Appeals court OKs suit against TVA

Posted on by Nelda Holder

The state of North Carolina’s suit against the Tennessee Valley Authority, aimed at forcing the clean-up of TVA’s power plants in order to reduce air pollution in the region, was affirmed at the federal appeals level on Thursday, Jan. 31, according to a report today in The News and Observer of Raleigh. The suit blames TVA’s 11 coal-fired plants in Tennesse, Kentucky and Alabama for spreading pollution across the region, damaging North Carolina’s environment and economy and posing a public-health nuisance.

TVA disputed the claims of harm as well as the legitimacy of the suit, and appealed for the dismissal. Experts for the state predicted 1,400 fewer premature deaths a year and other health benefits across the region if the coal plants were cleaned up. Nineteen states joined in opposing TVA’s appeal, which was also opposed by the American Lung Association.

— Nelda Holder, associate editor

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