The 2008 Silent Christmas Slurry Disaster

The largest environmental disaster in North American history has gone almost completely unnoticed by the world for a host of reasons.  The inauguration of a new US President, a global economic meltdown and war in the Middle East are just some of the protagonists to overshadow what happened, The Night before Christmas in Tennessee when 1000 million gallons of coal ash slurry (a by-product of coal power generation known to contain mercury, arsenic, lead and other contaminants) broke free of its 40 acre holding pond and flooded 400+ acres of river valley – in some places to a depth of 6 feet.  

Despite the epic proportions of the spill (100 times larger than the Exxon Valdez) the fore stated world events, coupled with a dearth of stunning visuals and (thankfully) human tragedy, resulted in a non-event; similar perhaps to the launch of the Ben Franklin on July 14, 1969.

That said, there has been some response within the US Government as a result of the confirmation hearings for the new USEPA administrator Lisa P. Jackson.  Mrs. Jackson is a hazardous waste professional who, before the Senate Environmental & Public Works Committee, promised to immediately conduct a status review of all coal ash storage ponds in the country. 

Meanwhile, in the US House of Representatives, Rep. Nick Rahall (D) from the heart of America’s coal country no less, has submitted the Coal Ash Reclamation and Environmental Safety Act of 2009. 

This piece of legislation sets out to promulgate regulations concerning the storage and disposal of matter referred to ‘other wastes’ in the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 and for other purposes.  In essence, a move that will revisit the design, engineering and performance standards of coal ash storage regulations.

It should be noted, that the US produces approximately 125M tons of coal ash waste annually.  Multiply this figure by the many decade’s worth of ponded waste in America and one gets a sense of the impact that Mrs. Jackson’s findings could have, should she recommend hazardous waste classification of the ‘other wastes’ as designated in the 1977 Act. 

And with coal fired electricity a mainstay of the continent’s energy future, no doubt such a designation would serve up lifetimes of economic prosperity for environment industry firms.

RELATED

Environment & Public Works Committee Convenes Hearing | US Senate

Hundreds of Coal Ash Dumps Lack Regulation | NYTimes

Tennessee Valley Authority Detains Spill Photographers | Softpedia

USEPA Finds Heavy Metals Contamination in Surface Water | USEPA 

$165M Lawsuit Filed by Area Landowners | Google

Coal Ash is More Radioactive than Nuclear Waste | Scientific American

Coal Ash Waste Not Regulated in US | Federal Register

Black Tide | GQ

Coal Ash Spills Too Dangerous to Reveal to Public Says DHS | HUFFINGTONPOST

USEPA Data Reveal Far Reach of Toxic Coal Ash Threats | COMMONDREAMS