TVA may appeal pollution ruling

TVA may appeal pollution ruling

The Tennessee Valley Authority on Tuesday said it may appeal to federal court a ruling that affirms air pollution violations cited against TVA by the Environmental Protection Agency.

TVA already has filed suit in federal court to appeal EPA's order against its coal-fired power plants that the power producer says are beyond the scope of the federal Clean Air Act.

Complying with the orders could add $1 billion to TVA's overhead, which might force rate hikes of about 14 percent, TVA has said.

An EPA spokesman said the ruling Friday by the Environmental Appeals Board, which is appointed by EPA's administrator, upheld the agency's actions to ensure that older coal-burning plants "meet their obligations under" the act.

TVA spokesman John Moulton, noting that TVA has spent $2.5 billion on pollution controls since 1969, said the fact that the appeals board dismissed half of the violations alleged by EPA "makes their case a little weaker."

The board decision also may be appealed to federal court, he said.

An environmental group, the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, urged TVA to drop its court challenge.