Coal ash has been a “godsend” for the rural Alabama county where the Tennessee Valley Authority is shipping it, says one county commissioner there. That’s the same coal ash that spilled into a countryside and river when an earthen dam broke at a TVA plant in Kingston one year ago.
As TVA cleans up around the Kingston plant, it’s shipping millions of cubic yards of ash to a landfill in Perry County Alabama, west of Montgomery. Although privately owned, the landfill pays the county a fee for the tonnage.
Commissioner Albert Turner told a Congressional subcommittee that’s been a boon to the local government. He says it’s saving schools from layoffs and allowing the county to pursue grants that require matching funds.
“I sleep very well every night knowing that we’ve got coal ash in the ground and cash in the bank.”
Not everyone in Perry County is happy with the landfill. During the hearing an environmental advocate raised questions about health concerns, groundwater monitoring, and the Clean Air Act.
But Turner argued the landfill is the safest, most state-of-the-art way to dispose of the ash.
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