TVA Held Responsible For Massive Coal Ash Spill

[DeSwiss]

The Tennessean |By Bobby Allyn | 11:40 AM, Aug 23, 2012


[font color=gray]Aerial photo taken Tuesday, December 30, 2008 of the area where a dike
broke at a forty-acre settling pond near Tennessee Vally Authority's Kingston
Plant. [/font]Sanford Myers/The Tennessean

The Tennessee Valley Authority was responsible for a coal ash spill outside of Knoxville in 2008 that federal officials called one of the worst environmental disasters of its kind, according to an order issued today by a U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Tennessee.

Had TVA acted appropriately, the underlying failure of the North Dike "would have been investigated, addressed, and potentially remedied before the catastrophic failure,” said Judge Thomas Varlan of the Eastern District. The authority repeatedly sought to have the case dismissed. A five-week trial was held last September on whether the nation’s largest public utility should be responsible for the spill. The authority maintained its innocence.

Today’s decision affirms that TVA was, in fact, blameworthy. The spill's cleanup is on-going and has been estimated at $1 billion. It is expected to be completed by 2015. In a statement released after the ruling, TVA said it "remains committed to the full restoration of the community directly impacted by the spill, while being mindful of our responsibility to manage ratepayer dollars."

Already, the TVA has purchased some 180 properties around the spill, in addition to settling more than 200 other claims. The authority paid $43 million to the Roane County Economic Development Foundation for restoration efforts. The TVA has spent $11 million on legal fees stemming from the spill.

http://www.tennessean.com/article/20120823/BUSINESS/308230081/TVA-held-responsible-coal-ash-spill

- Well, justice has prevailed! Now all we have to do is sit back and wait for the incompetent bastards to be fired.....

[alp227]

1. Tennesseean links expire; here's a CNN story

http://www.cnn.com/2012/08/23/justice/tennessee-tva-ruling/index.html

and a webcitation archive of the Tennessean story: http://www.webcitation.org/6A95XgHOo

[DeSwiss]

2. ¡gracias