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On December 22, 2008, a dike outside a Harriman, Tennessee, coal mine broke, spilling 1.1 billion gallons of sludge from a pond that had covered more than 40 acres. The deluge covered several hundred acres up to nine feet deep in gray coal sludge and eventually spilled into the Emory River which threatened the drinking supply for the entire region.
The Tennessee Valley Authority, which oversaw the operation in Harriman, has begun a clean-up effort and stated that they do not plan to ask the federal government for money or assistance. They have also argued that there was no way to predict this disaster would happen. Tom Kilgore, president and CEO of TVA, said that his company "had no reason to believe [the dike] wouldn't hold...I don't know what caused this but I don't think it's something that betrays the public's trust in that we were careless."
Still, a push to increase regulation on coal-industry waste is gaining momentum in Congress. Senator Barbara Boxer, who is leading the movement for increased government oversight, stated, "it is critically important that protective standards for coal-ash waste be created." The move is supported by many environmental groups who warn the Harriman failure was only a wake-up call.
The problem is not a simple one. Dozens of power plants around the country use coal ash ponds and none of them are federally regulated. The responsibility to monitor and control the waste produced by these ponds has, up to now, fallen on state governments and making the switch to a federal regulation and monitoring system would take time and considerable expense.
However, the pictures of the land destroyed by this latest tragedy speak volumes, shouting that no price is too much to prevent this happening in our own towns.
Find out more about the latest environmental news in Focus Earth: January 10, 2008: Ocean Protection and Coal Ash Update.
Read more about coal power:
Green Glossary: Clean Coal
Peak Everything: Learn about Peak Electricity
Find Out Your Connection to Mountaintop Removal
2.6 Million Cubic Yards of Toxic Coal Ash Slurry Released in Tennessee Dike Burst
Clean Coal Carolers from an Industry Run By Morons
A Hybrid Coal-Wind Project That Works
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