Above: Georgia Power’s Plant Schrer, Monroe County
By Jonathan Grant
@Brambleman
This is a post written mainly by others, the folks at Georgia Recorder, an independent non-profit news organization of recent vintage. The people there have been doing a great job. If you’re not familiar with the Recorder, take a moment to learn more by clicking the online publication’s link. (BTW former AJC columnist Jay Bookman now makes his opinionated home there.)
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Coal ash–the toxic residue of our energy usage–is a significant public health issue for Georgia, due to our major utility’s historical reliance of coal-fired plants to produce electricity. The ash, stored onsite at power plants in ponds, often leaches into water supplies, with serious health consequences–not just for nearby residents, but for those who live downstream.
It’s an important topic, and Georgia Recorder has been diligently covering this issue, which is the subject of an upcoming town hall on April 14 that I hope you’ll virtually attend. While researching the issue, I was so impressed with the Recorder‘s coverage that I wanted to put their articles together in omnibus fashion so that people could have an up-to-date primer on what’s happening.
Tweets with links to articles below, with the most recent on top:
As the state’s largest electric utility seeks state approval to close its toxic coal ash ponds, a key question remains: How involved will nearby residents be in decisions that will could affect their community? via @jillnolin https://t.co/MRXWAdDIMb #gapol
— Georgia Recorder (@GeorgiaRecorder) March 27, 2020
Lawmakers back coal ash monitoring and landfill fee, not lined storage, via @jillnolin https://t.co/sDFy0gFcfB #gapol
— Georgia Recorder (@GeorgiaRecorder) March 13, 2020
Sierra Club appeals state PSC OK of Georgia Power coal ash cleanup https://t.co/kPYD0nhMA8 #gapol
— Georgia Recorder (@GeorgiaRecorder) March 6, 2020
Juliette residents leave Capitol frustrated by coal ash politics, via @jillnolin https://t.co/GTtgektSTf #gapol
— Georgia Recorder (@GeorgiaRecorder) February 25, 2020
Lawmakers take steps to slow Georgia’s coal ash imports to landfills https://t.co/WTD3l93dVO #gapol
— Georgia Recorder (@GeorgiaRecorder) February 25, 2020
Juliette residents express frustration at a Capitol press conference this afternoon that lawmakers told them they need more proof that their drinking water is contaminated with coal ash toxins before they will consider forcing Georgia Power to use lined storage. pic.twitter.com/faU5zwBnnu
— Georgia Recorder (@GeorgiaRecorder) February 24, 2020
Fears of coal ash contamination in wells near Plant Scherer prompt the county to truck in drinking water. pic.twitter.com/F9Aof1UYfn
— Georgia Recorder (@GeorgiaRecorder) February 20, 2020
Guest columnist today says: Time for Georgia Power, shareholders to pay for safe cleanup of coal ash https://t.co/LKheypCbwi
— Georgia Recorder (@GeorgiaRecorder) February 11, 2020
Bottled water and blood tests: Coal ash fears grow near Plant Scherer – @jillnolin with a chilling report from the community next to the nation's most powerful coal-fired plant https://t.co/zONWnFzW9L
— Georgia Recorder (@GeorgiaRecorder) February 7, 2020
Clock ticking on Georgia Power plan for unlined coal ash storage, via @jillnolin https://t.co/6jWLKoguK0 #gapol
— Georgia Recorder (@GeorgiaRecorder) February 4, 2020
Georgia Power’s 2.5 million residential customers are set to pay a more for the same amount of electricity starting next month and the sticker shock will increase over the next few years, via @stan_government https://t.co/ECwADYVqXH
— Georgia Recorder (@GeorgiaRecorder) December 18, 2019
Power companies in Florida and North Carolina are cashing in on Georgia’s new incentive to bury their toxic coal ash in our state’s red clay, via @beauvans https://t.co/mYi2VFkqOU
— Georgia Recorder (@GeorgiaRecorder) December 16, 2019
Southern states split in response to EPA’s coal ash rule rollbacks, Georgia takes less restrictive path than neighbors, via @MaxBlau https://t.co/lv9zS56do8
— Georgia Recorder (@GeorgiaRecorder) December 3, 2019
Commentary: Require coal ash plan transparency in Georgia Power’s rate hike request, via @JMcCosh https://t.co/2599dGflKv #gapol
— Georgia Recorder (@GeorgiaRecorder) September 16, 2019
Georgians living near coal ash ponds might get less information about plans to remove and seal them under a new state-managed program, via @beauvans https://t.co/EQEqrVOSgB #gapol
— Georgia Recorder (@GeorgiaRecorder) August 22, 2019
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