LG&E's Cane Run Ash Pond : A Call To Action

This blog post was written by Jefferson County KFTC member, Beth Bissmeyer:

You might remember seeing a Jefferson County action alert about a Section 404 permit through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for a 5.7 million cubic yard coal ash site about a month ago. The Army Corps received well over 100 public comments--a higher number than the Army Corps is used to seeing for this type of project! But our work is not over! E.ON has to obtain several different permits for this project and they have now applied for a 401 Water Quality Certification permit through the Kentucky Division of Water to add a 60-acre coal combustion waste (CCW) landfill adjacent to the power plant. The public comment period for this is now open and ends THIS Friday, April 16th at 4:30pm.

The current CCW pond on-site at the Cane Run Power Station is one of 44 classified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as “high hazard” – meaning that a spill would result in significant damage or loss of life.

CCW is the solid waste left over from burning coal. CCW is a combination of waste from the coal plant’s air filters and the residue from coal boilers. The ashy part of the waste, called coal ash, contains concentrated pollutants, including many toxins known to cause cancer in humans.

The proposed permit would:

* allow 5.7 million cubic yards of CCW, which contains toxins known to be hazardous to human health, to be dumped on site. The U.S. EPA states that 1 in 50 adults and 1 in 100 children that live near CCW storage sites are at risk of developing cancer
* allow more than 3,000 feet of ephemeral and intermittent streams and 8 wetland areas to be filled
* allow use of an inferior containment liner that deteriorate over time, likely resulting in toxic chemicals leaching into groundwater
* ignore restoration requirements for 5 of the wetlands and require only minimal restoration for the other 3
* allow this waste to be dumped on land located at the end of the Ohio River floodwall, clearly in the river’s flood plain putting residents downstream at risk


Let the Kentucky Division of Water know that you oppose this permit!

**Please take action by April 16, 2010 deadline**

Send an email requesting that the Kentucky Division of Water to deny this permit to:

jesse.robinson@ky.gov

Put the Water Quality Certification agency interest # 2121 as the subject. Provide your physical mailing address and telephone number with your signature.

OR write to:

Mr. Jesse Robinson

Kentucky Division of Water

Water Quality Certification

200 Fair Oaks Lane

Frankfort, KY 40601