Resident of Swan Pond Neighborhood Blogs Details of TVA Meeting

The live journaler at Life on Swan Pond after TVA has a blow-by-blow account of this evening's Kingston City Council meeting with TVA CEO Tom Kilgore. According to the account, Kilgore was asked whether the cost of the spillage would be passed on to consumers, and he told the gathering that TVA insurance would pay, which, of course, means that the insurance company will pass costs on to consumers. How else do insurance companies function?

The journaler also says that Kilgore told the group that emergency plans were not in place for something of this magnitude of ash. Got that? TVA may store a huge amount of ash susceptible to release because of changes in weather patterns, but they only make emergency plans for something less than their huge amount of ash. If Kilgore did say that, then how is it he is qualified to be an executive again? Does being an executive no longer call for careful planning? Or did it ever without some form of government regulation?

And in spite of his executive status, Kilgore told the group that he does not know what is in the spilled ash, but TVA is researching to find out. The journaler wants to know how they can sell ash to cement companies without testing what is in it (perhaps a Gieger counter test of your local sidewalks might be timely about now). I just want to know how they get away with storing ash behind a vulnerable dike upstream from neighborhoods of families without being required to know exactly which elements are being dumped on site, and being transparent with their neighbors about those elements?

An expectant mother with ash heaps in her backyard asked if it was safe for her to stay on Swan Pond. Kilgore didn't give her an answer, but told her to come by the TVA office for answers. Wait a minute. Wasn't the community meeting supposed to be about answering questions? Why should a woman who is concerned about any health effects of exposure to ash on her 7-month pregnancy have to wait to come by the TVA offices? What's at the TVA offices that the CEO failed to bring to the meeting?

The journaler ends her report on a rather ominous note:

I have very huge concerns related to this spill.   I have an 18 month old (I am his custodial grandmother) who is a high-risk infant, born prematurely and was on mechanical ventilation for 7 weeks at birth... already compromised and with many medical issues......

The pulmonologist stated to limit his time outside... and report back to the office the Air Quality results including the particulate counts.... Wait untill I tell him that TVA hasn't done any yet.....

I wonder what their liability is related to him....

Heaven help her as she depends on TVA's good graces. This kind of exposure shouldn't happen in America.