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 and the Johnsonville Fossil Plant. Recently, it held a public comment period for the Kingston Fossil Plant — the site of the largest environmental disaster in our country’s history.

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:

At TVA’s coal power plants, coal ash has historically been stored in unlined dumps, and pollutants such as heavy metals and chemicals have leached 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 relies heavily on leaving coal ash in place under a cap rather than fully removing it from vulnerable areas. That means:
• Ongoing risk of groundwater contamination
• Long-term monitoring instead of permanent cleanup
• Continued reliance on “cap-in-place” storage near waterways

Tennessee communities have already experienced the consequences of unsafe coal ash storage. In 2008, TVA’s Kingston Fossil Plant released more than a billion gallons of coal ash slurry into nearby communities and rivers.

Communities across the country are pushing utilities to move coal ash out of unlined pits and into lined, dry storage away from water resources. People living near TVA’s coal plants deserve those same protections.

We want TVA and TDEC to:

• Prioritize stronger protections for groundwater and Tennessee waterways
• 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