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

[cjmartinez]

Great theater. And what could you have done earlier to prevent this? What are you going to do better now?

[mgtillyer]

And by the way, regarding the whole republican/democrat crap. This tragedy happened to BOTH republicans and democrats. TVA was started in the 30's and there have been plenty of politicians since then.

[daedalus43]

Maybe so, but TVA became non-public much more recently, and the drive to eliminate both environmental oversight and corporate accountability is a Republican "small government" initiative. In fact, the dam was leaking for at least a year before the collapse, but the only way the State could respond was to issue a pollution notice (and giving "reasonable time" for compliance). Unfortunately, TDEC was decimated by former Republican cuts and hamstrung by TN politics. The folks who SHOULD have been on top of this were federal (OSM?) and they got their marching orders (and "leadership") from the Bush regime.
I will admit that the people of TN (and in particluar eastern TN, where the disaster took place) have been negligent and have been fooled by corporate propaganda, and therefore continued to fall for the Republican race baiting when election time came around. Perhaps this will serve as a wake up call.

[mgtillyer]

There's a meeting with TN representives in about a week. The sludge was presented to the right person today. To get a better understanding of the loss in lifestyle search youtube for "TVA coal ash - before and after."

[TimNorman]

What can be done to hold in the other sludge pools lets let Tennesse pay for it!

[EndangeredJackalope]

Or the coal companies that are liable for it. Their incompetence made this mess, so now they must fix it.

All Congress needs to do is not allow the coal company to protect themselves by overpowering local and state govts, corrupting officials there, or using their power to overburden the legal system and population to the point of exhaustion (as a means of getting a desperate compromise out of them.)

[astral66]

Give the guy a spoon, and make him eat it.

[OneLessReason]

I have several friends in TN and they vote Republican cause their " Daddy" tells them too......

[OneLessReason]

I'm from TN and my representative is Marsha Blackburn,,,,,,,, she's so stupid she probably doesn't know what toxic sludge is.......

[lylo]

Why wasn't the sludge given to the Senator from TN?!

[bby328]

Bob Corker? sounds redundant

[emily00011]

They are too useless.

[Grunty1]

People are asking why they gave the Bush!t to Boxer. That's because she is the chair of the Environmental & Public Works committee, the committee that would be looking into the issue.

http://epw.senate.gov/public/

And the ranking Republican is that worthtless Inhofe.

[tryharder2think]

It seems Tennesseans are confused. They need to approach their congress people and hold them up by their Republican toes.

[Mikeatle]

Most Tennesseans would never castigate their Republican reps and senators, no matter what they did or did not do. Keep in mind that the Republican party enforces a tough pecking order, and Tennessee voters are at the bottom. They wouldn't dare call a Republican politician to task.

[2bad]

As a not so proud about it sometimes Tennessean, the GOP rules in this otherwise great place to live! Bob Corker and Marsha Blackburn are the top rethuglican sheep herders here and Dems like me and others are fairly helpless in this state!

[jayjaga]

Is Tennessee not a GOP backyard? Let them meet with their senators and reps who are in a state of perpetual denial concerning environmental issues. Good night.

[Roxanna]

Yes Tennessee is filled with the GOP.... They most certainly should meet with all their Republican representatives... They voted for Mc Cain and Clean Coal ... Why not talk to them..

With the GOP you get a lot of "NEDI" Never enough ignorance and denial

[LiberalDemIda]

Isn't Tennessee a solid red state? If they don't like how their environment is, they need to write their repub state reps and their repub senators instead of passing the buck to a liberal democrat from California. Typical repubs, blame everyone except themselves for their own failures.

[mnyegele]

I must ask a nasty question. Whom did the good people of Tennessee send to the Senate? Whom did the good people of Tennessee vote for in the last elections? (HINT: Not Obama.)
Time and time again, voters in Tennessee side with de-regulators and polluters. Now they not only have to face up to the sludge but also the prospect that the toxic chemicals in the sludge with seep into the water supply of Chattanooga. Isn't that where foreign automobile manufactures, subsidized by the tax revenue of Tennessee are building new anti-union plants?
The truth is that the good old boys in Tennessee are getting a taste of their own medicine. They're paying a big price for voting for the pro-pollution, anti-union, anti-environment GOP.

[readmewell22]

Great POINT!

[PATina]

Amen !!!!

[ikesambobby]

Double Amen!

[Mikeatle]

I am a Tennessee Democrat who voted for Obama and fought for the Democrats running for state and federal positions. As usual, the Republicans held complete sway over the deluded, ignorant mass of voters, especially in East Tennessee, which is where the flood occurred. I hate to say, but you are correct in many ways. My fellow Tennesseans are getting a taste of true Republicanism. I hope they don't have to pay too high a price for their blind loyalty to a political perspective.

[DeSwiss]

Fellow Tennessean here. And you're spot on!

[LCRover001]

This state is not 100% Republican. While the majority of the state leans right, to lump everyone into one group is wrong.

There are folks like me in Tennessee who worked to get Obama elected the Democrat Headquarters couldn’t keep enough signs stocked they were gone as soon as we received them. Don’t lump us all in with the rest.

While it is true that East TN is full of Right wing Kookaid drinkers we are not all republicans nor were all those who this has immediately affected, nor those who will eventually be affected right wingers.

More mason jars should have been filled and one given to each representative from TN in the house and Senate. Bob Corker, who wants to be a figure head for the right, should be handed one and told if it is so save then you drink it.

The funny, not so funny thing is this happened up river from Chattanooga, so he will be drinking it eventually.

[Brillig]

Tennessee is a sick state. Sick in mind and body.

[brklynivn]

They are handing a jar of sludge to an environmentally committed senator?? Why don't they give out a few of those jars to the republican representatives they voted for.

[Grunty1]

Boxer is the chair of the Environmental and Public Works committee, so the delivery of the Bush!t does not necessarily mean they are blaming her. Maybe it is informative, since she leads the relevent committee.

[Mikeatle]

It would never occur to most Tennesseans to do such a thing to their dear Republican officials. They just don't get it.

[LCRover001]

More mason jars should have been filled and one given to each representative from TN in the house and Senate.

Bob Corker, who wants to be a figure head for the right, should be handed one and told if it is so save then you drink it.

The funny, not so funny thing is this happened up river from Chattanooga, so he will be drinking it eventually.

[Joeblue]

Sludge brain Bush.