To be a tiny two-letter word, “if”
carries such a B-I-G impact.
If a bullfrog had wings, it
wouldn’t bump its tail when it hopped.
In 1993, if Wayne County
commissioners and the solid waste authority had just heeded the initial geology
reports, there wouldn’t be a landfill in Broadhurst, which was—in great
detail—deemed unsuitable.
Instead, the Georgia Environmental
Protection Division (EPD) allowed some engineering modifications—despite the
scientific warnings—and now we have a toxic coal-ash crisis.
Already, Republic Services, owner
of the private landfill, has dumped an estimated 800,000 tons of toxic coal ash
on us—courtesy of weak laws and the out-of-state Jacksonville Electric
Authority. We’ve already experienced one
toxic heavy-metal leak or spill. And now,
Republic wants to trample more crucial wetlands to railroad-in up to 10,000
tons of coal ash per day.
Why the EPD didn’t protect our
sensitive ecosystem is a mystery. And
why was the United States Army Corps of Engineers silent during all of
this? The geologist all but screamed: “Don’t
do it!” The high water table and cypress
trees should have signaled to the Corps that Broadhurst is wet, wet, wet, as in
protected wetlands.
I read something Gen. Norman
Schwarzkopf said that sums up our situation.
The famous Army leader said, “You can’t help but … with 20/20 hindsight,
go back and say, ‘Look, had we done something different, we probably wouldn’t
be facing what we are facing today.’”
Bingo!
Republic would like for us to
mutter, in defeat, “It is what it is.”
No way! It is not too late for the EPD and the Corps to do what should
have been done 23 years ago. Errors can
be corrected. I repeat: “Weak environmental
laws invite problems.”
Hurricane Hermine blew through,
dumping inches of water on us. Mother
Nature just delivered another reminder that Coastal Georgia is vulnerable. What if we had mountains—millions of tons—of
toxic coal ash stacked in Broadhurst? And what if Hermine had been Katrina’s twin
sister?
I understand that coal ash has to
be stored somewhere, but why put the toxic materials in such risky places? Coal-burning utility companies should not be
allowed to solve their problems by creating problems for others. Why let them send what they don’t want to
unsafe places where the people don’t want it?
Wayne County’s coal-ash issue is
more than a Broadhurst problem in Coastal Georgia. The EPD and the Department of Natural
Resources boards need to postpone their decision on the proposed coal-ash
rules. This should be vetted in the 2017
session of the General Assembly. With
one of the largest deposits of toxic coal ash in the nation, Georgia needs to
be the leader in proper handling and storage.
If we don’t benefit from hindsight
and get it right this time, future generations are going to be like the
proverbial bullfrog. Our
great-great-great-grandchildren and their grandchildren will be bumping into
toxic coal-ash pollution for eternity.
dnesmith@cninewspapers.com
