[This is a guest post by Caitlin Sislin, a public interest environmental attorney in Oakland, California and founder of the Transformative Advocacy program of Women’s Earth Alliance.]

On Thursday, a group of senate democrats responded to what may be the largest coal-related disaster in history by calling for more stringent rules on toxic byproducts from coal-fired power plants. Senator Barbara Boxer led the charge, condemning federal rulemakers for their “inaction” and demanding a stronger regulatory regime, which would include broader oversight of power plants by the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.

The December 22, 2008 disaster, which began when an earthen dike broke at Tennessee’s Kingston Coal Plant, caused over 1.1 billion gallons of toxic coal-ash sludge from a 40-acre settlement pond to flow onto several hundred acres of surrounding land near Knoxville, TN. The spill threatens the immediate health and safety of the community and the local environment, blanketing the area with mercury- and lead-laden sludge up to 9 feet deep in some areas, and jeopardizes the region’s drinking water source, the Emory River.

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