TVA CEO Tom Kilgore spilled a billion gallons of "we're not quite sure yet" on the residents of Harriman at a public meeting in the Harriman United Methodist Church tonight.
Highlights:
The big question on everyone's mind tonight was, 'Just how bad is this stuff?' following discussion in the media as to whether fly ash should be considered a hazardous material by the EPA.
Harriman resident John Hoag and others at the meeting even tried to argue Kilgore into calling it a hazardous waste.
"The EPA does not consider fly ash a hazardous waste," Kilgore said.
"Do you?" asked Hoag.
"I do not."
Which, of course, raised the question, "Why are we so worried about it?" This prompted a metaphor.
"When I open up a bag of cement to use in my house, that's not a hazardous material. That doesn't mean I want to breathe it in."
Kilgore also outlined TVA's three-step plan for dealing with the Kingston spill.
Step one: Outreach and Containment. Okay, that's what they're doing now.
Step two: Reclaiming the ash from the rivers and getting it into TVA control. Makes sense, right?
And finally, step three, the one everyone's been waitng to hear about. Here it comes everybody!
"What are we gonna do with it permanently?" Kilgore asked the rapt audience. "I don't know yet."
YES! JUST THE SOLUTION WE NEE...Wait. What?
One of the final questions came from a member of the watchdog environmentalist group United Mountain Defense, which has been sort of a proud thorn in the TVA's side since this all began. UMD will be offering heavy metal screening for interested area residents. The problem, of course, is that they're gonna cost $500 a pop.
"Is TVA going to pay for these tests?" the man asked Kilgore.
"Come down to our outreach office [in Kingston], and our representatives will speak to you and make that determination," Kilgore said.
p.s. Driving conditions getting out to Harriman tonight were awesome.
Highlights:
The big question on everyone's mind tonight was, 'Just how bad is this stuff?' following discussion in the media as to whether fly ash should be considered a hazardous material by the EPA.
Harriman resident John Hoag and others at the meeting even tried to argue Kilgore into calling it a hazardous waste.
"The EPA does not consider fly ash a hazardous waste," Kilgore said.
"Do you?" asked Hoag.
"I do not."
Which, of course, raised the question, "Why are we so worried about it?" This prompted a metaphor.
"When I open up a bag of cement to use in my house, that's not a hazardous material. That doesn't mean I want to breathe it in."
Kilgore also outlined TVA's three-step plan for dealing with the Kingston spill.
Step one: Outreach and Containment. Okay, that's what they're doing now.
Step two: Reclaiming the ash from the rivers and getting it into TVA control. Makes sense, right?
And finally, step three, the one everyone's been waitng to hear about. Here it comes everybody!
"What are we gonna do with it permanently?" Kilgore asked the rapt audience. "I don't know yet."
YES! JUST THE SOLUTION WE NEE...Wait. What?
One of the final questions came from a member of the watchdog environmentalist group United Mountain Defense, which has been sort of a proud thorn in the TVA's side since this all began. UMD will be offering heavy metal screening for interested area residents. The problem, of course, is that they're gonna cost $500 a pop.
"Is TVA going to pay for these tests?" the man asked Kilgore.
"Come down to our outreach office [in Kingston], and our representatives will speak to you and make that determination," Kilgore said.
p.s. Driving conditions getting out to Harriman tonight were awesome.
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