TVA Chief: There Were 'Missed Opportunities' To Avoid Coal Ash Spill
On Sept. 21, a Tennessee Valley Authority executive testified there were "missed opportunities" to avoid a spill of 5.4 million cubic tons of coal ash at its Kingston plant in 2008.
The testimony took place during a federal trial on the spill, which began last week. About 230 plaintiffs are suing the coal company over damages relating to the disaster.
TVA President and CEO Tom Kilgore said some of the "opportunities" include design flaws from as far back as the 1950s, well before he took the job in 2005, reports Business Week. During his tenure, he claims he upheld safety and environmental standards to his fullest extent.
"It is what we strive to do," he said. "it doesn't mean that things don't happen."
However, testimony by TVA Inspector General Richard Moore stated some warning signs did appear under Kilgore. According to his 2009 report, Moore said safety concerns were ignored by management in the years up to the spill.
"There's nothing in the report I want to change," he said. "There were poor engineering practices that outside consultants that we talked to were surprised to see."
At the trial, the plaintiffs' attorney Jeff Friedman said the coal company should be held liable for the damages incurred as it knew of the dangers at the plant.
"It was 100 percent a man-made disaster caused by TVA as a result of negligent conduct," he said, as reported by Forbes.
The trial is split into two phases. First, Judge Thomas Varlan must determind if the TVA is liable. If so, plaintiffs are seeking millions of dollars for both punitive and compensatory damages related to medical costs and physical damage from the spill. The judge's decision is expected to come next week.
