Fly ash project ignites passions on both sides of issue

May 07, 2009 04:35 pm

— A private contractor plans to file for a permit with Cumberland County and the state of Tennessee in order to reclaim a surface mine on Smith Mountain Rd. using fly ash from the TVA spill at the Kingston Fossil Plant.
Members of the county's environmental committee were greeted by more than 100 people Wednesday evening when they met to discuss the idea.
"I will still file the permit with the county and state, but I don't know if we will even be approved by TVA for the contract. It's very preliminary," Steve Wright of Wright Brothers Construction, Inc. said after the meeting.
Wright Brothers Construction, Inc. is based in Charleston, TN, and contacted Cumberland County Mayor Hill regarding the subject and said the company would handle the reclamation of the mine if they were awarded the contract with TVA.
What's appealing to the county about the project is the potential promise of having Smith Mountain Rd. repaired and rebuilt and the potential of earning anywhere between $3 to $5 million collected through tipping fees to go toward other county projects.
Their stated concerns are for the environment and the citizens of the county. Several members of the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) were on hand to answer questions.
Ninth District Commissioner Carmin Lynch asked if the project is approved would it open the door for an expansion into other hazardous or toxic waste being dumped there.
TDEC's Solid Waste Director, Mike Apple, assured the crowd that fly ash is not toxic.
"There is no indication of hazardous waste," Mike Apple said. "Not according to the studies."
He said any company or individual wishing for hazardous or toxic waste dumping at that site or any other would have to come before the county again and apply for a special permit, which is a different class of waste.
Apple also said that TDEC would offer 30 years of post-closure monitoring of the project.
Many in the crowd asked, then why move it?
The answer was because it is not environmentally friendly to leave the ash in the Emory River unprotected without liners and the possibility of it becoming airborne.
Although the state's Jackson Law would apply in this case, meaning the county has the right to review the project and hear from the public before approving or denying it, TVA's overall plan submitted to the federal Environmental Protection Agency has to be approved before any local projects can begin.
George Hyfantis, an engineer hired by Wright Brothers Construction to design the project, said it would be done with the utmost concern to protect humanity and the environment. He said there would be an underground liner to stop water from leaking through and there would be dust control throughout the transporting and construction of the project.
"Safety for all concerned would be our priority," Hyfantis said.
Other sites being considered by TVA are the old Crab Orchard rock quarry and a landfill in Roane County.
"We have not made any decisions yet. TVA is looking for long-term location disposal sites, but nothing has been chosen yet. Anything would have to be approved by the proper regulatory agency. We have not chosen any contractors in handling it yet, either," TVA Spokesperson Gil Francis told the Chronicle last week.
Hillsborough Resources Limited has reported it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with a Tennessee contracting company (Wright Brothers Construction, Inc.) with respect to the sale of Crossville Coal, Inc. The sale is subject to Wright Brothers securing a contract for fly ash disposal on the Crossville mine site.
Although the majority of the concerns presented at the meeting were regarding the environment, several who attended were in support of the idea due to the potential for the project bringing jobs into the county.
"We've taken all this risk on ourselves, we have no deal, no promise, no anything," Wright said.
Wright said the situation is a potential win-win. If they get the TVA contract, they'll be reclaiming an old surface mine, making improvements to Smith Mountain Rd., which has been deemed narrow and dangerous by many, and would be hiring around 100 local workers.
"We will use Cumberland County people ... This is the best site for this material to go to. It makes the most sense ... We'll have the best specs on repairing the roadway and at no cost to the taxpayers," Wright said.
V.J. Dodson former county commissioner of Cumberland County was requested to address the crowd in support of the potential for jobs. He currently serves on the Plateau Partnership Industrial Park board of directors.
"We have an opportunity here. TVA is us. If you're an American and you burn electricity, then this is us. This disaster is ours. We have to dispose of it the cheapest way ... This seems like it could be a good thing here. We'll get a disaster cleaned up and it will help our economy. I think we ought to look at it seriously," Dodson said.
Some of the crowd cheered and some of the crowd shouted out comments.
Many shouted out concerns for property values dropping, and health concerns for future generations as well as concerns for the noise and truck traffic.
The 5.4 million cubic yards of fly ash that was from a raised TVA storage pond would require a significant amount of trucks and transportation time on Smith Mountain Rd.
Some estimate between 12-16 hours per day of trucks hauling the ash for a period of 3-5 years.
"I didn't move here to Smith Mountain to retire and be a part of that. You wanted me to come here. I moved here but not to have my peace and tranquility ruined by that," Smith Mountain resident John Coye said.
Dave Brundage has invested nearly $2 million into a project on Smith Mountain called Black Cat Lodge, a rehabilitation center for teens recovering from abuse drugs problems.
"This would ruin everything I have worked on and have been doing. It is nothing but a big mess," Brundage said.
Many shouted environmental concerns. One man said, " I don't trust what the government says. They said Agent Orange was safe in Vietnam and look at it now."
Environmental Committee Chairman Lynn Tollett said, "All of your comments are well taken. If this comes forth we will want to see in writing all that is guaranteed and that it is taken care of the best it can. There will be public hearings as part of the application process. But as of now no application has been made."
Dennis Gregg of Cumberland County said that TVA and the EPA would be the ones to select the site. Gregg said no permits would be issued until the long-term plan submitted by TVA is deemed safe and is approved. If Wright Construction's process is not part of TVA's plan, then it can not proceed.
TDEC officials agreed with what Gregg stated.
Wright said he will still begin the application process in the near future.
Any upcoming meetings over the subject will be published in advance in the Crossville Chronicle.

Photos

A large group attended Wednesday's environmental committee meeting. Many were opposed to a potential fly ash mine reclamation project. However, several attended in support of the project in hopes of road repair and 100 jobs brought to the community.

Mike Webster of Hillsborough Resources/Crossville Coal Mine, Inc. shows the group a map of Smith Mountain in Cumberland County and shows which area would be reclaimed with fly ash from the TVA spill.