Laurel to the Chattanooga Times Free Press, The Tennessean, and The Post and Courier for strong reporting on the coal-ash spill in Harriman, Tennessee.

On December 22, a forty-acre elevated retention pond, which stored more than a billion gallons of fly-ash sludge, a byproduct of coal combustion, ruptured, leaking its contents over some three hundred acres, including into the Emory and Clinch rivers. In addition to the physical force of the spill, which destroyed several homes, the ash contained arsenic and other toxic compounds. The effect on the area was best captured by a strong package of aerial photographs by The Tennessean, which showed readers the full extent of the damage.

As cleanup began, the Chattanooga Times Free Press dug deeper, analyzing inspection records to show that authorities had known of the pond’s structural vulnerabilities prior to the rupture. The Press also reported that the Environmental Protection Agency does not regulate the toxic ash because it does not classify the material as hazardous. Thirteen hundred such ponds around the U.S. store the country’s fly ash; 72 million tons of ash were generated in 2007, according to the American Coal Ash Association.

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