It’s Getting Hot In Here

Photograph by Antrim Caskey at Kingston Fossil Plant, TN

The stunning negligence of the Tennessee Valley Authority to protect people, land and water from toxic coal waste pollution has prompted agencies to take a new look at coal pollution, including my state of Iowa.

The Iowa Environmental Protection Commission just announced today its decision “to pursue landfill-style regulations at coal-ash disposal sites, turning away industry pressure that threatened to delay the action.” (emphasis added)

Over a year ago the Iowa Department of Natural Resources announced it was going to start requiring the lining of coal ash pits, but under pressure from the utilities and the University of Iowa, the DNR caved in to call for “up to three years to see whether the toxic ash was polluting waterways before requiring liners and monitoring at new disposal sites.”

We know that even “safe” disposal sites can generate catastrophic pollution of our land, homes and water from the coal waste they hold (Exhibit A: Kingston, TN, Exhibit B: northeast Alabama, Exhibit C: Ocoee River, TN)

Here’s my favorite part:

“In ‘87, when we started discussing this, … we were assured by industry and DNR at the time that this could not possibly cause a problem, that this was a great beneficial use,” and wouldn’t get into groundwater, said Commissioner Paul Johnson of Decorah, a former state lawmaker and former DNR director. “Since then, we’ve found out that that is not true.”

Duh!  You’d have thought it would take them less than 21 years to come to that conclusion.  Yet, I have to congratulate to the Iowa Environmental Protection Commission for standing up to industry pressure and deciding to take additional measures to protect us from toxic ash.  Requiring liners and monitoring are an important steps in the right direction, but we have oh so far to go.

Wisconsin and Indiana are sending us their coal waste because both states have stricter pollution controls. Why is Iowa their landfill? No offense Indiana, but you’re not exactly known for your environmental leadership.  Iowa is 4th in the country in producing wind energy, and yet we’re also the dumping ground for other states’ toxic ash.

There are NO safe disposal sites, as the TVA disasters remind us.  We need to take greater precautions at our existing coal facilities, but the only way to prevent this toxic sludge from contaminating us is to stop using coal.  Coal will always be toxic.  Extraction is devastating, burning is highly polluting and the waste is eventually contaminating our bodies and ecosystems.  Take action action to power our country past coal!