Congressman Lincoln Davis Testifies Before House Transportation Subcommittee on Kingston Ash Slide
Calls for the TVA to Make His Constituents Whole Again and Proposes New Lead Agency if Cleanup StumblesMarch 31, 2009

WASHINGTON, D.C. This afternoon, Congressman Lincoln Davis testified before the House Transportation Committee's Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment to discuss the ash-slide at the Tennessee Valley Authority's Kingston facility. The Committee convened to discuss the cleanup process and to look at long-term solutions to the storage of coal ash.

In his testimony, the Congressman noted that he was pleased to hear that TVA has already purchased land and homes appraised at nearly $20 million, and that the Environmental Protection Agency has promised to stay on the ground until the cleanup is complete. However, Congressman Davis also made it known that if the cleanup does not stay on the right track, that he would call on the Administration to put the EPA formally in charge of the cleanup and name a czar to oversee the progress.

"If TVA cannot fulfill their duty to make my constituents whole, I am fully prepared as a Member of Congress to call upon our current Administration to name the EPA as the lead agency in charge of the cleanup and appoint a czar that will hold TVA accountable," said Davis.

Congressman Davis was the first person to speak on a panel that included TVA Chief Executive Tom Kilgore, Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation Deputy Commissioner Paul Sloan, Stan Meiburg of the Environmental Protection Agency and others. Davis has toured the site on separate occasions, and has met with local leaders, Administration and EPA officials, and constituents in the affected area. The Congressman also recently sent a letter to TVA Chief Executive Tom Kilgore asking for greater transparency in the cleanup.

"As the Congressman representing the spill zone, I expect two things of TVA," the Congressman said in his testimony. "First, TVA must continue working closely with the Army Corps of Engineers, the EPA, the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation and the local community to ensure that they are in compliance with all relevant laws. Second, they must act with complete transparency."

The retaining wall at TVA's Kingston facility failed on December 22, 2008, causing a spill on over 300 acres of property. Since then, a number of government agencies have been working in coordination with TVA to clean up property and restore homes for Kingston residents. The cause of the break is still unclear.