Tennessee Valley Authority: Not Just About Sludge

Yesterday, a US Circuit Court Judge ruled that the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), the nation's largest public utility, has to clean up four coal-fired power plants that spew emissions into western NC (the AP, the Charlotte Observer, the Asheville Citizen-Times).

Attorney General Roy Cooper brought suit to force TVA to reduce emissions in 11 power plants - in 3 neighboring states - to levels that would meet North Carolina's Clean Smokestacks Act by 2013. The judge ruled that TVA must install pollution controls on the 4 plants closest to NC. As for the seven remaining plants were denied, the judge found that NC did not adequately prove emissions from those plants hurt NC's air quality.

This is TVA's third environmental problem to get national press in the past few weeks.

1. Air Pollution (January 13th)
2. Coal Ash Disaster (December 22nd)
3. Waste Spill at Widow Creek (January 9th)