Comments on: Lamar Alexander: ‘Coal Is A Dirty Business’

By: jps

jps — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 18:36:01 +0000

Does the coal ash have iron or lithium in it? Does it have enough uranium and thorium to be worth processing? Does it have enough arsenic to be worth sealing in casks? Can we use it as ceramics stock?

By: Keith

Keith — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 02:42:01 +0000

Dear TP,

It’s not just Tennessee, as this tip I gave you 18 hours ago shows:

Toxic coal ash piling up in ponds in 32 states
By DINA CAPPIELLO (Associated Press Writer)

From Associated Press

January 09, 2009 3:47 AM EST
WASHINGTON – Millions of tons of toxic coal ash is piling up in power plant ponds in 32 states, a practice the federal government has long recognized as a risk to human health and the environment but has left unregulated.

An Associated Press an@lysis of the most recent Energy Department data found that 156 coal-fired power plants store ash in surface ponds similar to the one that collapsed last month in Tennessee.

Records indicate that states storing the most coal ash in ponds are Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Georgia and Alabama.

[dang filter!]

By: Keith

Keith — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 02:34:11 +0000

Toxic coal ash piling up in ponds in 32 states
By DINA CAPPIELLO (Associated Press Writer)

From Associated Press

An Associated Press analysis of the most recent Energy Department data found that 156 coal-fired power plants store ash in surface ponds similar to the one that collapsed last month in Tennessee.

Records indicate that states storing the most coal ash in ponds are Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Georgia and Alabama.

January 9th, 2009 at 2:16 pm

By: Jill

Jill — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 01:17:47 +0000

Ok – correcting myself – Alexander was at the hearing, but not at the briefing held prior to the hearing – he was, at that time, at the retreat he was hosting.

Grrr – I still think the visitors from his home state who were there deserved his attention while there but…I’m just a voter.

By: Jill

Jill — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 00:59:27 +0000

Just so readers know, Alexander was not at the hearing yesterday. I don't know precisely when he said what is shown in that clip, but it's important that people realize, this man is elected by the TN residents to represent the TN residents and he is on the committee that called the hearing during which the TVA and others testified about the Harriman, TN coal ash disaster. But Alexander was absent from that hearing because he was attending a congressional GOP retreat:

Republican members of the committee, including U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, attended a GOP planning retreat for the new session of Congress and weren't present at the briefing. Alexander was the host of the retreat.

As host of the retreat, one would assume he had control over when it was scheduled. The TVA hearing has been on the schedule since at least early last week if not before.

By: pat

pat — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 22:17:31 +0000

No, Senator, it’s clean. Haven’t you seen the ads?

Jeez, you think a sitting US Senator would know that.