TVA shifts coal ash strategy in response to spill, Obama-era rule

The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) said it will alter its management of coal ash at a Kentucky coal plant in response to an Obama-era regulation under threat by the Trump administration.The utility will close two unlined coal ash storage units at its Shawnee Fossil Plant, removing water from the waste project, and capping the remaining contents in place, according to a final supplemental Environmental Impact Statement released on Friday. TVA will then build a clay-lined coal ash facility to handle new waste from the operating plant. The plan is part of TVA's process to "convert from wet to dry storage," at all its sites, said TVA spokesperson Scott Brooks. The utility committed to the process in 2009 after a major coal ash spill at its Kingston plant.