Davis town hall meeting turns to TVA talk
Roane County News
By Terri Likens, Editor
March 18, 2009

Usually U.S. Rep. Lincoln Davis' town hall meetings center on the same general topics: Social Security and disability issues, veterans issues and the like.

But Saturday's town hall meeting brought not only a bigger crowd but a broader list of topics.

Many of those filling the seats under the mirrored disco ball at the Kingston Community Center's main room had different aspects of the TVA fly ash spill on their minds.

Sarah McCoin expressed her frustration over lack of health monitoring in the area.

She put her disapproval of TVA in the form of a challenge:

"Are you going to talk to us, or are you going to force us to retain a law firm?" she said.

Others who feel TVA has fallen short may be interested in Davis' response to McCoin.

The congressman told the audience that filled the room to expect change with TVA in the next 12 months.

"There will be some dramatic changes on that board," Davis said.

Davis, who has taken the lead among area congressmen in dealing with the spill, promised close oversight of the agency.

"They're not a federal entity ... but we can drag them into hearings," Davis said. "TVA will know that there is someone on your side who will be on their back to get the answers you deserve."

Rick Cantrell of the Tennessee Coal Ash Survivors Network called for independent monitoring of air "because, frankly, a lot of us do not trust TVA."

Cantrell also asked that monitors include the type to record the smallest particles, which can do the most damage to the lungs.

Donny Wright said all the talk about "going green" goes out the window because of the fly ash spill.

"My wife won't use the clothesline now because of the fly ash spill," he said.

"I'm getting older in life," said Wright, who said he lives across from the coal pile at the Kingston Fossil Plant. "It's getting harder to breathe."

Other issues raised were a proposal by Roane County Commissioners to open a new landfill in Midtown and haul the ash there and determining who is and isn't in TVA's "red zone" at the site of the spill.

Davis wasn't concerned with artificial boundaries.

"If it has been a 100-mile radius or a 2 1/2-mile radius - where someone has been harmed, that's where the red zone should be," he said.

Arvil Sparks said he is concerned about other contaminates in the fly ash that was spilled.

"Years ago, when I worked for TVA, they put that PCB in the old (TVA) landfill," Sparks said. "Why do you think all those doctors move into this area?"

Davis didn't offer much in the way of immediate answers, but he directed his staff to take down the questions raised and the people who raised them for a response later.

Davis also received cheers for a Feb. 3 letter he sent to TVA President and CEO Tom Kilgore.

In the letter, Davis took Kilgore and TVA to task for not sharing soon that dredging in the Emory River had the potential to disturb "World War II-era deposits" that have washed down from the labs and atomic manufacturing facilities at Oak Ridge.

Davis noted that the dredging had been approved without serious danger by an interagency group, but also noted that delays could have occurred had there been more serious contamination found.

Davis said in the letter that he understood that TVA officials knew of the potential disruption, but kept it to themselves.

"I am left to wonder if they (TVA officials) may be aware of future obstacles unforeseen to the general public," Davis wrote.

"Moving forward, I would ask that you put all information on the table," he wrote.

Davis forwarded a copy of the letter to his constituents in Roane, Morgan and Cumberland counties.