"The Tennessee Valley Authority received the final regulatory approval it needs to remove tons of coal ash from ponds in Southwest Memphis and transport them along Shelby Drive to a landfill in Southeast Memphis.

The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation gave final approval to TVA's removal plans on Friday, a spokeswoman said Tuesday morning.

The approval of TVA's remediation plan is the final regulatory barrier to coal ash removal. The work will be conducted by Republic Services, a contractor hired by TVA. Republic will take the ash by truck to the South Shelby landfill, which it owns. The plan is bury the ash in lined pits to prevent leaching into the ground."

Samuel Hardiman reports for the Memphis Commercial Appeal November 23, 2021.