The Coal Ash Debate

It has been almost a year since the Tennessee coal ash spill covered 5.4 million cubic yards of Kingston, Tenn, changing the landscape and life style of the small town just 40 miles outside of Knoxville. The accident has been called the “largest disaster of its kind in the U.S.”

Because of the spill, the EPA is taking a second look at the disposal of the ash, causing heated debate between residents, government and media.

“You’re not going to be endangered by touching the ash material,” Barbara Martocci, a spokeswoman for TVA told The New York Times. “You’d have to eat it. You have to get it in your body.” Photo: Flickr/Reverend Andy

Most recently, 60 Minutes host Lesley Stahl took an in-depth look at what the power industry is doing with millions of gallons of the this by-product from the generation of electricity.

Recycling Coal Ash

Set among the now ghost town of Kingston, Tenn., Stahl examines the impact of the ash that is said to contain arsenic – a substance that can leach into groundwater and cause serious respiratory problems.

“We really can’t get rid of coal…should or shouldn’t, we can’t,” said Stahl. “And coal makes waste.” In fact, according to Stahl’s report, 130 million tons of waste are produced annually from coal-generated power, with most of it consisting of coal ash.

To manage this considerable amount of waste, the industry recycles the ash into new products, calling it “beneficial use.” This reuse of coal ash cuts the 130 million tons of waste in half every year.

Coal ash is currently used in a wide range of products from carpeting and kitchen counter tops to bowling balls and as filler for golf courses. Also, under the Bush Administration, the EPA supported the use of coal ash as a cement substitute.

But is this material a safe building block for things we come in contact with daily? Executives from the power plant say the ash is as “safe as dirt.”

However, residents of Chesapeake, Va. disagree, saying the estimated 1.5 million tons of coal ash in the nearby golf course is a hazard to their daily lives, as they fear toxic materials will leach into the water supply. To combat that possibility, builders were supposed to construct a 2-foot barrier under the ash and an 18-inch barrier on top. But, when Stahl explores the course, it is clear the coal ash is on the surface of the grass.

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What’s Happening Now

At this point in the debate, the official jury is still out on whether or not coal ash should be dubbed a “hazardous” material. While communities living with coal ash are upset at its presence, the industry is opposed to calling it hazardous. The EPA is investigating the need for tighter regulations, hoping to have a ruling by the end of this year.

“EPA is bringing to bear its resources and expertise under federal law to work in partnership with the State of Tennessee and local officials to assure a comprehensive cleanup of the TVA coal ash spill, one of the largest and most serious environmental releases in our history,” said EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson in June.

Jackson told Stahl that the reasoning behind the need for an official investigation before a “hazardous” label can be applied to the ash has to do with several steps that go into a regulatory determination.

“[EPA] has to look at a number of factors, including the toxicity of the material and how it’s currently managed, but that’s done according to law. And I have committed that no later than December, we will make a regulatory proposal with respect to this material,” Jackson explained.

If the regulation is passed, how would this affect the industry? Earth911 asked TVA spokesman John Moulton how the company would handle stricter regulations.

“TVA abides by regulations and permits that guide the handling of our coal by-products. The EPA has determined, after 20 years of study, that at this point fly ash does not warrant hazardous waste regulation,” Moulton explained. “If that classification changes, TVA will continue to follow the guidelines set by EPA and other government agencies.”

According to lobbyist Jim Roewer, classification of coal ash as a hazardous material would cost up to $13 billion as the price of disposal would skyrocket.

In July, the EPA approved the Tennessee Valley Authority’s plan to transfer coal ash from the Emory River near the TVA Kingston removal site to the Arrowhead Landfill in Perry County, Ala. According to the EPA, the coal ash was handled with the most “stringent protective disposal standards for municipal waste landfills.”

Looking Forward to Resolution

So, the question still hangs in the air: Is coal ash safe? While the industry guarantees it’s not harmful, the EPA says there have been no investigations into the safety of “beneficial use” of coal ash in products. However, the EPA has also confirmed coal ash contains concentrations of mercury, arsenic, lead and other toxic metals.

At the end of the 60 Minutes investigation, Stahl pressed Roewer with the question of disposal, he was only able to guarantee that the industry would be able to confirm one thing: the safe management of the ash.

“Well, what I can say is the state regulations and the utility management practices are put in place to ensure with a goal of safe management of coal ash,” Roewer said.

As TVA continues to ship the coal ash at a surprisingly fast rate, the small town of Kingston is hoping to restore its Southern charm by rectifying coal ash mismanagement and restoring its tight-knit community.

“That bell has been rung and you can’t unring it,” Mayor Troy Beets of Kingston told The New York Times. “We can’t unring the fact that we had the ash spill on Dec. 22; we can’t unring all the negative publicity that came out about it. You try to ring some more bells, just as loudly, that are positive.”