Learn more about the hazards of coal ash and TVA’s plans at July 30 community meeting
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 9, 2026
CONTACT
Dan Radmacher, Media Specialist, (276) 289-1018, [email protected]
The Sierra Club and Appalachian Voices are co-hosting a community meeting in Kingston, Tennessee, on July 30 to discuss the Tennessee Valley Authority’s plans to manage and store the massive amounts of hazardous coal ash it is responsible for.
Residents can learn more about the hazards of unsafe coal ash storage, the best storage solution options and how they can let state regulators know their concerns about TVA’s unsafe plans as part of the utility’s Corrective Action/Risk Assessment process.
The community meeting is on Thursday, July 30, from 6-8 p.m. at the Kingston Community Center, 201 Patten Ferry Road, Kingston, Tennessee.
TVA’s Cumberland, Johnsonville and Kingston coal plants are home to massive coal ash ponds. Coal ash is the toxic substance left after burning coal to generate electricity. Coal ash contains arsenic, mercury, lead and other dangerous pollutants linked to serious health problems like cancer, heart disease and respiratory illness.
Coal ash has been stored in unlined dumps at these plants, with heavy metals and chemicals leaching into groundwater near all of TVA’s coal ash ponds. This can spread to surrounding waterways used for recreation, fishing and downstream drinking water.
TVA’s current proposal mostly involves leaving coal ash in place and covering it with a cap rather than fully removing it from vulnerable areas. Communities across the country are pushing utilities to move coal ash out of unlined pits and into lined, dry storage areas away from water resources.
At the July 30 meeting, residents will learn how to advocate for TVA to develop better, safer long-term plans for its coal ash.
The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation will begin accepting public comments on July 16 for TVA’s Corrective Action/Risk Assessment Plan, or CARA Plan, for handling coal ash at the Kingston Fossil Plant — which was the site of the largest environmental disaster in U.S. history when more than a billion gallons of coal ash were released after a dike at one of its storage ponds failed.
TDEC is also hosting a public hearing on the Kingston CARA plan on Thursday, Aug. 13, at the Kingston Community Center. An open house at 5:30 p.m., Eastern Time, will precede the 6:30 p.m. public hearing.
