There's an interesting discussion going on at RoaneViews re. TVA's buyout offers to residents affected by the Kingston coal ash spill disaster. Here's a particularly interesting comment:

Submitted by randyellis on April 28, 2009 - 1:38pm.

Well there has been no 2 to 3 time the appraisals on Swan Pond Rd at all. It is your appraisal plus 25% to settle out.

Most of these people have lived there all their lives. And have mortgages. So economics 101 tells you with the low ball offers and the [weak] attempt to compensate the people would not even have enough to put them into anything close to what these people have now. If it is even enough for them to buy a new home.

It is also important to The TVA is making people sign away any future medical clams and the claims of any of their decedents. And there is also a clause in there that states you agree the TVA was not at fault in anything that happened on Dec. 22nd

Yes they do need to stick together. I also think it is important to remember Mr. Kilgore’s statement of we want to make people whole again and work with them. Well a offer take it or leave it is not working with no one.

Also my parents home and several others on Swan Pond have tested positive for fly ash in their homes . And the TVA will not even respond to them. I have picture of the dust problems in their homes if you would like to see them email me and I will get them to you.

Emphasis added. And here are pictures of the dust in his parents' home.

So us folks in Knox, Blount, and other neighboring counties should all be sure to send Tom Kilgore a letter thanking TVA for protecting ratepayers from higher utility bills when we fire up the AC and leave the big-screen home theater system running when nobody's around to watch it and leave our outside floodlights on all night. And let's be sure to raise a toast to our friends and neighbors in Roane Co. for taking one for the team.