Photo: Blue Legacy
Customers Tennessee Valley Athority (VAT) paid on average 69 cents per month and that up to 2024 on their electricity account for help fund the cleanup of coal ash settling ponds escaped from the coal power plant Kingston Plant. Each of the 9 million customers paying for the cleanup that has a projected cost of $ 1.2 billion. The largest electricity supplier in the United States continues to make good damage when about 5.4 million cubic yards of ash spilled accidentally December 22, 2008. Failure of the tailings pond in the waterfront community in the county of Roane County, about 35 miles west of Knoxville.
Scott Brooks, a spokesman for TVA, said that the increase in electricity tariff to fund the cleanup generates about $ 73 million per year and was a decision of the Administrative Committee in the budget came into force in October 2009. Mr. Brooks also said there would likely be additional costs if you want to add VAT to pay damages in the trial currently court. A federal trial is scheduled for September 2011 in Knoxville.
The plaintiffs claim in cases where the release increased levels of air concentration of ash on their property. The ash particles contain arsenic, cadmium, chromium, lead, mercury, selenium and zinc, all substances defined in the Superfund law as hazardous substances. 
Documents presented to the court by TVA maintains that the environmental testing and medical surveys indicate that the spill did not cause harm, that the ashes of dredging the river bottom Emory is over and the spillage and sanitation that followed did not cause any problems that may warrant monetary compensation. 
The environmental activists claim that coal ash should be federally regulated as hazardous because state laws do not govern. Representatives of the industry that recycles the ash in concrete, plasterboard (drywall sheets) and other building materials argued that if the regulation states that the coal ash is a hazardous product, it would be disastrous for the recycling industry. The EPA held public hearings but has not decided yet. Some customers complain about the rate increase. Dan Brownell, owner of Chattanooga Massage and Body Works, said that his electricity bill of $ 400 he received in late December 2010 the bill was the highest he had ever received for its electricity. He would like the senior executive pay VAT personally a bigger share of the costs of cleaning the coal ash. The TVA board voted in November 2010 a 10% increase for its president Tom Kilgore in its portfolio of incentive compensation of $ 3.6 million, with an annual salary of $ 850,000. There was no bonus last year (2010?) Because of the downturn Economic and dumping. "It costs us all personally, even if only 70 cents per month," said Brownell. "They must take responsibility. For people here who do the minimum wage, these high bills for electricity is increasing rapidly. They pass on their mistakes to those people."
VAT announcement in a press release dated February 2, 2011 that "executive compensation is based on the performance of the previous fiscal year. The annual salary of Mr. Kilgore has not changed from the previous year. The Year 2010 was a very good year for TVA, with prices for our customers in those of 2009. This improved performance is reflected in compensation for our employees. "The statement added that" the electric bills were higher than normal in part because of cold weather across the region and because the costs of inputs VAT has increased compared with last year. "
VAT supplies electricity to customers and business services for the majority of Tennessee and parts of Alabama, Mississippi, Kentucky, Georgia , North Carolina and Virginia.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~
"TVA ratepayer ash cost averaging 69 cents a month
Tennessee Valley Authority customers are paying an average of 69 cents a month until 2024 for the cleanup of coal ash spilled at the Kingston Plant. Each of the 9 million customers is paying for the cleanup that has a projected cost up to $1.2 billion. The nation's largest public utility is continuing a cleanup of about 5.4 million cubic yards of ash that spilled in a December 2008 breach of a pond dam in a Roane County river community about 35 miles west of Knoxville.
TVA spokesman Scott Brooks said the rate increase for the cleanup generates about $73 million annually and was a board decision in the budget that took effect in October 2009. Brooks also said there could be other costs if TVA has to pay damages in any pending spill-related lawsuits. A federal bench trial has been set for September (2011) in Knoxville.
Plaintiffs in the suits contend the spill increased levels of airborne ash on their properties. The ash contains particles of arsenic, cadmium, chromium, lead, mercury, selenium and zinc — all defined by the Superfund law as hazardous substances.
TVA court filings contend that environmental tests and medical surveys show the spill has caused no harm, that dredging of ash from the Emory River has been finished and that the spill and cleanup otherwise have not caused any problems that would justify damage payouts.
Brooks said some of the cleanup cost might also eventually be recoverable from insurance. "We still don't know the final cost so we can't file a claim," Brooks said. As a federal corporation, TVA can issue bonds but can't issue stock for financing, so its options to generate more money are limited. TVA has purchased 171 properties in the vicinity of the spill that its inspector general previously described as "one of the largest environmental disasters in U.S. history." Jack Simmons, vice president of the Tennessee Valley Public Power Association that represents the 155 distributors of TVA electrical power, said Tuesday that the spill was unfortunate. "We are certainly sick about it because costs have to be collected through rates," Simmons said Tuesday ( February 1 2011). He said the spill hopefully won't possibly lead to further rate increases if the Environmental Protection Agency decides coal ash should be regulated as a hazardous material.
Environmental activists contend coal ash should be federally regulated as hazardous because state regulation has failed. Representatives of industries that use the recycled ash in concrete, drywall and other construction products contend that regulating it as hazardous would devastate the recycling business. The EPA has held public hearings but has not made a decision.
Some ratepayers are complaining about having to pay more. Dan Brownell, who owns Chattanooga Massage and Body Works, said the $400 power bill that he received in late December (2010) was his largest yet. He favors top TVA executives personally paying a bigger share of the coal ash cleanup cost. The TVA board voted in November (2010) to give TVA President and CEO Tom Kilgore a 10 percent increase in his largely incentive-based compensation package to $3.6 million, including an annual salary of $850,000. There was no bonus last year (2010) due to the economy and the coal ash spill. "It is costing all of us something personal, even if it's just 70 cents a month," Brownell said. "They need to take some responsibility. These people out here who are making minimum wage, these high power bills add up real fast. They are passing on their mistakes to these people."
TVA said in a statement Wednesday (February 2 2011) that "executive compensation is based on performance from the previous fiscal year. Mr. Kilgore's annual salary did not change from the previous year. 2010 was a very good year for TVA, with prices to our customers below what they were in 2009. That improved performance is reflected in compensation to all our employees." The statement also said "power bills have been higher than normal in part because of the cold weather across the region and because TVA's fuel costs have risen from a year ago."
TVA provides electricity for utility and business customers in most of Tennessee and parts of Alabama, Mississippi, Kentucky, Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia."
Excerpts from article written by The Associated Press published here:
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-02-02/tva-ratepayer-ash-cost-averaging-69-cents-a-month.html
0 comments:
Post a Comment