Green Options » Tennessee Valley Authority

TVA Ships Toxic Coal Ash to Georgia and Alabama

Becky Striepe — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 07:00:26 +0000

Georgia and Alabama are now storing more than 1000 tons of the fly ash that leaked from a Tennessee coal fired power plant in December.

[Creative Commons photo by Jim Combs]

The spill, which dumped over 5.4 million cubic yards of toxic sludge in the area around the Kingston coal plant, was over 120 times larger than the Exxon Valdez. It destroyed homes in the area and contaminated local water supplies. Cleanup is still underway from the disaster six months later.

So why is the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) shipping tons of this toxic substance from Tennessee to Georgia and Alabama?

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Water Contamination in Tennessee from Coal Ash Spill

Becky Striepe — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 07:10:59 +0000

The Tennessee Valley Authority and the EPA reported that levels of pollutants such as lead and arsenic were below safe levels for drinking water in areas affected by the Kingston coal ash spill. An environmental group’s tests had dramatically different results.

[Creative Commons photo by Andrew Ciscel]

Appalachian Voices teamed up with scientists at Appalachian State University to test water samples downstream from the spill. They found contaminant levels far above what is considered safe for drinking.

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Tennessee Ash Spill 3X Larger Than Originally Thought

Becky Striepe — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 04:00:35 +0000

Authorities are now saying that the ash leak that devastated areas surrounding the Kingston coal-fired power plant in Tennessee is over three times the original estimated size. Rather than the 1.7 million cubic yards of wet coal ash, an aerial survey that the TVA conducted on Thursday revealed the flood was actually 5.4 million cubic yards. The spill in Tennessee is over 120 times the size of the Exxon Valdez.

[Emory River. Creative Commons photo by Chris]

Even before these updated numbers, it was the largest toxic spill in U.S. history. According to the New York Times, water in surrounding areas is showing lead and thallium contamination. These chemicals are linked to birth defects and nervous disorders.

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TVA Coal Ash Disaster Much Worse Than Originally Thought

Taylor Shelton — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 15:00:15 +0000

Tuesday’s initial reports about the coal ash disaster in Harriman, Tennessee at the TVA’s Kingston Power Plant turned out to be false. The Tennessee Valley Authority initially estimated the spill to be approximately 500 million gallons, although they have now amended their estimate to 5.4 million cubic yards of toxic waste, which is the equivalent of over one billion gallons. My initial guess that this was the largest unnatural disaster of its kind has certainly given itself a bit of breathing room. A slurry impoundment, used to concentrate the waste byproducts that come from washing and burning coal, containing both uranium and thorium broke, releasing the toxic material into the surrounding community.

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Toxic Ash Leak from Tennessee Coal-Fired Power Plant

Becky Striepe — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 22:41:06 +0000

A breach in an earthen dike caused toxic ash from the Kingston coal-fired power plant to devastate over 400 acres in Tennessee. The Tennessee Valley Authority estimates that 3.1 million cubic yards of ash and water leaked from the holding pond. The sludge contaminated the surrounding area and is now moving down the Emory River.

[Creative Commons photo by Daniel Johnson]

Coal plants collect the “fly ash,” a byproduct of burning coal for fuel, in order to bury or recycle it later. The scrubbers collecting the ash are in place to reduce emissions so that plants can produce “clean coal.” Disasters like this certainly call into question how clean that process really is.

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Coal Slurry Disaster in Tennessee is Largest Ever

Taylor Shelton — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 21:56:08 +0000

Unnatural disasters have become a fact of life dependent upon fossil fuels. The latest of these disasters came early Monday morning when a coal slurry impoundment at the TVA Kingston Power Plant near Harriman, TN burst, allowing approximately 500 million gallons of toxic coal ash to rush into the surrounding community.

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Nissan Joins Tennessee in Electric Car Initiative

Anthony Cefali — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 13:27:11 +0000

The electric motor movement continues to rev its lithium powered engine in the face of high gas prices. Nissan announced its ambitious partnership with the state of Tennessee to better understand how to make the US an electric nation.

Last week, Nissan Motors announced a partnership with the state of Tennessee to study what transportation framework will be required to integrate electric cars into the global transportation economy. Nissan hopes that the study will provide insight that will allow them to market their electric cars globally by the year 2012.

What Nissan lacks in hybrid technology, they are attempting making up for with electric foresight (Nissan has some smaller, more efficient cars, but none have hybrid technology). The company is banking on a high demand for zero emission vehicles and has taken the necessary steps to facilitate the use of electric vehicles. Nissan recently announced they will sell electric cars in the US in 2010 with plans for another electric vehicle to be globally released in 2012. There will be no backup combustion engines in any of Nissan’s electric vehicles.

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