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Coal Ash Controversy
A broken dam caused this cement-like sludge to spill into the Emory River in East Tennessee. The coal ash sludge could dry out, putting toxic dust into the air. (Photo by Matt Shafer Powell)
This past December a sludge of coal ash broke out of an impoundment at a power plant in Tennessee. It destroyed homes. It devastated a section of river. And it set off a firestorm about the problem of coal ash disposal. Now two US Senators and a bunch of environmental groups are calling on the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate coal ash. Tamara Keith has the story:
A related story from The Environment Report
A related article from the New York Times
Producer: Tamara Keith
Release Date: March 2, 2009
Running Time: :50