Hi all,
TDEC will hold a public hearing on the Kingston coal plant clean water permit on Monday, November 22 from 5:00 - 7:00p.m. at the Kingston Community Center. You can also join by phone or computer.
Here is a Sierra Club RSVP form
Here is a page where you can submit comment on the permit.
SOCM is hosting an online community conversation on this public input process on Monday, November 15. https://www.facebook.com/events/440275314143912
The TDEC public notice is here.
Thanks for all that you do for your community!
|
Comment on the Kingston Coal Ash Landfill
The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC), Division of Solid Waste Management (DSWM), is receiving public comments on its tentative decision to issue a solid waste disposal facility major modification to the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) for construction, operation, closure, and post-closure care of the existing Class II landfill for the disposal of industrial waste consisting of gypsum waste, fly ash, bottom ash boiler slag, cinders, and clinkers generated onsite from the burning of coal and the operation of air pollution control equipment by the TVA Kingston Fossil Plant – IDL730000211. Comments will be accepted until 4:30 pm CST February 9, 2015.
The Tennessee Chapter of the Sierra Club and our partners believe that TDEC should revoke this permit and require TVA to find a geologically suitable location for this landfill on-site.
Currently the landfill will be located over karst [limestone] topography, in an area that has significant sinkholes and is generally unstable. A bedrock contour diagram of the area suggests many areas where there is a potential of sinkhole collapse.
TVA already had a catastrophic dropout in 2010, during the first filling of the landfill. This dropout was so rapid it caused a vortex in the waste and resulted in contamination to the Clinch River. More sinkholes were discovered when the leak blowout was repaired. It is highly likely that another dropout will dump coal ash waste into the river if TVA is allowed to move forward with this landfill at this site.
TDEC is violating its own regulations if it permits a coal ash dump in an area that is unstable.
Groundwater monitoring requirements in the draft permit are wholly inadequate and do not require monitoring of all coal ash pollutants. TVA’s failure to monitor for these toxic metals is dangerous. TVA has tested for coal ash constituents previously at this site, knows it has found toxics, and needs to expand and improve monitoring. State solid waste regulations strongly encourage monitoring for coal ash constituents. Given the history of coal ash contamination caused by waste at the Kingston plant, it makes no sense for TDEC to allow TVA to operate this landfill without adequate groundwater monitoring requirements.
Adding coal ash to the previously allowed gypsum creates a greater risk from toxic metals being leached from the ash. Fly ash on average has much higher levels of metals than ordinary soils. Fly ash has twice the arsenic, three times the cadmium, almost twice the lead, twice the mercury, 20 time the selenium. TVA earlier detected a plume of selenium from the liquid gypsum slurry first dumped into stage 1 of this landfill.
The draft permit contains variances that pose a significant threat to the surrounding surface and groundwater. TDEC has specially allowed the landfill too close to the Clinch River. TDEC should require a much larger buffer zone because the 2010 sinkhole blowout show waste can reach the river so fast that is not detected and stopped before it hits the water. This landfill full of toxic ash could be flooded when the Clinch floods.
Please add your own comments to those provided and submit them by e-mail on Tuesday at 4:30. or have them postmarked on Tuesday.
Topics:
|
It turns out (e.g., (link...)) that the products we use on our skin and hair and faces are often filled with many poisons.
To check out the toxins--or more rarely, the lack thereof--in the products you give and use, search at this excellent database ((link...)).
-- OneTahiti
Topics:
|
Backers of the bill want Tennessee to opt out of the federal cap-and-trade program "for limiting greenhouse gas emissions." The Knoxville News-Sentinel has the AP story: (link...)
-- OneTahiti
Topics:
|
Noted environmental activist, author, and science broadcaster David Suzuki ((link...)) visited at the home of an old friend and colleague in West Roane County this afternoon.
Continued...
Topics:
|
This changed my mind on funding for hydrogen. My old view was "Do you have a hydrogen well in your back yard, NO?, neither do I." Can't vouch for the facts, but here is the link
(link...)
Topics:
|
If you have high-speed Internet and a high enough download cap, this 20-minute video for kids "on the effects of human consumption" might be worth a look: (link...)
Or, read about it in the NY Times: (link...)
-- OneTahiti
Topics:
|
There's a paper just out about how carbon footprints of schools could be reduced by switching schedules more to the summer months away from the winter and by using fewer buildings in the cold months.
Continued...
|
Topics:
|
Eco warriors and politics
- ‘Literally heartbreaking as a librarian’ 150 titles pulled from Rutherford County school libraries (TN Lookout)
- Trump’s Defense secretary nominee has close ties to Idaho Christian nationalists (TN Lookout)
- Top two Tennessee House Democrats retain caucus leadership (TN Lookout)
- Expecting challenges, blue states vow to create ‘firewall’ of abortion protections (TN Lookout)
- Community coalition issues demands for BlueOval City benefits, calls on Ford to negotiate (TN Lookout)
- Stockard on the Stump: Buy your hemp sticks before they clean the shelves (TN Lookout)
- Lawmaker accuses private-prison operator of celebrating potential boost in inmate population (TN Lookout)
- Federal agencies illegally okayed river dredging to restore railroad lost in Helene flooding (TN Lookout)
Science and stuff
- Refurbished heart pacemakers work like new (Science News Daily)
- Ancient Central Americans built a massive fish-trapping system (Science News Daily)
- Satellite space junk might wreak havoc on the stratosphere (Science News Daily)
- Scientists identify a long-sought by-product of some drinking water treatments (Science News Daily)
- For adult chimps, playing may be more important than previously thought (Science News Daily)
- This is the first close-up image of a star beyond our galaxy (Science News Daily)
- Mars’ potato-shaped moons could be the remains of a shredded asteroid (Science News Daily)
- Here’s why turning to AI to train future AIs may be a bad idea (Science News Daily)
- Climate change has amped up hurricane wind speeds by 29 kph on average (Science News Daily)
- Einstein’s gravity endures despite a dark energy puzzle (Science News Daily)
Discussing
- The Constitution Won, Trump Lost in Colorado...Now What? (1 reply)
- Our Very Own George Santos, TN GOP Congressman Ogles is Pretty Much Insane (1 reply)
- Destroying Jim Jordan, All Without Mentioning Jordan's Support For Sexual Abusing Athletes (1 reply)
- Want to See Who Owns Your State Senators and Reps? (1 reply)
- 9-11 Strangest Uninvestigated Fact (2 replies)
- It's Gettin' Real, Now...Gloria Johnson Made Wonkette! (1 reply)
- Does Rep Fritts Want School Shooters to Have Access to AR 15s? (2 replies)
- How many Trees Died Trying Save Us From Global Warming? (1 reply)
- Feel Good Friday,,,From our "If Only" Dept. (1 reply)
- Tennessee Education Worsens Under Bill Lee and GOP (1 reply)
- The Most Important Thing You Will Read Today! (1 reply)
- Friday Toons (1 reply)
Lost Medicaid Funding
Sponsors
Brother Websites
Local Interest:
Folks that Help:
Progressiveness:
- All Hat No Cattle
- American Progress
- Campaign for America's Future
- Daily KOS
- digby
- Paul Krugman
- Talking Points Memo
- Whitehouse.gov
Local News Media:
Local Government:
- City of Harriman
- City of Harriman Code
- City of Kingston
- City of Kingston Code
- City of Oliver Springs
- City of Oliver Springs Code
- City of Rockwood
- City of Rockwood Code
- Congressman Charles 'Chuck' J. Fleischmann
- Rep. Kent Calfee
- Rep. Ron Travis
- Roane County
- Roane Schools
- St. Sen. Ken Yager
Candidates: