Senate sets hearing on TVA coal-ash spill

Senate sets hearing on TVA coal-ash spill

Jan 1 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Rebecca Ferrar The Knoxville News Sentinel, Tenn.

A local environmentalist and frequent critic of the Tennessee Valley Authority will testify before Congress next week in a Senate hearing on the federal agency's coal ash spill at the Kingston Fossil Plant.

Tennessee Sen. Lamar Alexander serves on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, which will hold a hearing Jan. 8.

Alexander and U.S. Rep. John J. Duncan Jr. of Knoxville both weighed in Wednesday on the spill of more than 1.1 billion gallons of fly ash over 300 acres in Roane County.

Alexander's committee has oversight of TVA.

"TVA should clean up this mess and clean it up quickly, and do everything possible to make sure it never happens again," Alexander said in a statement.

Duncan, who serves on the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment, which also oversees TVA, said in a statement: "This has been a terrible tragedy for the people of Roane County whose homes and property were affected. I'm sure TVA will meet its full responsibilities and obligations."

Three homes have been condemned so far and others are damaged.

On whether his subcommittee will hold a hearing similar to the Senate's, Duncan said: "I know the leadership of our committee will conduct a complete investigation and evaluation of the situation and take whatever action necessary."

Stephen Smith, executive director of the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, said he will appear on a panel before the Senate committee along with TVA CEO Tom Kilgore and a Roane County official.

The committee's chairwoman, Sen. Barbara Boxer of California, will convene the committee and hear testimony from the panel.

"I think clearly we welcome this, and I think it is appropriate the Environment and Public Works Committee is the committee of jurisdiction over TVA," Smith said.

"It is appropriate to have immediate hearings on this, and I look forward to providing any useful testimony. I've long said TVA needs greater oversight, and TVA needs more hearings like this because they're (Congress) the only people TVA is accountable to. There is a proper role of the U.S. Congress to serve as overseer of this."

Duncan's subcommittee is a committee of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Duncan is a ranking member of the subcommittee, and Rep. Heath Shuler of North Carolina also serves on the committee.