Every sunrise is a wake-up invitation to learn. One hundred
and sixty-two sunrises ago, I had never heard of the digital magazine Ozy.
And then a phone call from Nick Fouriezos took me to school on this
international media company.
But why me?
Nick was
gearing up for a months-long investigation of how the South, aka, The Bible
Belt, is becoming America’s trash can.
From Yankee garbage to what Northerners flush down their toilets, the
region below the Mason-Dixon Line is getting dumped on—big time.
Nick had
researched our toxic coal-ash battle. He
wanted to know more.
He asked to come see me.
Over breakfast, we swapped information.
We talked about Wayne County’s pushback on more coal ash, and we
discussed Bank County’s situation. He was not surprised that North Carolina’s
Duke Energy is dumping millions of tons of toxic coal ash in Northeast Georgia.
“How did
that happen?” he asked.
I explained
Georgia lawmakers, in an effort to minimize Georgia Power’s toxic coal-ash disposal
costs, had—consequently—rolled out the welcome mat to other states. And for a mere $1 per ton, Duke and others
are piling it on the Peach State.
I encourage you
to go online to read Ozy’s “Love Thy Neighbor: The Bible Belt Is Becoming A Dumping Ground.” The facts in Nick’s in-depth article will
make you gag, but not as much as the Poop Train that stunk up a small Alabama
town for months. That’s right: Our neighbors
to the North—New York City and New Jersey—really “dumped” on rural
Alabama.
If that
doesn’t get you scrambling for a clothespin for your nose, read this sentence
from the article: “A portion of the Big Apple’s 2.4 million pounds of daily
sewage is dropped off in Georgia, too.”
Whattttttttt?
Where?
I want to know.
Don’t you?
Georgia is too beautiful to become a
cesspool for other states. As Alabama’s
David Brasfield was quoted in Ozy, “They’ve
got land up there. They can handle their
stuff. And we’ll handle ours.”
Nick also reported the findings of the
Environmental Council of the States. Our
neighbor, Alabama, had the “least-funded state environmental agency per capita
in 2013, 2014 and 2015 per person.”
Hawaii invested the most, $199.69 per person in 2015. The same year, Georgia was three steps up
from the basement floor at $13.77.
Ozy also said
that five Southern states are in the Top 10 of America’s “Waste Hotspots.” I am ashamed to say that Georgia made that
deplorable imported-waste list at No. 10.
And who exports the most? That’s
right: New Jersey and New York.
Georgia is beyond blessed with
natural resources. As I crisscross the
state, I’m much like a kid in a candy store.
It’s hard to pick the piece of the Peach State that I like the
best. That’s why I am so passionate
about protecting these irreplaceable gifts.
I repeat: “Go online and read Ozy’s ‘Love Thy Neighbor: The Bible Belt Is Becoming A Dumping Ground.’” And
for sure, do not miss the embedded video about Duke’s toxic coal-ash dumping in
Banks County, north of Athens.
If that doesn’t wake you up, maybe an
inevitable environmental nightmare will.
In the meantime, I’m with David
Brasfield.
dnesmith@cninewspapers.com
