A dozen years ago, my thatch began showing
frosting signs. Now, I just call it possum-blond. Under my
mostly-silver-with-a-little-brown hair is an imaginary jukebox. It’s
loaded with songs, music and lyrics for all occasions.
Since mid-January, the song called up most
often is by Nashville artist Buddy Jewell. I carry his CD in my
truck. When I need inspiration in our David-and-Goliath coal-ash
battle against Republic Services, I punch the play button. Here’s
a snippet of the lyrics:
“I guess it started when I was a kid
If you said I couldn’t, I did
Always had a stubborn streak, put a wall
In front of me
And I’ll find a way to get around it”
Buddy tells his story—which could be Wayne
County’s saga in this struggle to save our environment—by
singing: “I wanna thank everyone who told me no.” If you listen
to naysayers, they’d have you believe there is no way that our tiny
community can be victorious over Republic, a $9 billion landfill
Goliath. That’s why we must rely on our stubborn streak to get
around the wall of no’s.
If we had wilted on the first chorus of no’s,
the Corps of Engineers would have likely granted Central Virginia
Properties’ permit to destroy 25 acres of wetlands to build a
massive rail spur. Instead, the decision on the application
continues to be delayed. Your voices were heard. I believe both the
Corps and the state’s Environmental Protection Division (EPD) are
willing to listen even more.
Thursday, I will join a group traveling to
Atlanta to talk and listen as the EPD ponders how to establish new
guidelines for coal-ash handling and disposal. Our state can cut and
paste the federal rules into Georgia’s laws, or it can be more
stringent. I will always believe the Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) got too cozy with Washington lobbyists, resulting in the
reclassifying of coal ash as non-hazardous. Again, ask the people of
Flint, Mich., what part of lead in their water is not hazardous to
their health.
I contend the EPA, under pressure from
deep-pocketed lobbyists, fumbled the ball. That’s why the May 12
meeting in Atlanta is so important to Wayne County and all of
Georgia. Coal ash, laden with toxic heavy metals, isn’t something
we want in our ultrasensitive ecosystem. The EPD can recover that
federal fumble and live up to its name: Environmental Protection
Division.
If the EPD is willing to listen, we cannot
afford to miss the opportunity to speak up. The meeting is open to
the public, but you need to register:
http://geco.georgiaair.org/eventregistration/EventDetails.aspx?eventid=58.
And before you mutter: “Atlanta is a long way … up there and
back,” think about how long the contamination of toxic coal ash
will haunt us. A day’s investment is nothing in the big picture of
forever. Your great-great-grandchildren will reap the rewards
of your invested time and energy.
Yes, this is short notice. However, I remind
myself—regularly—if it weren’t for the last minute, some of the
best things in life would never happen. Last-minute public outcry
has gotten us this far. So, no, it’s not too late to sign up and
jump in a northbound carpool.
But before you go, download Buddy Jewell’s
“I wanna thank everyone” onto your digital gadget. Buddy has
given us the perfect fight song against a
wants-to-dump-coal-ash-on-us Goliath. Play it over and over
as you roll up I-75.
And while you are humming along, set your
jaws—like a stubborn Altamaha River snapping turtle. We can’t
turn loose until it thunders.
dnesmith@cninewspapers.com
