County leaders adopt ‘Jackson Law’ to fight proposed TVA landfill
Anderson County Commission will invoke the Jackson Law to question a proposed TVA landfill to be used for contaminates from the shutting of Bull Run Steam Plant.
During its November meeting, county commissioners voted unanimously to pass a resolution to update and incorporate the Jackson Law.
The last time the county took that measure was in 2012. Anderson County Law Director Jay Yeager informed the commission it needed to adopt changes made in the law in order to use it.
Commissioners also passed, unanimously, a resolution to hold a public hearing on the proposed landfill.
The commission further set a 4 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2020, time for the public hearing — prior to that month’s regularly scheduled commission meeting.
The county is required to make certain “extensive” public notices — mailers, advertising, and signage around the site, as well as letters being sent to TVA and the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation — so Yeager said the county needed 60 days to complete that.
The commission’s November reaction came about because TVA failed to react to a list of “about 20 questions” Anderson County commissioners authorized to be sent to the utility concerning the proposed landfill.
The county passed a resolution several months ago, “Asking TVA exactly what the intent is with the property. One of those was would they (TVA) bring in waste from another county,” Yeager said.
“They never responded,” he said.
Commission Chairman Tracy Wandell and Commissioner Chuck Fritts, both from District One, which includes Claxton and Bull Run, commented that “no one” in their district wants this landfill.
“There is overwhelming support for them (TVA) to not put that landfill in,” Fritts said.
Said Wandell, “No one in our district, that I found, is in favor of putting a storage facility in (for the TVA waste).”
The February public hearing will allow TVA to present its position, as well as answer the commission’s question.
“This could have all been avoided“If they (TVA) had answered our questions.” Wandell said.