By Associated Press
Asheville, NC – North Carolina prosecutors are asking a federal judge to force the Tennessee Valley Authority to install better pollution controls on 11 coal-fired power plants, including some they say pollute air across state lines.
The Asheville Citizen-Times reports the state made the request Monday, during opening statements in a lawsuit filed by Attorney General Roy Cooper. The state argues that TVA has a history of not complying with pollution controls without legal pressure.
Cooper sued TVA in 2006, arguing that sulfur dioxide, mercury and other chemicals from the power plants enter North Carolina and harm health and the economy.
TVA lawyer Frank Lancaster argued the utility has invested billions of dollars and cut pollution from 900,000 tons to 374,000 tons per year.
U.S. District Court Judge Lacy Thornburg is hearing the case without a jury.
(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)