Press Mention Marketplace August 23, 2012
SACE Quoted
Judge says TVA is liable for Knoxville spill
In this mention
A federal judge ruled that the Tennessee Valley Authority is liable for the 2008 Kingston Fossil Plant coal ash spill near Knoxville, which released millions of tons of coal ash into nearby rivers and land. Stephen Smith, head of the TVA watchdog Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, criticized the EPA for failing to complete coal ash regulations promised after the spill, noting that rule-making has become political. The ruling allows hundreds of affected landowners to seek damages, with TVA facing over a billion dollars in cleanup costs to be borne by its electric customers.
We were promised shortly after the Kingston spill that the EPA was going to engage this, and see the regulation that has never been done through to completion, and they've more or less punted on that
Stephen A. Smith
Full transcript
Judge says TVA is liable for Knoxville spill
by Daniel Potter
Marketplace Morning Report for Friday, August 24, 2012
Yesterday a federal judge said the Tennessee Valley Authority is liable for the big sludge spill at its power plant near Knoxville a few years back. Millions of tons of coal ash spilled out of a man-made lake and blanketed nearby rivers and land.
The Kingston spill was bad news for nearby landowners like Steve Scarborough, who had been trying to sell some property upstream.
"My two boys were both in college, and this is how we had saved up money to pay for it," Scarborough said. "And then our property values just fell off a cliff."
Scarborough is one of several hundred people who can now try to hold TVA accountable for damages. The agency will spend more than a billion dollars on cleanup. Footing the bill? Its electric customers.
Stephen Smith heads up the TVA watchdog Southern Alliance for Clean Energy. He notes the disaster has drawn some looks from Congress, but so far no big rule changes for the industry. Smith figures the EPA shares in the blame, for not regulating coal ash.
"We were promised shortly after the Kingston spill that the EPA was going to engage this, and see the regulation that has never been done through to completion, and they've more or less punted on that," Smith said.
Smith doubts yesterday's ruling will do much to spur new regulations. He says the rule-making has become political, and probably won't move much until after the election.