Trial starts on damage lawsuits in TVA ash spill {2008, Kingston} (AP/Bus Wk)

[eppur_se_muova]

By BILL POOVEY

KNOXVILLE, Tenn.

Two armies of attorneys face off in federal court Thursday over lawsuits that claim the Tennessee Valley Authority should pay damages over a huge coal ash spill that fouled a riverside community.

The bench trial before U.S. District Judge Thomas Varlan is expected to last about two weeks.

The six lawsuits seek damages from a Dec. 22, 2008, earthen dam collapse that spilled 5.4 million cubic yards of sludge from a storage pond at TVA's coal-fired Kingston Plant on the Emory River west of Knoxville. Nearby residents and property owners contend TVA was negligent in constructing, maintaining and inspecting the dam.

The spill, described by the Environmental Protection Agency as "one of the worst environmental disasters of its kind," ruptured a natural gas line, disrupted power and transportation, ruined three homes and forced the evacuation of the nearby residential community in Roane County. Residents said the spill ruined quiet country living focused on fishing, boating and being outdoors.

Coal ash contains arsenic, selenium, lead and mercury, which can pose health risks. Coal ash has not been regulated as hazardous.
***
more: http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9PP2BQG0.htm




Not exactly LBN, but worth noting.

[txlibdem]

1. Send all the company officers to jail for long, long, long sentences

Include the board of directors in that jail list as well.