Environmental groups sue TVA over coal plant

photo Tennessee Valley Authority headquarters and TVA logo
Arkansas-St. John's Live Blog

A coalition of environmental groups is suing the Tennessee Valley Authority over its decision to continue operating a coal-burning power plant in Gallatin, Tenn.

The TVA announced in August that it planned to spend $1 billion to retrofit the plant with scrubbers that will reduce harmful air pollution by up to 95 percent.

John Suttles is a senior attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center. He said in a Thursday conference call that the coalition believes TVA's actions violate the National Environmental Policy Act. That act requires federal agencies to take a hard look at the environmental impacts of proposed projects.

TVA said in a statement that the utility did comply with the law and found the plant would have no significant environmental impact.

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