COAL PLANT SPILL WORSE THAN EXXON VALDEZ,CHARLIE WILSON!
| By Dennis Spisak - Jan 6th, 2009 at 3:28 pm EST |
COAL PLANT SPILL WORSE THAN EXXON VALDEZ
Burning coal is a leading source of global warming pollution. As the recent environmental disaster at the TVA Kingston Fossil Plant in Tennessee proves, coal plants represent a major danger to the environment in more ways than one.
On December 22, 1.1 billion gallons of coal fly ash slurry spilled at the Kingston Fossil Plant. Fly ash is a byproduct of coal combustion. The slurry (a mixture of the ash and water) traveled downhill, covering the surrounding land with up to six feet of sludge, damaging homes and flowing into nearby waterways. It was the largest coal slurry spill in U.S. history, and the amount released was more than 50 times larger than the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill.
Yet the story has not received the level of press coverage it deserves. The first independent test results showed significantly elevated levels of toxic metals in samples of slurry and river water, which can cause cancer and liver damage, among other health issues. The devastating environmental impact of the spill has yet to be fully determined. Hopefully the spill will ignite the debate over the environmental safety of coal power plants.
And where is Charlie? Voting himself a 2.4% raise!!!
Dennis Spisak
Mahoning Valley Greens
Ohio Green Party
Burning coal is a leading source of global warming pollution. As the recent environmental disaster at the TVA Kingston Fossil Plant in Tennessee proves, coal plants represent a major danger to the environment in more ways than one.
On December 22, 1.1 billion gallons of coal fly ash slurry spilled at the Kingston Fossil Plant. Fly ash is a byproduct of coal combustion. The slurry (a mixture of the ash and water) traveled downhill, covering the surrounding land with up to six feet of sludge, damaging homes and flowing into nearby waterways. It was the largest coal slurry spill in U.S. history, and the amount released was more than 50 times larger than the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill.
Yet the story has not received the level of press coverage it deserves. The first independent test results showed significantly elevated levels of toxic metals in samples of slurry and river water, which can cause cancer and liver damage, among other health issues. The devastating environmental impact of the spill has yet to be fully determined. Hopefully the spill will ignite the debate over the environmental safety of coal power plants.
And where is Charlie? Voting himself a 2.4% raise!!!
Dennis Spisak
Mahoning Valley Greens
Ohio Green Party
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