john wathen

April 15, 2016 - As pressure grows on power companies to move toxic coal ash out of leaky, wet impoundments and into dry, lined landfills, the experience of an African-American community near one such landfill in rural Alabama highlights the potential problems with that approach.

March 26, 2014 - Watchdog groups are raising concerns about calls to move coal ash from wet impoundments into dry landfills, warning of inevitable leakage from landfills that are typically located in low-income and minority communities. Instead, they propose storing the waste above ground in concrete vaults on power plant property.

January 21, 2014 - Incidents including a train derailment that led to a major crude spill near Aliceville, Ala. have federal regulators talking about improving oil train safety. But regulators also need to address the need for better cleanup efforts in places like Aliceville, where spilled oil continues to contaminate wetlands two months later.