You can listen to the U.S. Senate Committee on Evironment and Public Works hearing on the coal ash spill at the TVA Kingston Fossil Plant live online at several different places.
U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works website (audio only)
What do you think about what’s being said?
Check out WBIR-TV tonight for a story on stormwater problems in Knox County featuring TCWN superstar volunteer James McMillan.
James has been out the last two days taking pictures of bad BMPs (Best Management Practices). Each one of these photos documents a permit violation.
If you see anything like this in your neighborhood, let us know! Send us a photo (info@tcwn.org) or give us a call (865-522-7007) so we can keep track of stormwater problems across the state.
Renee Hoyos, TCWN Executive Director, is on Dialogue, WUOT’s call-in talk show. Listen online at http://www.wuot.org or on the radio at 91.9 FM. You can call in with questions at 865-974-5050.
The Guy and I took a drive out to Kingston, TN last weekend. Usually I like hanging my head out the window. This drive was different, though. Outside of some big trucks that needed to be growled at, the car ride was very quiet. So much has gone wrong there. I wasn’t allowed out of the truck because the Guy wasn’t sure about the water. I wasn’t either.
When we got home the guy got busy on something for a little while so that he can post it here. It is a map that will show you some videos and pictures from news sources as well as link you to websites that can provide you with information about what is in this water. There are also overlays of the threatened watersheds. Even if you are not close to the Kingston Coal Plant, it is important that you keep yourself current on the news concerning your watershed!
We would all like to let our neighbors in the the areas surrounding the Kingston Coal Plant that we are thinking of them and continue to hope for the best.
The TCWN staff went to the site of the Kingston ash spill this afternoon to see for ourselves the damage. I have seen dozens of photos- but they do not do justice to the devastation of the area. We were on Swan Pond Circle, looking out onto Swan Pond and then, the Emory River. It is amazing. We’ll post pictures tomorrow.
One thing that I kept thinking about while touring the area was the impact this has had on the neighborhoods. I don’t know if folks knew their neighbors before this, but they do now. We met this lady who was walking around her neighborhood passing out flyers for an upcoming meeting. She was very suspicious of us, and for good reason. Within the last two weeks, she has had dozens of strangers invade her quiet, picturesque neighborhood, media attention from around the world, aircraft hovering overhead. She has had to become a community organizer, whether she wanted to or not. Plus, she has to worry about the health and safety of her family and her home. She never asked for this. No one asked for this.
While I am glad we had a chance to see the ash spill, I can’t help but feel guilty for coming in, taking pictures and leaving- leaving behind all those people whose lives will never be the same. I was glad to see neighbors taking care of neighbors. That’s the East Tennessee way of life.
