Lawmakers Get an Earful on TVA Coal Ash Spill

News Type: Event — Seeded on Fri Jan 9, 2009 4:33 AM EST

Stephen A. Smith, Ph.D., executive director for the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, planned to tell a Senate committee on Jan. 8 that coal ash should be classified as a hazardous waste. On Dec. 22, more than 1 billion gallons of coal sludge came cascading through Eastern Tennessee. The sludge toppled houses and dirtied rivers and streams. This toxic coal ash has been stored in an open 40-acre pond next to the 50-year-old power plant. According to state authorities, after the spill there are 54,000 people with contaminated water in Roane County alone, and many more outside the county may also have tainted drinking water. Smith was to testify about the Tennessee Valley Authority's failure to react adequately following the coal ash spill on Dec. 22. He also seeks heightened accountability for TVA. "I have witnessed the betrayal that members of this community feel; TVA has unleashed devastation on the very watershed and communities it was created to protect," said Smith. "Given the evidence of short-term cuts taken by the TVA to fix the warning signs of this disaster, it is clear that this was a man-made disaster."

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Theresa-382710

People are starting to talk.... could be bad for TVA (I hope).

{"commentId":4727536,"threadId":"465040","contentId":"2291329","authorDomain":"ravenwing5910"}

1 vote

#1 - Fri Jan 9, 2009 4:34 AM EST

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THERESA-382710

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Lawmakers Get an Earful on TVA Coal Ash Spill

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Senators Grill TVA Chief Over Coal Ash Cleanup	Theresa-382710	Fri Jan 9	4
Ala. plant accident heightens pressure on TVA	Associated Press	Fri Jan 9	0
Institute Index: Coal is never "clean"	Theresa-382710	Fri Jan 9	0
Toxic coal ash piling up in ponds in 32 states	Associated Press	Fri Jan 9	7