TVA schemed to avoid blame in spill, investigation claims

[spanone]

The Tennessee Valley Authority intentionally and improperly steered an outside investigation into the cause of the massive spill of coal ash at its Kingston, Tenn., plant to protect the TVA from lawsuits instead of seeking the full truth, the agency’s inspector general believes.

In a report being released this morning in conjunction with a congressional hearing on the spill, the TVA’s independent Office of Inspector General also discloses memos from the agency’s files that include warnings through the years that could have prevented the spill. And it warns that the dikes at coal storage sites at other TVA plants and elsewhere around the country could be a risk of a collapse similar to one that sent 5.4 million cubic yards of coal ash spilling over 300 acres on Dec. 28. The spill damaged the property of 42 nearby residents and several lawsuits already have been filed.

Based on the intense interest in Congress and around the country in nailing down the cause of the spill "it was not foreseeable that, in fact, TVA would not review what management practices may have contributed to the failure, but would instead tightly circumscribe the scope of review to intentionally avoid revealing evidence that would suggest culpability on the part of TVA," Inspector General Richard Moore wrote.
"It appears TVA management made a conscious decision to present to the public only facts that supported an absence of liability for TVA for the Kingston spill," he said.

http://www.tennessean.com/article/20090728/NEWS01/90728003/TVA+schemed+to+avoid+blame+in+spill++investigation+claims

[babylonsister]

1. Rec'd. Catch those crooks! nt