner Lynn Tollett. “We’ve got a place to put (the recovered ). We can help out and we’re going to gain some income at a time when the economy is not what it ought to be.”

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Emory River to remain closed until February as cleanup continues

emory river 100x100 Emory River to remain closed until February as cleanup continuesA 1 ½-mile stretch of the Emory River in east will remain closed to boat traffic through mid-February – several months longer than expected – while the Tennessee Valley Authority () continues to dredge the river to remove toxic coal ash that spilled there following a impoundment pond breach last December. The dredging is part of a three-year, $1 billion cleanup of the area with hopes to restore the land and waterways that were badly damaged and contaminated following the massive spill.

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TVA to raise rates, borrow money, cut spending

us money photo 100x100 TVA to raise rates, borrow money, cut spendingThe Tennessee Valley Authority (), facing a near-$1 billion bill for the cleanup of a massive coal ash spill at its Kingston, Tenn., coal-firing plant, a pension shortfall, waning power sales, and court-ordered environmental upgrades, says it will increase electric rates, borrow up to $3 billion over three years, and cut spending in order to pay its due.

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Residents near coal ash spill sign up for free medical screenings

medical screening 100x100 Residents near coal ash spill sign up for free medical screeningsMore than 100 people in are concerned enough about their health following a massive coal ash spill in their community that they have signed up for free medical screenings. These are people who lived in or around Kingston, last December when a Tennessee Valley Authority () impoundment pond burst, sending 1.1 billion gallons of toxic on to 300 acres of neighboring property and into the Emory River.

That spill destroyed homes and damaged property and forced officials to hang signs warning people against swimming in nearby waters or eating fish caught in them. The threat of the drying and flying into the air caused more concern from residents who worried breathing traces of fly ash might harm them.

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Will TVA consumers’ voices fall on deaf ears?

listen 100x100 Will TVA consumers voices fall on deaf ears?At a public meeting this week, Tennessee Valley Authority () consumers voiced concerns about the safety of moving toxic coal ash from the Kingston, Tenn., plant and whether the nation’s largest utility has considered natural gas for electricity production over coal and nuclear power. But those concerns may likely have fallen on deaf ears.

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Proposal to store coal ash could bring jobs to Cumberland County

Not everyone is trying to keep the Tennessee Valley Authority () from dumping coal ash on its property. One company wants the to pay them to haul and hold in its Cumberland County strip mine.

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EPA to oversee TVA’s coal ash cleanup efforts

tva logo 150x150 EPA to oversee TVAs coal ash cleanup effortsThe U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) signed an enforceable agreement with the Tennessee Valley Authority () to oversee the removal of coal ash from its east fossil fuel plant where a impoundment breached and dumped more than a billion gallons of toxic on to a neighboring community and into the Emory River. The was also ordered to reimburse the EPA for any costs associated with its oversight of the cleanup.

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Engineers raised questions about coal ash pond walls decades ago

coal ash pond 100x100 Engineers raised questions about coal ash pond walls decades agoFor decades, engineers raised questions about the walls of an impoundment pond containing toxic coal ash at the Tennessee Valley Authority () Kingston, coal-burning plant, according to the KnoxvilleBiz.com. They questioned the way the walls were built and argued that they were not initially designed to stand as tall as they did. Those concerns fell on deaf ears then, but now have a voice after the walls of the pond broke loose last December and dumped 1.1 billion gallons of toxic material on to 300 acres of an east community and into the waters of the Emory River.

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