Tennesseeans Bring Jar Of Sludge To Sen. Boxer Ahead Of Hearing

The Knoxville News-Sentinel reports that Tennessee residents met with Sen. Barbara Boxer and others in Washington yesterday to talk about the effects of a massive coal ash sludge spill on December 22. Some of the residents had a unique gift for Boxer -- a jar of toxic sludge:

Five Roane County residents making the rounds on Capitol Hill on Wednesday brought U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer a singular gift - a mason jar full of Tennessee Valley Authority fly ash sludge.

All have been affected by the Dec. 22 deluge from TVA's failed fly ash retention pond at the Kingston Fossil Plant, and they wanted the California Democrat to see a small bit of the 5.4 million cubic yards of toxic goop that covers 300 acres of land and has filled the Emory River.

The sludge contains arsenic, lead, barium, thallium and other substances that can cause health problems, including cancer, liver damage and neurological disorders. The residents said they had no clue what was inside the holding pond, which had walls six stories high and encompassed 40 acres.

VIDEO UPDATE: As we understand it, there are at least two places you can watch the hearing live. One is at the Senate committee site. A red button will appear on this page when the hearing is live. You will need RealPlayer and you will need to disable your popup blockers. Another option is WATE, a local ABC affiliate.
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Here are screenshots of Boxer's new jar of sludge, taken during the hearing:

Read the full story here

OR

Read up on Tom Kilgore, TVA CEO's trip to Washington

Comments

[SailorBill]

Wait; doesn't TN have its own senators? Oh, that's right, TN votes for Republicans because they believe black candidates of the Democrat variety are only in it to get the white women. Since TN votes for God's Only Party, they should understand you get to reap what you sow.

[orangepetal]

Goodness Gracious. Is all this stored sludge treatable or degradable or is it just a permanent thing ? I wonder.

[SailorBill]

This sludge is water mixed in with the ash left over from burning coal. It is minerals, carbon, and likely unidentifiable, complex hydrocarbons formed in the combustion process. In short, it can't biodegrade and any kind of treatment is unlikely. It is most likely eastern coal, which has an acidic ash. It's clearly Republican stuff.

[k6007]

I really wish boxer was senate majority leader. The dlc would NEVER allow that to happen though, would they? (sigh)

[pup sydney]

that is what happens when you want less government , when the GOP goes around campaigning for decades (and winning) saying that gvnmt is the problem, that we better do less "telling the private business what to do" because otherwise it costs them money . This is what happens when civil servant are not qualified or honest in their jobs.
Who are we fooling here? If the gvnmt had teeth to enforce safety rules and that -oh my God socialist -thing called "prevention" that go against corporations this would be Sweden or Germany, not the USA

[wdw505]

yes ok so

[mlaiuppa]

Boxer should forward it to Alaska, so they know what to look forward to when their mine's proposed retention ponds fail.

[EndangeredJackalope]

Why didn't every member of Congress get one? If they can't live with it on their desk, how can they expect people to live with it in their water?

[KingPest05]

Luckily for TVA, this is America, where they can just buy thier way out of any resposability. Make a few large "campaign donations" to the right law makers, and before you know it. They'll have the whole thing spun around and blame the victims for living to close to the sludge pond.

[ManwithaParachute]

Why didn't the folks from Tenn. give the sludge to their Representatives or Senators....OH YEAH chances of a Republican giving a sludge about pollution ending up in a citizen's yard are nil.

It would not surprise me if Bob Corker told the public that a jar of sludge tastes good slathered between two pieces of bread. MMM, Southern cookin' y'all!

Tennessee is a beautiful state and previously wished to live there. Four great cities and glorious country settings but there are so many hapless willing victims. Tennessee is a con man's dream. The bulk of the people a overall good natured but so gullible and willing to believe anything that ain't just "bubba" can't be good.

You voted Republican, enjoy the fruits of your vote. Hee Haw!

Lucky for you most Democrats really do care for the common man even if they are not part of the constituency. Boxer should just defer to Corker but she is better than that and better than your votes deserve. Bless your little sludge filled hearts.

Sorry I had to edit my typos.

[Sonny50]

She shld put it on her face.

[unity08]

You first.

[DeniseD]

Senator Boxer is a great advocate for the environment. Just wish we had more representatives like her in congress.

[PKSSK]

My god, if only we had more senators like Boxer! She is an amazing human being who gets it! We all have to contribute to make sure she get's re-elected. She is a hero and prime example of a true patriot!

[ChiProgressive]

How did the TVA go from producing relatively clean Hydro power to polluting the environment and it's people with Coal fueled power plants?

We will hopefully see a change in the people in charge at the TVA and Tennesse government.

[ManwithaParachute]

Why did the folks from Tenn. give the sludge to their Representatives or Senators....OH YEAH chances of a Republican giving a sludge about pollution ending up in a citizen's yard are nil.

It would not surprise me if Bob Corker to the public that that jar of sludge tastes good slathered between two pieces of bread. MMM, Southern cookin' y'all!

[wijg]

Heh...

[daedalus43]

Yeah. I'm from TN (about 30 miles from the incident) and it woudl do absolutely no good to go to TN legislators from the area. They are bought and sold by TVA. One of the saddest parts of this drama is that when the local folks had a hearing with TVA, they kept apologizing for asking questions. Shuffle and Jive.

[mgtillyer]

"props." hmmm. Gee, I hadn't considered that. I just thought photos of the devasted area and the unanswered questions of the people who live there would be enough. What are these props you speak of?

[kgb999]

Props always make theater more compelling.

[EndangeredJackalope]

Just as physical evidence is compelling in court.