The Government Accountability Office finds that 26 coal-burning power plants have reported spills or other unpermitted releases of coal ash from 35 surface impoundments over the past decade. More...

A company wants to place coal ash from the Tennessee Valley Authority's Kingston power plant into an old mine atop a nearby mountain. But environmentalists and local residents oppose the plan, citing potential health problems. More...

Environmental justice expert Robert D. Bullard calls on the Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Inspector General to take action on racism in EPA Region 4, which includes eight states from North Carolina to Mississippi. More...

New research by scientists with Duke University and the Georgia Institute of Technology details hazards from the coal ash spilled last year from the Tennessee Valley Authority's Kingston power plant. The findings come as TVA considers shutting down some of its older coal plants. More...

A law toughening regulation of coal ash dumps passes in North Carolina, where there are more high-hazard facilities than any other state. Meanwhile, the Tennessee Valley Authority revises hazard ratings for its ash ponds -- but should companies really be making that call? More...

The governor of North Carolina -- the state that has more "high-hazard" coal ash dumps than any other -- endorses legislation to increase oversight. But what about the dangers lurking elsewhere? More...

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has approved a plan to dump 3 million tons of toxic coal ash from last year's massive Tennessee spill in an impoverished Black Belt county -- but local residents and officials are fighting back in creative ways. More...

Newly released test results of samples taken from a waterway near last year's massive ash spill show dangerously high levels of toxic heavy metals. Is it really a good idea to encourage people to play in the water? More...

North Carolina is the state with the most sites -- a dozen -- where a failure like the recent one in Tennessee could kill significant numbers of people. Meanwhile, North Carolina-based Duke Energy has the most facilities on the list with 10. More...

Engineers say the massive ash spill at the Tennessee Valley Authority's Kingston plant last December was caused by a unique set of factors, but watchdogs are skeptical. Are other disasters waiting to happen at U.S. coal plants? More...

The Inspector General says the federal corporation released inaccurate information to the public. TVA chafes at the charge -- but a closer look reveals the audit actually understates the effort to downplay the environmental hazards. More...

The Environmental Protection Agency has identified 44 coal ash disposal sites so hazardous that their failure would imperil the lives of nearby residents -- but it won't tell the public where they are, citing security concerns. What about citizens' right to know? More...

Though they did not find Shuler used his position to get waterfront access for a real-estate development in which he's invested millions of dollars, auditors criticized TVA's handling of the program for creating the appearance of improper influence. More...

JUNE 2009 | A new study has found that exposure to arsenic -- a cancer-causing element emitted in large quantities by coal-burning power plants and other industrial facilities -- made mice more likely to experience the most severe effects of swine flu. So why are some lawmakers fighting regulations that would better protect Americans from arsenic pollution? More...

The toxic waste, which is now being sent to landfills in impoverished communities in Alabama and Georgia, did not meet the state's standards for dumping into abandoned mines. But are the facilities accepting the waste really that safe? More...

The Tennessee Valley Authority has come up with a preliminary plan for the toxic coal ash it spilled on eastern Tennessee that raises questions of environmental justice. Will the Obama administration -- which just took charge of of the cleanup -- approve? More...

A federal judge rejects the utility's argument that it's a "manifest injustice" to require it to immediately control pollution from coal-fired power plants affecting North Carolina's air, while environmentalists urge President Obama to use upcoming board appointments to transform TVA into a clean energy leader. More...

Last week Tennessee Valley Authority police arrested a UMD volunteer for trespassing after he gave a partially blind grandmother a ride to her home near the site of the company's massive ash spill. An attorney for the group says the arrest is part of a pattern of police harassment of activists since the disaster. More...

An audit finds widespread credit card abuse at the federal corporation, while lawsuits pile up and demands mount for tougher regulation of coal ash. More...

The Tennessee Valley Authority just elected its new board chair: Mike Duncan, outgoing head of the Republican National Committee. The move only adds to the controversy at TVA, which is still grappling with the fallout of last December's catastrophic coal waste disaster in east Tennessee. More...