For decades, the Tennessee Valley Authority’s fossil plants have operated along Tennessee waterways, leaving behind millions of tons of coal ash — the toxic byproduct of burning coal for electricity. Now, state regulators are deciding how the utility will manage that coal ash, and community voices are critical in shaping that decision. If previous plans are any guide, this will involve leaving coal ash in place and leaving our communities at risk.

The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation is holding public meetings and accepting public comments on Corrective Action/Risk Assessment Plans, or CARA Plans, for several of TVA’s coal plants over the coming months. So far, TDEC has held public comment periods on the CARA plans for TVA’s Cumberland Fossil Plant, Johnsonville Fossil Plant and Kingston Fossil Plant — the site of the largest environmental disaster in our country’s history.

Now, TDEC is accepting public comments on the CARA Plan for TVA’s former Watts Bar Fossil Plant until Nov. 23 at 5:30 p.m. ET. TDEC is also holding a public hearing on Oct. 26.

These CARA Plans will help determine the fate of coal ash stored at the site. Coal ash contains arsenic, mercury, lead and other dangerous pollutants linked to serious health problems like cancer, heart disease and respiratory illness.

What you need to know:

For decades, TVA’s Watts Bar site has generated and stored large amounts of coal ash, a toxic waste product containing pollutants such as arsenic, lead, mercury, selenium and other heavy metals known to threaten human health and the environment. These contaminants have leached into groundwater and nearby waterways connected to the Tennessee River, placing surrounding communities and downstream water users at risk.

The current CARA proposal would leave coal ash in place under a cap rather than pursue more protective cleanup measures. A “cap-in-place” approach may reduce some exposure pathways, but it does not eliminate the long-term threat posed by coal ash stored in unlined areas near groundwater and surface water.

Communities should not be asked to accept greater contamination risks when safer and more protective alternatives already exist and are being implemented elsewhere across the country.

Tennessee has already experienced the devastating consequences of inadequate coal ash management through the 2008 Kingston coal ash disaster. This history should serve as a warning, not a precedent for continued reliance on the practice of leaving coal ash in vulnerable areas.

We want TVA and TDEC to:

• Prioritize stronger protections for groundwater and the Tennessee River
• Require coal ash storage in lined facilities designed to protect public health and water resources.
• Ensure impacted communities have a meaningful voice in the process
• Commit to real cleanup efforts that protect public health for generations to come

Even a brief comment can make a difference. When community members speak up, agencies are forced to consider those concerns as part of the official record. This comment period is an important opportunity to advocate for:
• Clean water
• Public accountability
• Safer communities and healthier futures

Help ensure our communities are heard and submit your comment today!