Why it matters:
“Largest environmental disaster in American history.”
Recap:
CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta shot a story about a small town in eastern Tennessee (video to the right). The town really is picturesque. It’s quiet, quaint (the residents have accents… We love accents!), and to top it all off… a lake! There’s only one problem, the lake is only about a foot deep, because the other 24 feet are filled with toxic coal ash from the nearby power plant.
Many might recall the Exxon-Valdez spill of the 1980s (any puffins reading out there?). The story grabbed headlines for weeks. Maybe it was the image of a drunken sailor veering (slowly) toward the Alaskan coastline. 11 million gallons were spilled in that disaster.
Coal ash is a bi-product of coal power production. With no way to safely dispose of the material, utilities mix it with water and hold it in “retention ponds.” Well, with nary a media outlet to raise the alarm, last Christmas one of those retention ponds burst, unleashing 1.1 BILLION gallons of coal ash sludge over 300 acres in eastern Tennessee. Locals blame the Tennessee Valley Authority, and while the TVA maintains that the site was under constant “monitoring,” they aren’t in any big hurry to share what that monitoring revealed: “seeping” and “small blow-outs.”
Luckily for the TVA, coal ash is not considered “hazardous waste” by the EPA. Instead it’s considered “solid waste” like “household garbage.” But locals are reporting head-aches, nose-bleeds, and asthma and a Duke University study revealed toxins in the air and water around the lake, including carcinogens like selenium and arsenic.
Commentary:
If you went to the doctor and he (or she!) noticed “seeping” and “small blow-outs” you’d be concerned. Definitely not a “let’s watch it and see if anything develops” situation.
But the TVA has technicalities and semantics on its side. With coal-ash defined as a “solid waste” and toxin readings falling within “safe levels”, the TVA can simply shrug their shoulders, “Dude, sorry about the lake.” Lord knows, 1.1 billion gallons of “household garbage” is nothing to worry about.
Residents have two small glimmers of hope. For one, the EPA could re-classify coal-ash as a “hazardous waste.” For another, Erin Brockovich, THE Erin Brockovich, has taken up their mantle.
One thing is for sure, the residents of this small town in Eastern Tennessee have a long fight ahead of them, a fight in which their very lives may be at stake.
Creative Solutions:
- Write a Letter!
- Buy Green Power
- End Mountaintop Removal Mining
- Green Your Boating
- Use Non-Toxic Household Cleaners
This is a critical issue that needs to be brought to light as we continue to increase population and energy use around the world. Until there is a safe way to dispose of the by-product we continue to run the risk of toxic spills.
Should find some information about the spill that happened in TN at one of the TVA lakes releasing tons of that coal ash into the lake. Some information on my blog can be found at mephistos.com