Times Opinion: TVA lied and people died — Has it learned anything since the Kingston disaster?

By Stephen A. Smith · Times Free Press

In this mention

Stephen A. Smith, SACE staff, writes an op-ed criticizing the Tennessee Valley Authority's reliance on coal energy and its track record of deception, referencing the Kingston coal ash disaster. The piece argues that TVA, which serves 10 million people across seven states, should transition away from coal as the dirtiest form of energy production.

There is no such thing as beautiful, clean coal. Coal is the dirtiest form of energy production from cradle to grave.
Stephen A. Smith

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Times Opinion: TVA lied and people died — Has it learned anything since the Kingston disaster?

May 23, 2026

by

Stephen A. Smith

There is no such thing as beautiful, clean coal. Coal is the dirtiest form of energy production from cradle to grave. And no utility should know that better than the Tennessee Valley Authority, making decisions that affect 10 million people across seven states.