A Big Coal Ash Problem At Little Blue

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Thursday September 30, 2010 · 9:50 AM PDT

2010/09/30 · 09:50

This post is the latest in our series of coal ash community profiles. Our work on coal ash unfortunately becomes timely yet again, as news came out this week of a breach at a coal ash impoundment in North Carolina. This week's profile was written by Sierra Club Apprentice Andrea Sanchez.

There is nothing little about Little Blue Run Dam, the coal fly ash impoundment that reaches into both Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Coal ash is the toxic by-product of burning coal for electricity - the Little Blue Run ash impoundment belongs to the Bruce Mansfield Plant. This plant is FirstEnergy's largest coal-fired power plant, burning around seven million tons of coal annually. At full capacity, the three plants that make up Bruce Mansfield complex produce four million gallons of coal slurry daily. This is where Little Blue comes in.

Bruce Nilles

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Friday September 24, 2010 · 8:41 AM PDT

2010/09/24 · 08:41

This week's coal ash community profile was written by Elizabeth Irvin, a Sierra Club Apprentice.

For one weekend each year in early May, Louisville, Kentucky, boasts an abnormally high concentration of horses, jockeys, mint juleps, and elaborate hats. Less than ten miles from Churchill Downs, the neighborhood of Riverside Gardens has been dealing with an abnormal and deadly concentration of toxic chemicals every day for more than 40 years. A low income neighborhood in an area of Louisville known for its concentration of chemical plants, landfills, and power plants, Riverside Gardens may soon be forced to deal with yet another threat: a second coal ash dump in their community.

Bruce Nilles

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Thursday September 16, 2010 · 8:34 AM PDT

2010/09/16 · 08:34

This week's coal ash community profile was written by Gabriel DeRita, a Sierra Club Communications Apprentice. Also, follow today's EPA coal ash public hearing in Chicago via our @SierraClubLive and @SierraClubIL Twitter accounts.

The area around Surry County, Virginia, is already home to some sinister projects, including several major coal ash disposal sites and Michael Vick's infamous dog fighting operation. One of the disposal sites is the local golf course, the Battlefield Golf Club. The green is sculpted with 1.5 million tons of coal fly-ash.

Now a major Virginia power provider, the Old Dominion Electric Cooperative (ODEC), wants to site a 1500 mega watt coal plant, accompanied by several hundred acres of ash disposal sites, along the Blackwater River in Surry.

This project, if completed, will be the largest coal-fired power plant in Virginia. Its coal ash will be stored in several landfill areas around the plant. If the power plant itself falls through, ODEC representatives have indicated an option of developing the site as an exclusive coal ash landfill.

Bruce Nilles

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Tuesday September 14, 2010 · 10:38 AM PDT

2010/09/14 · 10:38

You've seen our push against toxic coal ash continue over the past few months as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) seeks public comment on how to regulate coal ash. Our push continues this week with the unveiling of a new coal ash video we produced and a Facebook application. Take a look at the video first:

Bruce Nilles

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Thursday September 09, 2010 · 8:06 AM PDT

2010/09/09 · 08:06

The Environmental Protection Agency is in the middle of a series of public hearings at sites around the country to gather input on new protections from toxic coal ash. This week's blog post comes from Sierra Club Apprentice Jenny Kordick.

Bruce Nilles

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Thursday September 02, 2010 · 1:09 PM PDT

2010/09/02 · 13:09

As I have mentioned on this blog before, the Environmental Protection Agency is currently holding public hearings at sites around the country to hear your input on draft regulations for the disposal of toxic coal ash. This week’s blog post comes from Sierra Student Coalition Apprentice Margaret Hoerath, who writes about an activist who travelled to the coal ash hearing in Virginia earlier this week.

Bruce Nilles

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Friday August 27, 2010 · 7:00 AM PDT

2010/08/27 · 07:00

Power industry lobbyist Jim Roewer: "Wasn't a problem."
Leslie Stahl: "Well, it was a problem, but we just didn't know it."

This excerpt from a recent 60 Minutes story on toxic coal waste sums up the current trouble with the millions of tons of toxic ash left over each year from burning coal for energy.

Bruce Nilles

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Tuesday August 17, 2010 · 5:15 PM PDT

2010/08/17 · 17:15

Contrary to the impression you may have been left with after reading a recent Associated Press piece about the future (or lack thereof) of coal in this country, the reign of “King Coal” is ending.

Bruce Nilles

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Tuesday August 10, 2010 · 10:34 AM PDT

2010/08/10 · 10:34

Yesterday and today are code orange unhealthy air alert days in the Washington, DC, region where I live. The 95+ degree temperatures and excessive ground-level ozone create extremely unhealthy air – especially for kids, senior citizens, and people with pre-existing breathing conditions.

These aren't the first days this summer where we've had these warnings, and I know that the Washington, DC, region is not alone in its unhealthy air warnings. Temperatures are soaring across the U.S. - and while one major source of air pollution is vehicles, the other major cause is burning coal for energy.

Bruce Nilles

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Friday August 06, 2010 · 8:07 AM PDT

2010/08/06 · 08:07

Coal ash contains numerous poisonous chemicals, including arsenic, selenium, lead, mercury, cadmium, chromium, boron, thallium, and aluminum. So why are some members of Congress wanting to block action from Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lisa Jackson that would protect people from toxic coal ash?

It's true - 139 House members and 36 Senators either signed onto letters asking as much, or wrote their own letters (links to the letters are farther down in this post). What's worse is that the letters are full of misleading information and inaccuracies about the public health risks of coal ash.

Bruce Nilles

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Thursday July 22, 2010 · 8:37 AM PDT

2010/07/22 · 08:37

This week the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) blasted the State Department's draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline - asserting that the EIS is "woefully deficient" because "the Draft EIS does not provide the scope or detail of analysis necessary to fully inform decision makers and the public, and we recommend that additional information and analysis be provided."

The Keystone XL is a massive pipeline designed to carry tar sands oil from Canada into the U.S., and we've long called its EIS inadequate. Now our nation's environmental watchdog is putting its weight and expertise behind that assessment.

Bruce Nilles

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Thursday July 15, 2010 · 10:50 AM PDT

2010/07/15 · 10:50

Today I'll focus on yet another community suffering from coal's pollution - but this community is a little bit larger, and it's on the front end of an emerging trend. The city is Chicago and it's starting what could be a national movement to clean up dirty energy in the inner city.

Some of our oldest and dirtiest coal plants are located in major cities across the U.S.; and they are often located in areas with other major pollution sources, exposing residents of these densely populated areas to higher levels of harmful pollution than their neighbors.

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A Big Coal Ash Problem At Little Blue

A Kentucky Community Surrounded by Coal Ash

Threat Remains Despite VA Coal Plant Delay

New Coal Ash Video and Facebook App Aim to Educate, Engage

Coal Ash, a Rancher's View

Fighting Coal Ash, Bureaucracy and Confusion

New Report Reveals Widespread Toxic Coal Ash Contamination

The Reign of King Coal is Ending

Burning Coal + Hot Days = Unhealthy Air Warnings

Take Action: Some In Congress Spreading Misinformation About Coal Ash

Game Changer: EPA Asserts Tar Sands Pipeline Environmental Analysis is Inadequate

Big Cities Want Big Changes in Energy