Energy
U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen has asked for a congressional hearing on the impacts of coal-burning energy plants and coal ash dumps on health, groundwater, and aquatic life.
Cohen wants the matter heard before the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, putting the request in a Monday letter to its ranking members and to members of the House Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Federal and state lawmakers are calling on the Tennessee Valley Authority to expedite its efforts to clean-up the toxic coal ash in Memphis.
TVA said there are nearly three million cubic yards of coal ash still sitting at the site on President's Island.
State Senator Brian Kelsey introduced a resolution on Wednesday urging TVA to do more to make ensure the city's drinking water is protected since there are some toxins near the site that threaten the water supply.
WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) wrote to the outgoing and incoming presidents and CEOs of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) today following their recent meeting with the Tennessee congressional delegation to express his concern that they are not treating the cleanup of the coal ash found in the groundwater at the Allen Fossil Plant in Memphis with sufficient urgency. See the letter here.
Among the points Congressman Cohen makes in the letter:
Tennessee Valley Authority's (TVA) clean up of the coal ash at its now-idled Allen Fossil Plant could take up to 20 years and Rep. Steve Cohen told TVA leaders Tuesday that's too long.
TVA said it will close its remaining coal ash pond at the Allen plant. The federal agency is now in the process of deciding just how it will deal with the coal ash that remains at the site. Options include sealing the ash and storing it in place and removing the ash.
CLARIFICATIONS/CORRECTIONS: This story has been updated to reflect that workers for Jacobs, a contractor hired by the Tennessee Valley Authority to help clean up a 2008 coal ash spill in East Tennessee, say they were misled by supervisors about the dangers of coal ash exposure, citing safety managers who told them they could safely eat a pound of coal ash a day without harm. The company says the statements were not meant to be taken literally.
Tennessee lawmakers are considering a resolution to express support for a bill in Congress that would require TVA's board of directors to hold open meetings.
State Sen. Ken Yager, of Kingston, is asking for a Senate resolution to support a bill in Congress to
require TVA to hold open meetings that the public can attend.
State Sen. Ken Yager, R-Kingston, explained Senate Joint Resolution 192 in a Senate committee meeting this week, in which the resolution won unanimous approval.
WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today asked House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure on which he serves to conduct a hearing on the impact of coal plants and coal ash dumps on groundwater quality. See his letter here.
WASHINGTON – Congressmen Steve Cohen (TN-09) and Tim Burchett (TN-02) today wrote Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) President William D. Johnson demanding answers about TVA's announcement that ratepayers might have to pay for the misdeeds of the contractor it used for cleanup work at its Kingston plant, following the nation's worst coal ash spill.
WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), who was named to the Committee on Science, Space and Technology last week, today was selected by his congressional colleagues to serve on its Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight and on its Subcommittee on Research and Technology.
Congressman Cohen made the following comment: