In her signature velvety voice, Dinah Washington purred, “What a
difference a day made … 24 little hours.” Ever since 1959, romantics have
swooned to the songstress’s purr. A day can make a difference in many things.
How about 1,471 days, or 35,304 hours (and counting)? That’s how long
we’ve been fighting against the harmful effects of toxic coal ash on Georgia’s
health and environment.
The
wakeup call came on Jan. 9, 2016. If you had slammed my thumb with a
sledgehammer, I wouldn’t have yelped any louder. Coal ash jumped off the pages
of John Grisham’s Gray Mountain and into the lives of everyone in our
community. We are now in our fifth year. This is the 104th time that I’ve written
on toxic coal ash. I think a good-news-bad-news reflection is appropriate.
Bad news
Central
Virginia Properties, LLC, an unknown subsidiary of Republic Services Inc.,
almost slipped past Wayne County its Corps of Engineers application. The
proposed rail spur would have opened the way for Republic to ship an estimated
10,000 tons—per day—of toxic coal ash into its Broadhurst Environmental
Landfill.
Good news
Neill
Herring read the fine print on a government website and tipped our newspaper, The
Press-Sentinel. Immediate coverage began. Residents rallied and demanded to
know more. Coal ash became a supper-table topic.
Bad news
Many
people shrugged their shoulders and moaned, “There’s nothing we can do.”
Phoenix-based Republic Services Inc., owner of the landfill, seemed to have its
heels dug in.
Good news
Persistence
pays off. We were encouraged when Republic introduced a different executive in
charge. Drew Isenhour, now a company-wide vice president, embraced a welcoming
we-are-listening attitude. Four years later, no permanent agreement reached,
but not an inch of rail line has been built or an ounce of toxic coal ash added
in Broadhurst.
Bad news
Georgia’s
General Assembly has been reluctant to strengthen laws governing
disposal/storage of toxic coal ash. The perceived reason is that too many
officials are so “deep in the pockets” of Georgia Power that they can’t see
what’s best for 10 million Georgians. Check the legislative record since 2016.
Shamefully, it’s bad enough to make the Pope cuss.
Good news
Toxic
coal ash is no longer lurking in a dark corner. Georgians and citizens across
America are awake and asking hard questions. A growing number of our
state legislators are pushing for better/safer laws. Voters will carry their
environmentally friendly passion to the ballot box.
Bad news
Andrew
Wheeler, a former coal lobbyist and now director of the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA), is determined to change the EPA’s definition to the
Environmental Pollution Association. If you visit some Georgia landfills, you
might want to cuss, too. Why? They are loading up with out-of-state coal
ash, courtesy of a 2018 bargain-basement coal-ash tipping fee set by the
General Assembly. The goal was to benefit Georgia Power and its millions of
tons of toxic coal ash. The unintended consequence is that the Carolinas and
Florida are racing to dump on us what they don’t want in their states.
Good news
There
is much work yet to do, but never underestimate the impact of the court of
public opinion. In 2019, Georgia Power announced that it is quitting coal-fired
energy. And if the giant utility would loosen its vise-grip on the Gold Dome,
that really would be good news.
In
early 2020, look what a difference 1,471 days—35,304 hours—of effort have made.
The credit goes to millions of Georgians who believe something can be
done to better protect our natural resources and environment.
For
inspiration, someone sent me this:
“First
they ignore you.
Then they laugh at you.
Then they fight you.
Then you win.”
dnesmith@cninewspapers.com
