Second Spill of Coal Waste Adds Urgency to Need for Regulation and Oversight

Today’s second spill of coal waste from a TVA coal-fired power plant into Widows Creek in northeast Alabama adds urgency to the need for regulation of coal waste, according to the Southern Environmental Law Center. “This second incident at yet another coal-fired power plant shows that there really is no such a thing as clean coal,” said Chandra Taylor, staff attorney for the Southern Environmental Law Center. “Just one day after U.S. Senate hearings on coal waste and three weeks after the massive rupture at the Kingston plant in TN, a second spill makes clear the urgent need for regulation of coal waste to protect both human health and the environment.” “Shockingly, coal waste is largely unregulated in Alabama,” said Gil Rogers, staff attorney for the Southern Environmental Law Center. “Alabamians deserve straight answers from the Alabama Department of Environmental Management about how it’s handling this waste stream at TVA’s Widow Creek plant and if any corrective action procedures are in place to deal with it. The public deserves a more forthcoming response from TVA about the contents of the spill than the previous response in Tennessee.” ### Founded in 1986, SELC is the only non-profit regional organization dedicated to protecting the native forests, wetlands, air and water quality, wildlife habitat and rural landscapes in Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. SELC works in partnership with more than 100 diverse groups on legal advocacy, policy reform and public education to achieve lasting environmental protections. www.southernenvironment.org