Georgia Power needs better plan in handling coal ash
The Environmental Protection Division should require Georgia Power to responsibly store the company’s toxic coal ash at Plant Hammond in Rome.
Coal ash contains dangerous chemicals and heavy metals. Unsafe levels of arsenic, boron, cobalt and sulfate contaminate the groundwater at Plant Hammond.
Cap-in-place is not an option to safely store coal ash forever. Georgia Power is taking the cheap, short-sighted way out of handling the 92 million tons of toxic mess the company created when burning coal.
Why would citizens choose to leave coal ash in piles where toxic leachate contaminates our water and soil? Citizens expect the EPD and Georgia Power to do the right thing: Excavate the coal ash and contaminated soil and store it in lined landfills.
EPD’s decision is permanent. Be responsible now for protecting our water and our great, great, great-grandchildren.
CYNTHIA PATTERSON, MARIETTA
Tax commissioners should not benefit from collections
There has been much discussion of some county tax commissioners paid for contracting with other counties or cities to collect their taxes.
This collection issue should be a no-brainer. First, the tax commissioner is paid a salary for doing the job. Second, they have employees who do the work required.
It would benefit the department to contract out the billing/collecting for others, but the money made should come back to the tax commissioner’s office, not to the tax commissioner personally.
These charges should be enough to cover the extra work involved.
Otherwise, they should not agree to collect for the outside entity in the first place.
JOHN GLEATON, MONROE
