TVA cited by state for coal ash disaster

By Sue Sturgis / January 13, 2009

The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation has issued an enforcement order against the Tennessee Valley Authority for last month's massive coal ash spill from its Kingston power plant in Roane County.

The order [pdf] requires TVA to reimburse the state for oversight and sampling costs related to the disaster. It gives TVA 20 days to hand over to state regulators "all existing studies, reports and memoranda" relevant to analyzing the integrity of the dam that failed at Kingston.

The order also gives TVA 45 days to submit an action plan for cleaning up and restoring the land, air and water, and it calls for a "thorough assessment of the structural integrity of all of TVA's coal ash impoundments" by experts deemed qualified by the department.

"I am committed to making sure this spill is cleaned up and doing everything we can to prevent any similar situation in the future," said Gov. Phil Bredesen. "I'm also committed to making sure Tennessee taxpayers don't foot the bill."
 

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