Blog Archives

No Easy Answers on Coal Ash Cleanup

10 people raise their fists in front of a bronze statue

To protect groundwater and community health, coal ash ponds must be cleaned up. But, as communities in Tennessee have learned, safely removing the toxic waste brings its own set of challenges.

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We won’t give up on justice for the Kingston coal ash workers

Rally outside of Jacobs Engineering in Knoxville in December 2019. To the left of the photo in the brown hat is the late John Stewart, a former TVA employee and unyielding advocate for the Kingston workers. Photo by Todd Waterman

Hundreds of workers who helped clean up after the massive Kingston Fossil Plant coal ash spill have gotten sick and dozens have died. A hearing before the Tennessee Supreme Court was the latest stop in the ongoing battle for justice.

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Tennesseans Raise Coal Ash Concerns

crowded hearing room with one man speaking with his arm pointed out

Local residents are fighting against the Tennessee Valley Authority’s proposed coal ash landfill in Anderson County, Tenn., while others sued the utility in court over health problems they allege are linked to the Bull Run power plant.

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EPA Dismisses Coal Ash Civil Rights Case

A civil rights case brought by Uniontown, Ala., residents who argued that their health problems were caused by TVA coal ash dumped at a nearby landfill was dismissed.

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The Deadline is Set for EPA Coal Ash Rule

coalashTVA
By the end of this year, the EPA will finally publish the first-ever federal rule regulating the disposal of coal ash. The agency’s December 19 deadline is the result of a settlement reached today in a lawsuit brought by Earthjustice, representing Appalachian Voices, Southern Alliance for Clean Energy and other groups. The law, strong science and good public policy all support regulating coal ash as a hazardous waste. Will the EPA stand up for environmental and public health?

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Concerns Grow Over the EPA’s Stance on Selenium Pollution

In February, we wrote about the new selenium water quality standards being proposed by the Kentucky Division of Water and urged concerned citizens to express their concern to the state. Now, Kentucky has gone ahead with its proposal, submitting the

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Coal Ash Update: Legislatin’, Litigatin’ and Fillin’

“Passing a bad piece of coal ash legislation prolongs our pollution problem and makes the possibility of an accident much more of a reality.” These words, from a recent letter to the editor in the Asheville Citizen-Times, reflect the growing

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The Mayan Calendar Has Ended, And There is Still Coal Ash in the Tennessee River

So the world did not end today, as much of the discussion around the end of Mayan calendar seemed to suggest. But it might have seemed like that to the residents of Harriman, Tn. exactly four year ago today, when

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The Senate and the L’awful’ Coal Ash Bill

To put it mildly, the supposed coal ash regulation bill S. 3512 falls short of our expectations. The bill — proposed last July by Sens. Hoeven (R-SD), Conrad (D-SD), and Baucus (D-MT) — shields utilities from their obligations to upgrade

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A One-Two Punch in the Fight for Clean Water

It has been a week of good news in the fight for stronger protections against coal ash pollution. A court settlement in South Carolina and a major decision regarding the 2008 TVA Kingston coal ash spill make for a one-two

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