Fear of Fly Ash in Ware County Voters Oppose Landfill-Use Contract Despite Assurances

Posted on: Monday, 21 July 2008, 18:00 CDT By CAROLE HAWKINS WAYCROSS - Fly ash might seem like big-city trash, but Ware County residents benefit from its production. That's because most homes get electricity through Georgia Power Co., a company that uses coal-fired plants as do most others. When coal is burned, fly ash remains. "Yes, if they are our customers, the fact that they purchase our electricity means they are contributing to the production of fly ash," said Georgia Power spokeswoman Carol Boatright. In Tuesday's primary election, Ware County voters roundly opposed a two-year-old contract to lease the unused Tri-County landfill to North American Metals Co., which intends to bury fly ash there produced in Florida power plants. In a straw poll, 79 percent of Republicans voted to cancel the North American Metals... [read full story]