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WILL COAL ASH SPILL GET INTO THE AIR?
Airborne toxins could be causing health problems for residents near this coal ash spill (seen in the background) in Tennessee. (Photo by Matt Shafer Powell)
Environmentalists don't want a lot of new coal-burning power plants to be built. They're concerned about more greenhouse gases from the plants and environmental damage from mining the coal. Late last year, another concern came to light. For decades a power plant disposed of coal ash in a pond next to it. The dam holding back the coal ash sludge failed. Matt Shafer Powell reports more than a billion gallons of the sludge caused plenty of damage to the soil and water. Now, there's concern about the air:
Website of the Tennessee Valley Authority
Website of United Mountain Defense
A related story from The Environment Report
Producer: Matt Shafer Powell
Release Date: February 16, 2009
Running Time: 3:22