Arsenic and old coal ash - now touring Tennessee

From the Environmentally Piddling Around (EPA) of BushCo...

We now have the EPA updating the size of the spill from the Tennessee Valley Authority's Kingston, Tenn. coal ash sludge tailings pond spills from 360 million gallons to 1 billion and admitting that arsenic levels may be above its less than the most stringent standards.

At the same time, the EPA says the contaminated water contains several other heavy metals, but, oh, don't worry, they're all at below EPA's human toxin/carcinogen levels.

But, the EPA has never tested things such as pesticides in combination, and also heavy metals. Like pesticides or other chemicals, we don't know if heavy metals in combination have synergistically negative effects, and neither does EPA.

Nor do we know what the uranium or thorium level is in this sludge, and if the low-level radioactivity would exacerbate heavy-metal poisoning, either.

Georgia wants a re-do on the map

Of its state line with Tennessee, that is.

Why?

Having lost legal battles with Alabama and Florida that require it to maintain water releases from Georgia reservoirs on interstate rivers, it’s hoping to get a piece of the Tennessee River instead.

Georgia officials maintain the original survey drew the state’s border with Tennessee 1.1 miles too far south. They hope a new survey will give them a toehold on the Tennessee River. If mapmakers won’t redraw, the legislation, headed to Gov. Sonny Perdue, calls for legal action.

But, according to my Rand McNally, 1.1 miles would still leave Georgia a solid half-mile short of touching the river in Chattanooga.