"CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — Environmental groups said Monday they want the Tennessee Valley Authority to be prosecuted for its huge coal ash spill in Tennessee and not shielded from penalties for polluting.

In response, officials with the nation's largest public utility said they are already subject to penalties and lawsuits filed by the Environmental Protection Agency and it's working to change the way it stores its coal ash.

The groups argue that TVA should not be protected from prosecution or penalties by a long-standing federal rule that limits how the Justice Department can prosecute federal agencies."

The Associated Press had the story December 14, 2009. [2]