Coal Ash In The Public Eye

摘要

It is unlikely that the catastrophic failure of a coal ash impoundment at the Tennessee Valley Authority's (TVA) Kingston Fossil Plant in eastern Tennessee could have come at a worse time for the electric power industry. State-based climate change regulation of power plants is occurring in the Northeast, and a mandatory federal program on carbon emissions is expected in the next year or two. Couple this with the resuscitation of the federal Clean Air Interstate Rule (CAIR) as well as state compliance requirements that will be forthcoming to meet the new particulate matter 2.5 (PM-2.5) national ambient air quality standards, and the last thing the industry needed added to its plate is one of the most stunning environmental disasters in recent years. The breach occurred December 22, 2008, when a dike securing an elevated 40-acre containment area lost integrity. TVA estimates that approximately 5.4 million cubic yards (1.4 billion gallons) of fly ash and water surged into the Clinch and Emory Rivers and onto adjacent land. Several homes were destroyed, a major gas line ruptured, power lines were downed, and train tracks and a road were blocked. No injuries directly related to the initial event were reported.