Investigative reporter Jamie Satterfield will discuss the impact of the coal ash spill in Kingston and the coal ash stored in Claxton during an online meeting in January.
The presentation by Satterfield, who worked for the Knoxville News Sentinel, will be hosted by the League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge. The Lunch with the League is scheduled from 12-1 p.m. Tuesday, January 4.
“In an effort to keep everyone safe during this time of pandemic, the gathering will again be virtual,” a press release said. “Those who desire to gain access to the meeting may do so by following the instructions provided at the close of this article.”
The press release said a retaining wall of a dyke at the Kingston coal plant failed on Monday, December 22, 2008. It became the largest coal ash spill in United States history.
“Billions of gallons of coal ash sludge swept homes off their foundations, buried some, covered 300 acres of Roane County with thick coal slop and contaminated the Clinch River,” the press release said.
More than 50 cleanup workers have died and many others are sick, and they blame frequent exposure to dangerous elements in coal ash, The Knoxville News Sentinel reported.
“This is the story Jamie Satterfield set out to tell and is that for which she is most known,” the press release said. “She will speak on the impact the spill continues to have on our community.”
The press release said Satterfield is an investigative journalist with more than 33 years of experience, specializing in legal affairs, policing, public corruption, environmental crime, and civil rights violations. Her journalism has been recognized as some of the best in the nation, earning recognition from the Scripps Howard Foundation, the Society of Professional Journalists’ Sigma Delta Chi Awards, the Green Eyeshade Awards, the Tennessee Press Association, the Tennessee Managing Editors Association, the First Amendment Center, and many other industry organizations. She personally presented her investigative findings to federal agents and a county grand jury in the fall of 2021, the press release said.
Lunch with the League welcomes League members and nonmembers alike to the January 4 presentation. For instruction on linking to the live presentation, contact [email protected]. All League members will receive an email with the zoom link prior to the meeting. A couple of days following the presentation, you may view the recorded presentation on the League’s website at https://my.lwv.org/tennessee/oak-ridge.
More information will be added as it becomes available.
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