Before Dec. 22, 2008, Ernest and Patsy Hickman were simply my mom and dad. They were hardworking, loving people who built their lives around their family and believed in doing right by others.
When my dad went to work cleaning up the Kingston coal ash spill, he believed he was helping his community. He trusted that if the ash were dangerous, the people responsible for the cleanup would protect him and tell him the truth.
That trust came at an unimaginable cost.
My dad was exposed while working at the cleanup site. My mom was exposed while washing the coal ash from his work clothes. I watched them both become sick. I became their caregiver. And eventually, I had to bury them both.
My parents are not statistics. They were a mother and father, a husband
and wife, and people who were deeply loved. They had lives still to live, memories still to make, and a future they never got the chance to see. Their lives mattered. What happened to them matters.
Our family knows what it means to trust that coal ash is safe, and to live with the consequences when that trust is wrong.
Now, TVA asks us to trust its promises that its coal ash is safely stored, that it knows best. My family is proof that we cannot simply rely on promises. After the Kingston spill, TVA has lost the benefit of the doubt.
The 2008 spill was one of the largest environmental disasters in American history, spilling 1.1 billion gallons of coal ash into the Emory River, Clinch River, and nearby communities like Swan Pond. Clean-up workers were prohibited from wearing protective gear and were told by bosses that they could eat a pound of coal ash a day without harm. TVA failed us during this disaster. The utility should welcome scrutiny for its plans today, not only to make sure tragedies like the spill never occur, but to rebuild trust with the public it claims to serve.
TVA claims its current coal ash ponds can withstand hurricanes and earthquakes, but heavy equipment could cause damage to them. I’m not an engineer, I don’t claim to know better than TVA on this issue. This isn’t about accusing TVA of shirking its responsibilities; it’s acknowledging that no institution should grade its own homework. An outside perspective would assure the public that the safest, best option is the one TVA selects.
Safety should be the metric TVA’s options are judged by. Not what is cheapest or easiest or most convenient. The Kingston community deserves protection that will last for generations, and we deserve open and honest communication from TVA. And if TVA's preferred approach truly is the safest, independent experts should be able to confirm that publicly. If TVA’s approach isn’t, then the public deserves to know.
Now more than ever, TVA should go above and beyond to build trust with its public. Its decision to go back on its commitment to retire the Kingston coal plant proves it sees coal as part of its future, not just its past. Its plan to push its methane gas buildout in Kingston - despite the thousands of tons of harmful air pollution the plant would pump out each year – demonstrates a true lack of empathy with those impacted by its pollution. And as federal protections and regulations continued to be rolled back, it has left communities like Kingston more vulnerable than ever.
TVA has the opportunity to build trust and restore faith in the institution by acting as transparently and openly as possible. Coal ash is a sensitive topic, not just for me personally but for the whole Kingston community. Every option carries risk, but if TVA brings the public into the process and holds itself accountable to outside review, it can lead with humanity and dignity. My father believed his work was helping his community. The least TVA can do in return is ensure that no other family is asked to pay the price for getting coal ash wrong twice.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: TVA should be scrutinized over its coal ash decisions | Opinion
