Don't Let Coal Ash Poison Our Communities

 "We are here today to ask the EPA to create strong and vigorous regulations for coal ash. Kentucky families are at risk from coal ash and strong regulations are long overdue."

That was KFTC Chair K.A. Owens, one of several hundred citizens, including many KFTC members, who testified, rallied and marched Tuesday to demand that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency do its job and protect communities from toxic coal ash. These actions came in response to the EPA's request for comments on its proposed coal ash safety standards at a regional public hearing held in Louisville today.

KFTC, Sierra Club, Kentucky Alliance, Valley Watch and Kentucky Interfaith Power and Light organized a series of events around the hearing including a press conference, rally and march.

At the press conference, Patty Wallace made the connection between Monday's Appalachia Rising! day of action in Washington D.C. and the public actions around coal ash clear for all media present.

"I represent 7,000 members of Kentuckians For The Commonwealth. I understand that several hundred of them are in Washington and 100 were arrested last night. They were just standing up for Appalachia ... that's why we're here today. We want to the EPA to join us in building New Power, creating clean energy. I want the EPA to help preserve my vision of Appalachia," she said.

Citizens – many who live near coal ash dumps – testified all day and evening before the EPA panel in support of the federal government strictly controlling coal ash as a hazardous waste. EPA and scientists have determined that exposure to coal ash toxins results in serious human health impacts including a higher risk of developing cancer.

"We are here today to ask the federal government, by means of the EPA ... to protect us from an internal threat.  The EPA knows that coal ash is a poison. We ask it only to believe its own findings on this issue, and to do its duty," said Wendell Berry.

In his testimony, Steve Wilkins asked EPA to not only pass strict coal ash safety standards, but also to enforce the standards in Kentucky rather than allow state agencies to have control.

"Kentucky has already demonstrated that it cannot be entrusted to oversee the handling of coal ash. Kentucky has been very protective of any potential threat to the coal industry and that protection follows coal throughout its life cycle. Coal, the industry, is coddled while miners, mountains, waterways, communities, whole regions are sacrificed in pursuit of profits."

Some of the testimony against strong regulation claimed that doing so would eliminate the possibility that coal ash could be used in many everyday products, as it is right now.

The Kentucky Coal Association organized a gathering to oppose the safety standards, which legislators Leslie Combs, Rocky Adkins, Brandon Smith, Jim Gooch and Fitz Steele attended. In his comments there, Smith noted that the EPA has the responsibility to protect people's health only if it doesn't interfere with economic opportunity.

Nearly 300 citizens rallied outside the hearing at 5 p.m. and marched through downtown to the corporate headquarters of Louisville Gas & Electric, chanting things like "What do we want?" "New Power" "When do we want it?" "Now!" The rally and march drew attention to the fact that Louisville residents are battling a proposed expansion of an ash dump at LG&E's Cane Run Road power plant right now.

In front of LG&E's headquarters, KFTC member Jes Deis, who lives near the Cane Run plant, spoke about her vision for something better for her children's future.

"I can't see why we would spend our resources, to expand [the coal ash dump] when we can do something else. The possibilities are endless. We can put that money and energy somewhere else and my kids can have a better place to grow up."  

KFTC will have an informal coffee meeting at the Douglass Loop Heine Brothers coffee shop on Wednesday, October 13 at 6 p.m. to discuss follow-up steps to the public hearing. EPA is not expected to release final standards until later this year and is accepting public comments through mid-November.

Media coverage

• WHAS-TV
• The Courier-Journal
• Associated Press in the Daily Comet
• WLKY-TV
• WDRB-TV
• AlterNet
• Business First