Kingston continued

Until I can figure out how to post soundslide galleries, I will be posting link to my flickr page to see some photos.

www.flickr.com/alexblackwelder



Coal fly ash spill continued:

After we visited the site and talked to some locals, we visited with an amazing lady who had been greatly affected by the spill. I am still working with her to tell her story, so I can't post too much, but you can read her blog (http://lifeonswanpond.livejournal.com/ )

I don't think any media outlets have accurately captured what some people are going through more than her blog. Her honesty is heartbreaking.

After meeting with her, I drove around trying to pass time before going to the Harriman TVA meeting. I ended up at McDonalds and paid $2.95 for two hours of wireless. The weather was horrendous and I had a hard time finding the site of the meeting.

The meeting was very eye opening. I didn't take any pictures because I just wanted to soak in the situation, the citizen's concerns, and all that good stuff. I'm really glad I did that and waited around for the meeting.

I'm trying to keep track of all the concerns I hear. Each is a possible story to tell.

Here's what I noted:

- TVA is "reseeding" on top of the fly ash. There is concern about what that will do for wildlife, etc that feeds on the grass on top of the fly ash.

- Why isn't TVA sending samples for independent testing, as opposed to just public?

- Where is the ash going?

- Most popular questions for TVA CEO had to do with the potential risks of the fly ash. I got the feeling that many people think that TVA is downplaying the risk to their health, which is quiet possible. Some families aren't willing to stick around for 10-15 years to wait and see the long term effects.

-There were a lot of shaking heads anytime Kilgore mentioned that fly ash was not a "hazardous material". Even more laughing, and disproving shakes whenever he said that TVA does the best they can do and did all to prevent the disaster. "We don't want you to breathe or ingest it, but it is not a hazardous material."- Kilgore

- Is TVA going to buy the land they destroyed? One man was planning on selling his lakeside lot for $400,000, not he will be lucky if he gets $100,000. What will TVA do for those whose property values have completely diminished because of their mistake?

The one thing I noted from the meeting, is that, in general, the people do not feel like they are being told the truth by those in power. Many questions went unanswered or were danced around.


This spill has made me rethink the logistics of my project. More on that later. :)

Kingston Coal Fly Ash Slide

Monday night I got a call from United Mountain Defense's full-time volunteer Matt Landon, and was invited out to a "media caravan" to talk to affected citizens and to see some of the destruction first hand.

For those of you who don't know much about this slide,

On December 22nd, a dike broke in a retention pond at TVA's Kingston Fossil Plant (You know, the two towers you see driving over the Clinch River in Kingston). This caused 1.1 billion gallons of coal ash flurry to surge into surrounding waterways, valleys, etc. Water and ash covered and destroyed homes. Thankfully, no one was killed.

What is coal fly ash? It is the leftovers of burned coal. It is stopped from being released into the atmosphere when the coal is burned for energy and stored underwater to prevent the dust from escaping the area and floating around to people, wildlife, etc. Now around 1.1 billion gallons of it is in the Clinch and Emory waterways (tributaries of the Tennessee and watersources). Fly ash is dangerous to those around it.


The first thing we did was to visit an area where we could see the damage. To be honest, I didn't expect it to be that bad since I was arriving 2 weeks after the initial spill.


It was hard to show the scope of damage done in that little inlet. It was just so unnatural and icky.











More to come

Florida and other happenings

Well, I spent a week visiting family in Florida, but this project wasn't far from mind. When you start learning about something as important to our lives as coal, you start seeing it everywhere.

My sister and I decided to visit this citrus farm 18miles away from where we were staying in Estero. As we drove down Corkscrew Road, we saw many citrus farms, cows, horses, and even wild pigs. It was beautiful. Then we started seeing these signs to save Corkscrew Road. It's amazing to realize how many people struggle against these huge mines to save their livelihoods.

Days before Christmas, I read about the Kingston Fly Ash slide in Roane County. It was startling to say the least. Frustrated at the lack of national news and lack of internet to GET the news, I had to wait until I was back in Tennessee to really get the information. It has so much relevance to what I'm studying, and doing, and I couldn't be there when it happened. But I'll be there soon.

-Alex

p.s. the citrus farm's tangelos were angelic

The beginning

Thanks to MTSU's Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity grant, I am working on a documentary project about mountaintop removal mining in East Tennessee.

My motivation to pursue this projects comes from a handful of sources, but mainly my identity as a "east Tennessean". Growing up in Knoxville, the mountains were a constant backdrop to my life. Surface mining receives relatively little media attention, and when I first started learning about it, I had to learn more.

Cut to a few months later, and I filled out an application to receive funds from MTSU to pursue this, and with the help of my faculty mentors Dr. Strawman and Dr. Spires. Thankfully, I received the funding.

Now the fun begins!

This blog will be a place for me to talk about this project, post resources, photos, musings, and more.

I hope to truly understand this issue and help tell the stories of those affected.

Feel free to contact me with any questions, comments, or suggestions. I will be seeking lots of outside help.


Stay tuned!

-Alex