(Note: This is my Aug. 6 testimony in Atlanta at the Environmental Protection
Agency’s public hearing on Georgia’s coal combustion residuals [CCR, or coal ash] permit program.)
Good afternoon.
Thank
you for hosting this public hearing.
I am
Dink NeSmith, a newspaper publisher in three states—Georgia, Florida and North
Carolina.
My
hometown is Jesup, in Southeast Georgia.
Behind
household trash, coal ash is America’s second-most abundant waste material.
Georgia
and the rest of the United States have a serious pollution problem with toxic
coal ash. In January 2016, our Jesup newspaper discovered the community was on
the verge of accepting as much as 10,000 tons—per day—of toxic coal ash. The privately-owned
landfill sits atop the Floridan Aquifer, in an area of wetlands and streams
that flow to the Atlantic Ocean 40 miles away.
Previously—with
limited public awareness—800,000 tons of toxic Florida coal ash were imported
and stored in the Broadhurst Environmental Landfill, owned by Republic Services
Inc. The Phoenix-based conglomerate is the second-largest waste-management
company in the nation.
In 2016,
after a reporter dug through more than 1,000 pages of documents at Georgia’s
Environmental Protection Division (EPD), we learned of a spill or leak of
dangerous beryllium into groundwater.
There was no public notice until our newspaper, The Press-Sentinel, reported it.
One of
the key issues we have with Georgia’s proposed coal-ash regulations is that
public notice is not a top priority. People
deserve to know. Jesup and Wayne County almost became one of the largest
depositories of toxic coal ash in the nation.
As you
can imagine, there was a public outcry. To its credit, Republic listened.
But because Georgia has weak toxic coal-ash laws, our
state has become a dumping ground for other states. As I stand here, a convoy
of trucks is streaming down I-85 into Georgia from North Carolina to dump Duke
Energy’s coal ash in Banks County in Northeast Georgia. And just south of
Jesup, Puerto Rico’s coal ash is being dumped in Waste Management’s Chesser
Island Landfill. The landfill is on the lip of the Okefenokee Swamp, one of America’s
greatest natural wonders. It’s a treasured wildlife refuge, but where is the
outcry … especially from the EPA?
Today, you will hear many arguments as to why EPA and
Georgia’s EPD need to be more aggressive in protecting our people and our
environment from toxic coal ash. As a lifelong resident of Georgia, I believe
that if you are unwilling to stand up
for the people and places you love, you should be ashamed to look into the mirror. And as a journalist for almost 50
years, I am a staunch advocate of the public’s right to know. Even the
government’s name for coal ash is cloaked with an unfamiliar label, CCR. Too
much of what’s going on in Georgia pertaining to toxic coal ash is out of
public view.
FOR EXAMPLE:
*EPD is not required to conduct public hearings on
coal-ash permits. Hearings are vital, especially in the towns where toxic coal
ash will be stored permanently. There are public hearings for municipal solid
waste, so why is coal ash shrouded in secrecy?
*EPD is proposing a five-year review of CCR—that’s coal
ash—permits with no public involvement. I repeat: No public involvement!
*How about this scary thought? EPD’s permitting program
allows coal-ash ponds to be capped in place with no liners on the bottom. Is
that a public-be-damned way of forcing life-threatening risks on current and
future generations?
For 43 months, I have done whatever I can to advocate for
responsible toxic coal-ash solutions. As of this week, I’ve written 101 columns
on the subject. Georgia has made some strides, but we are a long way from a
comfort zone.
Again, I thank you for the opportunity to express my concerns.
I leave you with the words of Gus Speth, an acclaimed scholar, lawyer and
environmental expert:
“I used to think
the top environmental problems were biodiversity loss, ecosystem collapse and
climate change.
I thought
that with 30 years of good science we could address those problems.
But I was
wrong. The top environmental problems are selfishness, greed and apathy …
… and to deal with those we need a spiritual and cultural
transformation … and we scientists don’t know how to do that.”
So, my prayer is that you, the Environmental Protection
Agency, won’t allow greed and selfishness to overpower the common good of the
people of Georgia and America.
Thank you.
dnesmith@cninewspapers.com
