World News with Diane Sawyer is airing a segment tonight on the Bokoshe fly-ash dump in Oklahoma. Public Citizen first worked with the people of Bokoshe and others throughout Oklahoma back in 2008 to oppose the expansion of the Shady Point coal plant in Poteau, OK – the plant that dumps its coal ash in Bokoshe. In one of the swiftest coal plant battles in US history the expansion was defeated, but the people of Bokoshe continue to deal with the problem of toxic coal-ash from the existing coal plant.
The main problem is that coal ash is almost completely unregulated despite the fact that coal ash contains heavy, metallic neurotoxins like mercury and lead as well as other toxins like selenium, cadmium, arsenic, and can even contain radioactive isotopes. Though the EPA is attempting to initiate new, stricter regulations on this toxic and hazardous waste product there is a large push back from the coal industry to weaken these standards, and the implementation of those standards has been continually delayed.
The coal industry and its powerful lobbyists have kept this waste form being regulated to the point that municipal garbage (the stuff you throw away every day) is more regulated than coal ash is. The reason? Coal industries currently profit off this toxic waste by selling it to other companies in the use and manufacture of many different products including cement, drywall, and even fertalizer for crop land. For more information on coal ash and where it can be found go here.
The TVA coal ash disaster should have been enough to wake us up to the reality of how dangerous this toxic waste is. The EPA needs to hear from the citizens and know that we consider this an important issue that needs to be dealt with properly and quickly. Watch the story tonight on ABC and take action by demanding proper regulation of coal ash waste.
You can read more about the story at ABC and check out our past coverage of this issue right here on Texas Vox.
Google Satelite Image of the Bokoshe Coal Ash Pit
Google Satelite Image of the Shady Point Coal Plant
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By promoting cleaner energy, cleaner government, and cleaner air for all Texans, we hope to provide for a healthy place to live and prosper. We are Public Citizen Texas.
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my parents and me lived walking distance to aes plant. for years my dad was hardly ever sick and i had a baby in1995 the trucks that carried the fly ash passed our house many times 6 days a week. numbers of spills in front of their house. men that cleaned it up would have to be washed down after they were done.the trees in our pasture died. my daughter was sick every week with brocitic. had to be rushed to hospital and the doctors nearly every orther week. my dad became sick with copd and empyzema. where he is now laying in a hospital dying. after beening around this so many years. my daughter is now 16 and she still suffers from broncitic. please do not say that coal ash is not harm full
Thanks for your comment Sherrie, I hope EPA does the right thing and clamps down on this waste for all our sakes.
What is the distance you could safely live away from a coal ash pond?
That depends, Charlotte. The closer the worse of course, and whether you are down stream or up stream would be the main consideration. Aside from that it depends on the geology of your area as to how fast any leaking contaminants would flow down gradient and get into water wells, etc. If you live downstream of a coal plant and are within five miles or so, I’d have your well water tested – and I’d suggest continuing to have it tested every year or so.
If you live farther than that then the air contaminants are likely your biggest concern. But water contamination can extend for miles downstream if the leak is bad enough.
I hope this answered your question, please let me know if I can be of any further help.
Please contact Rosemary Crawford with the Center for Energy Matters at 405.844.3226.