The cleanup is expected to cost more than $975 million and take years to complete and involves some controversial decisions, such as where to dump the mess it cleans up. TVA officials insist that it will involve the public in the selection process.

Members of the Cumberland County Commission’s Environmental Committee plan to meet next week to discuss the utility’s plan to use its strip mine, according to the Crossville Chronicle. The Crossville Coal Mine is an underground thermal coal mine that is owned by Hillsborough Resources Limited from Vancouver, B.C. Commission officials say that moving the fly ash to the strip mine would require a significant number of trucks occupying space and time on Smith Mountain Road to transport the ash.

“My main concern is about the citizens. I would want to be responsive to the needs of the citizens. We would want to have improvements made on that road and proper monitoring afterwards,” Cumberland County Mayor Brock Hill said.

“TDEC has told me that fly ash is used frequently in reclaiming mines. It could potentially be controversial, but this is a process that’s not new. It’s been being done this way a long time. If TDEC says it’s OK, or if it’s safe then I’m comfortable with it. If they (TDEC) say it’s OK, then we can’t say it isn’t safe,” Hill told the Crossville Chronicle.

SOURCE: Coal Ash Spill › TVA considers new sites to bury coal ash from spill