Summertime is a time to be outside. Whether it's a barbecue with the family or a raft down the river with friends, I love taking advantage of our beautiful mountain and river surroundings. And I know that that’s a shared love, with many tourists coming in town to also experience this beauty. I want to keep it that way.
Yet with toxic heavy metals from the coal-ash lagoons leaking into our groundwater and the French Broad River and contaminating our air, it is hard for me to think that folks will be able to enjoy what I have enjoyed for much longer. I am afraid for the children and families that live near the coal-ash lagoons and I know that something can be done about it.
It is time for Sens. Kay Hagan and Richard Burr, to take definitive action in protecting our community and our economy. Hagan and Burr: I urge you to oppose the Coal Residuals Reuse and Management Act of 2013. The resolution will leave hundreds of communities unprotected from the unsafe dumping of toxic coal ash.
— Eva Westheimer
Swannanoa
