A worker cleans up coal ash in 2009 at the site of the Kingston slurry pond rupture without wearing personal protective gear. Courtesy of Ben West via Tennessee Lookout
Tennessee Historical Marker request
In November, three wives of former Kingston cleanup workers approached the commission to ask for funding and space to put up a state historical marker to continue to remind the public about the Kingston spill and workers. The women worked with Commissioner Junior Hendrickson to bring the proposal to the commission.
“It’s important because we don’t want another one (spill) to happen again and even if that doesn’t happen, they’re (workers are) still in the danger of working in that stuff. So hopefully, this is going to set precedent where yes, they do need proper PPE,” Hendrickson said. “It’s important for these people that died not to be forgotten.”
After hearing the proposal in November, Commissioner Ron Berry added the commission should proclaim Dec. 22 a day of remembrance for the workers.
Day of Remenbrance for the Coal Ash Cleanup Workers
“Shame on us for not doing it sooner,” Berry said. “It just took some people to physically come and share their stories with us before we actually did anything, I mean, that’s the least we can do for these folks.”
Berry said he hopes to have a presentation at the courthouse to honor the workers the same way veterans are honored.
During its December meeting, the commission officially acted on both proposals and presented Betty Johnson and Janie Clark, the wives of two Kingston coal ash workers who have died, with the proclamation.
Lawsuits consumed a decade
In 2013, a group of workers who helped clean up the spill filed a series of lawsuits against the TVA contractor in charge of sitewide safety and health, Jacobs Solutions. In 2018, a jury ruled in a phase one trial that Jacobs’ actions on the cleanup site could have caused 10 different health conditions and diseases experienced by the workers.
The lawsuit was approaching its 10th year when it was settled earlier this spring.
“After 15 long years I am still heartbroken in the passing of my husband, Tommy Johnson, and all the other workers that passed away,” Betty Johnson, who lost her husband earlier this year, said in a statement. “My God bless them on this upcoming holiday.”
A legacy of advocacy and education
Over the years, workers and their families have been fighting to educate people across the country about the dangers of coal ash. This includes meeting with environmental groups, holding memorials, buying billboards and attending various public meetings over the years, including one in Chicago earlier this spring held by the EPA to hear comments on its proposed expansion to the federal coal ash rule.
The group has forged a legacy of advocacy and education about coal ash as they’ve undergone struggles with health and losses. Their mission continues through this work with Roane County: Remember Kingston.
“I’d like to thank you for bringing this to our attention and for allowing us to have a very very small part,” Commissioner Ben Gann said to the wives at the meeting. “And I hope that we never forget and as long as you’re here, as long as there’s people like you here, may we never forget.”