"U.S. Court Approves $27.8 Million Deal for Toxic Tennessee Spill"

"A federal judge in Tennessee has approved a $27.8 million settlement from the Tennessee Valley Authority to more than 800 people affected by a 2008 accident that unleashed a wave of toxic coal sludge, plaintiffs' lawyers said Tuesday.

U.S. District Judge Thomas Varlan on Monday signed off on the deal, which resolves 63 lawsuits brought by residents and property owners in eastern Tennessee who said they were affected by the spill at the TVA's coal-powered Kingston Fossil Plant in Roane County, Tennessee. More than a billion gallons of coal ash were spilled, plaintiffs' lawyers said.

"For us, it's another step toward finishing what we said were going to do, which is to make the community as good or better than it was before the spill," said Scott Brooks, a spokesman for the TVA."

Jessica Dye reports for Reuters August 6, 2014.