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Legal Proceedings | 9 Months Ended
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Jun. 30, 2013
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract] |
Legal Proceedings | Legal Proceedings From time to time, TVA is party to or otherwise involved in lawsuits, claims, proceedings, investigations, and other legal matters ("Legal Proceedings") that have arisen in the ordinary course of conducting TVA's activities, as a result of a catastrophic event or otherwise. General. At June 30, 2013, TVA had accrued approximately $319 million of probable losses with respect to Legal Proceedings and estimated the range of these losses to be from $319 million to $349 million. Of the accrued amount, $219 million is included in Other long-term liabilities, $90 million is included in Accounts payable and accrued liabilities, and $10 million is included in Regulatory assets. TVA is currently unable to estimate any amount or any range of amounts of reasonably possible losses, and no assurance can be given that TVA will not be subject to significant additional claims and liabilities. If actual liabilities significantly exceed the estimates made, TVA's results of operations, liquidity, and financial condition could be materially adversely affected. Environmental Agreements. In April 2011, TVA entered into two substantively similar agreements, a Federal Facilities Compliance Agreement with the EPA and a consent decree with Alabama, Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee, and three environmental advocacy groups: the Sierra Club, National Parks Conservation Association, and Our Children's Earth Foundation (collectively, the "Environmental Agreements”). They became effective in June 2011. Under the Environmental Agreements, TVA committed to (1) retire on a phased schedule 18 coal-fired units with a combined summer net dependable capability of 2,200 MW, (2) control, convert, or retire additional coal-fired units with a combined summer net dependable capability of 3,500 MW, (3) comply with annual, declining emission caps for sulfur dioxide ("SO 2") and nitrogen oxides ("NO x"), (4) invest $290 million in certain TVA environmental projects, (5) provide $60 million to Alabama, Kentucky, North Carolina, and Tennessee to fund environmental projects, and (6) pay civil penalties of $10 million. In exchange for these commitments, most existing and possible claims against TVA based on alleged New Source Review and associated violations were waived and cannot be brought against TVA. Some possible claims for sulfuric acid mist and greenhouse gas ("GHG") emissions can still be brought against TVA, and claims for increases in particulates can also be pursued at many of TVA’s coal-fired units. Additionally, the Environmental Agreements do not address compliance with new laws and regulations or the cost associated with such compliance. The liabilities related to the Environmental Agreements are included in Accounts payable and accrued liabilities and Other long-term liabilities on the June 30, 2013 Consolidated Balance Sheet. In conjunction with the approval of the Environmental Agreements, the TVA Board determined that it was appropriate to record TVA's liabilities under the Environmental Agreements as regulatory assets, with the costs charged to expense as they are collected in rates. Several legal and administrative clean air proceedings have already been terminated in connection with the Environmental Agreements. Additionally, the proceeding discussed below involving the John Sevier Fossil Plant ("John Sevier") Clean Air Act ("CAA") permit is expected to be narrowed in scope. Legal Proceedings Related to the Kingston Ash Spill. Seventy-eight lawsuits based on the Kingston ash spill have been filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee. Fifteen of these lawsuits have been dismissed, and 63 lawsuits are active and in various stages of litigation. Plaintiffs are residents, businesses, and property owners in the Kingston area and allege tort claims for damage to property (for example, nuisance, strict liability, trespass, and negligence), with some plaintiffs also alleging claims for personal injury, business loss, and inverse condemnation. Plaintiffs seek unspecified compensatory and punitive damages, court orders to clean up properties and other relief. TVA is the only active defendant in these actions. A bench trial on the issue of dike failure causation in the seven earliest cases was held in September and October 2011 ("Phase I trial"). Plaintiffs in the 56 remaining cases have agreed to be bound by the Phase I trial record and decision. In August 2012, the court issued its Phase I decision, finding that certain actions by TVA contributed to the ash spill. On November 20, 2012, the court ordered the parties to participate in mediation within 120 days of the issuance of the order. The court has extended the mediation period twice: by 120 days on March 21, 2013, and by 75 days on July 12, 2013. If the case is not resolved through mediation, the case will proceed to the damages phase ("Phase II") trial, during which the individual plaintiffs must prove both that they incurred damages and that the ash spill was the cause of the damages. The date for the Phase II trial has not yet been set. TVA has received several notices of intent to sue under various environmental statutes from both individuals and environmental groups, but no such suits have been filed. Civil Penalty and Natural Resource Damages for the Kingston Ash Spill. In June 2010, TDEC issued a civil penalty order of approximately $12 million to TVA for the Kingston ash spill, citing violations of the Tennessee Solid Waste Disposal Act and the Tennessee Water Quality Control Act. Of the $12 million, TVA has satisfied $10 million, and TDEC has approved environmental projects valued at $2 million as a credit against the penalty amount. In January 2011, TVA entered into a memorandum of agreement with TDEC and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service establishing a process and a method for resolving the natural resource damage claim associated with the Kingston ash spill. As part of this memorandum of agreement, TVA agreed to pay $250 thousand each year for three years as a down payment on the amount of natural resource damages ultimately established, and to reimburse TDEC and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for their costs. Case Involving Tennessee Valley Authority Retirement System. In March 2010, eight current and former participants in and beneficiaries of the Tennessee Valley Authority Retirement System ("TVARS") filed suit in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee against the six then-current members of the TVARS Board. The lawsuit challenged the TVARS Board's decision to suspend the TVA contribution requirements for 2010 through 2013, and to amend the TVARS Rules and Regulations to (1) reduce the calculation for cost of living adjustment ("COLA") benefits for CY 2010 through CY 2013, (2) reduce the interest crediting rate for the fixed fund accounts, and (3) increase the eligibility age to receive COLAs from age 55 to 60. The plaintiffs allege that TVA's actions violated the TVARS Board members' fiduciary duties to the plaintiffs (and the purported class) and the plaintiffs' contractual rights, among other claims. The plaintiffs sought, among other things, unspecified damages, an order directing the TVARS Board to rescind the amendments, and the appointment of a seventh TVARS Board member. Five of the six individual defendants filed motions to dismiss the lawsuit, while the remaining defendant filed an answer to the complaint. In July 2010, TVA moved to intervene in the suit in the event it was not dismissed. In September 2010, the district court dismissed the breach of fiduciary duty claim against the directors without prejudice, allowing the plaintiffs to file an amended complaint within 14 days against TVARS and TVA but not the individual directors. The plaintiffs previously had voluntarily withdrawn their constitutional claims, so the court also dismissed those claims without prejudice. The court dismissed with prejudice the plaintiffs' claims for breach of contract, violation of the Internal Revenue Code, and appointment of a seventh TVARS Board member. In September 2010, the plaintiffs filed an amended complaint against TVARS and TVA. The plaintiffs allege, among other things, violations of their constitutional rights (due process, equal protection, and property rights), violations of the Administrative Procedure Act, and breach of statutory duties owed to the plaintiffs. They seek a declaratory judgment and appropriate relief for the alleged statutory and constitutional violations and breaches of duty. TVA filed its answer to the amended complaint in December 2010. In May 2012, the court granted the parties' joint motion to administratively close the case subject to reopening to allow the parties the opportunity to engage in mediation. In July 2013, the court granted the plaintiffs' motion to reopen the lawsuit. Case Arising out of Hurricane Katrina. In April 2006, TVA was added as a defendant to a class action lawsuit brought in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi by 14 Mississippi residents allegedly injured by Hurricane Katrina. The plaintiffs sued seven large oil companies and an oil company trade association, three large chemical companies and a chemical trade association, and 31 large companies involved in the mining and/or burning of coal, alleging that the defendants' GHG emissions contributed to global warming and were a proximate and direct cause of Hurricane Katrina's increased destructive force. Action by the United States Supreme Court in January 2011 ended this case in a manner favorable to TVA. However, in May 2011, under a Mississippi state statute that permits the re-filing of lawsuits that were dismissed on procedural grounds, the plaintiffs filed another lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi against the same and additional defendants, again alleging that the defendants' GHG emissions contributed to global warming and were a proximate and direct cause of Hurricane Katrina's increased destructive force. The court dismissed the lawsuit in March 2012 for a variety of reasons, including that the lawsuit presented a non-justiciable political question and that all of the claims were preempted by the CAA. The plaintiffs appealed the case to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, which affirmed the dismissal on May 14, 2013. Case Involving the Nuclear Regulatory Commission ("NRC") Waste Confidence Decision on Spent Nuclear Fuel Storage. In June 2012, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ("D.C. Circuit") vacated the NRC's updated Waste Confidence Decision ("WCD"). The WCD is a generic determination by the NRC that spent nuclear fuel can be safely managed until a permanent off-site repository is established and has been a key component of the NRC licensing activities since 1984. The most recent update provided that the permanent repository would be available when necessary and that spent fuel could be stored for 60 years after a plant's license terminated. The D.C. Circuit vacated this update on the grounds that, among other things, the NRC failed to support it with an adequate National Environmental Policy Act review and the NRC did not evaluate what would happen if the repository was never built. In June 2012, multiple intervenor groups submitted a petition to the NRC to (a) hold in abeyance all pending reactor licensing decisions that would depend upon the WCD and (b) establish a process for ensuring that the remanded proceeding complies with the public participation requirements of Section 189a of the Atomic Energy Act. In August 2012, the NRC issued an order (the "August NRC Order") preventing the issuance of a final licensing decision in all proceedings affected by the petition, including Watts Bar Nuclear Plant ("Watts Bar") Unit 2 and Bellefonte Nuclear Plant ("Bellefonte") Units 3 and 4. While resolution of unrelated contentions can proceed, the NRC stated that it will not issue final licensing decisions until it has “appropriately addressed” the D.C. Circuit decision and all pending contentions concerning the WCD are being held in abeyance pending NRC's completion of an environmental review and generic rulemaking addressing the shortcomings identified by the D.C. Circuit. A draft rule and Environmental Impact Statement addressing the D.C. Circuit decision were issued by the NRC staff for NRC comment in June 2013. The NRC is currently scheduled to address this issue by September 2014. Administrative Proceeding Regarding Renewal of Operating License for Sequoyah Nuclear Plant. In May 2013, the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League ("BREDL"), the Bellefonte Efficiency and Sustainability Team ("BEST"), and Mothers Against Tennessee River Radiation filed a petition with the NRC opposing the renewal of the operating license for Sequoyah Nuclear Plant Units 1 and 2. The petition contains eight specific contentions challenging the adequacy of the license renewal application that TVA submitted to the NRC in January 2013. TVA filed a response with the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board ("ASLB") opposing the admission of all eight of the petitioners' contentions. In July 2013, the ASLB concluded that BREDL is the only one of the three petitioners that has standing to intervene in this proceeding. The ASLB also held that seven of the contentions were inadmissible, and held one portion of the remaining contention related to WCD in abeyance pending further direction from the NRC. Administrative Proceedings Regarding Bellefonte Units 3 and 4. TVA submitted its combined construction and operating license application ("CCOLA") for two Advanced Passive 1000 reactors at Bellefonte Units 3 and 4 to the NRC in October 2007. In June 2008, BEST, BREDL, and Southern Alliance for Clean Energy ("SACE") submitted a joint petition for intervention and a request for a hearing. The ASLB denied standing to BEST and admitted four of the 20 contentions submitted by BREDL and SACE. The NRC reversed the ASLB's decision to admit two of the four contentions, leaving only two contentions (concerning the estimated costs of the new nuclear plant and the impact of the facility's operations on aquatic ecology) to be litigated in a future hearing. In January 2012, TVA notified the ASLB that the NRC had placed the CCOLA in “suspended” status indefinitely at TVA's request, and TVA requested that the ASLB hold the proceeding in abeyance pending a decision by TVA regarding the best path forward with regards to the CCOLA. In July 2012, BREDL petitioned for the admission of another new, late-filed contention stemming from the D.C. Circuit's order vacating the NRC's Waste Confidence Decision. This contention is being held in abeyance pursuant to the August NRC Order. Administrative Proceedings Regarding Watts Bar Unit 2. In July 2009, SACE, the Tennessee Environmental Council, the Sierra Club, We the People, and BREDL filed a request for a hearing and petition to intervene in the NRC administrative process reviewing TVA's application for an operating license for Watts Bar Unit 2. In November 2009, the ASLB granted SACE's request for hearing, admitted two of SACE's seven contentions for hearing, and denied the request for hearing submitted on behalf of the other four petitioners. The ASLB subsequently dismissed one contention, leaving one aquatic impact contention. In November 2011, TVA filed a motion for summary disposition, arguing that additional aquatic studies conducted by TVA indicate there is no longer a genuine issue of material fact in connection with SACE's remaining aquatic impact contention. In March 2012, the ASLB denied TVA's motion. In July 2013, SACE filed a motion to withdraw its aquatic impact contention. The ASLB has granted this motion. In July 2012, SACE petitioned for the admission of another new, late-filed contention, similar to the one filed in the Bellefonte Units 3 and 4 proceeding, stemming from the D.C. Circuit's order vacating the WCD. Similarly, this contention is being held in abeyance pursuant to the August NRC Order. John Sevier Fossil Plant Clean Air Act Permit. In September 2010, the Environmental Integrity Project, the Southern Environmental Law Center, and the Tennessee Environmental Council filed a petition with the EPA, requesting that the EPA Administrator object to the CAA permit issued to TVA for operation of the John Sevier. Among other things, the petitioners allege that repair, maintenance, or replacement activities undertaken at John Sevier Unit 3 in 1986 triggered the Prevention of Significant Deterioration ("PSD") requirements for SO 2 and NO x. The CAA permit, issued by TDEC, remains in effect pending the disposition of the petition. The Environmental Agreements should narrow the scope of this proceeding. See Environmental Agreements. Kingston NPDES Permit Administrative Appeal. The Sierra Club filed a challenge to the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System ("NPDES") permit issued by Tennessee for the scrubber-gypsum pond discharge at Kingston in November 2009 before the Tennessee Water Quality, Oil, and Gas Board ("TN Board"). In addition to its allegation that Tennessee violated the Clean Water Act by failing to set specific limits on certain toxic discharges, the Sierra Club alleges that no discharges from the pond infrastructure should be allowed because zero-discharge scrubbers exist. TDEC is the defendant in the challenge, and TVA has intervened in support of TDEC's decision to issue the permit. The matter was set for a hearing before the TN Board in February 2011, but has since been stayed by agreement of the parties. Bull Run Fossil Plant NPDES Permit Administrative Appeal. SACE and the Tennessee Clean Water Network ("TCWN") filed a challenge to the NPDES permit for the Bull Run Fossil Plant in November 2010. TDEC is the defendant in the challenge and TVA's motion to intervene to support TDEC's decision to issue the permit was granted in January 2011. Petitioners' motion for summary judgment was denied, but TVA and TDEC appealed two findings in the decision denying summary judgment to the TN Board. This appeal was scheduled to be heard in January 2013, but was removed from the agenda by order of another administrative law judge. The case was scheduled for a hearing before the TN Board in May 2013, but the hearing was postponed. Johnsonville Fossil Plant NPDES Permit Administrative Appeal. SACE and TCWN filed a challenge to the NPDES permit for the Johnsonville Fossil Plant in March 2011. TDEC is the defendant in the challenge. TVA's motion to intervene was granted in August 2011. The matter has not yet been given a hearing date before the TN Board. John Sevier Fossil Plant NPDES Permit Administrative Appeal. SACE and TCWN filed a challenge to the NPDES permit for John Sevier in May 2011. TDEC is the defendant in the challenge. TVA's motion to intervene was granted in August 2011. The matter has not yet been given a hearing date before the TN Board. Gallatin Fossil Plant NPDES Permit Administrative Appeal. SACE, TCWN, and the Sierra Club filed a challenge to the NPDES permit for the Gallatin Fossil Plant in June 2012. TDEC is the defendant in the challenge. TVA's motion to intervene was granted in September 2012. Administrative discovery is underway. Petitions Resulting from Japanese Nuclear Events. As a result of events that occurred at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in March 2011, petitions have been filed with the NRC which could impact TVA's nuclear program. While some petitions have been dismissed after review, petitions that remain open include the following:
• | Petition to Immediately Suspend the Operating Licenses of GE BWR Mark I Units Pending the Full NRC Review With Independent Expert and Public Participation From Affected Emergency Planning Zone Communities
Beyond Nuclear filed a petition in April 2011, requesting that the NRC take emergency enforcement action against all nuclear reactor licensees that operate units that use the General Electric Mark I BWR design. TVA uses this design at Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant ("Browns Ferry") Units 1, 2, and 3. The petition requests the NRC to take several actions, including the suspension of the operating licenses at the affected nuclear units, including Browns Ferry, until several milestones have been met. In December 2011, the NRC provided its initial response to the petition. The NRC accepted five specific requests that would apply directly or indirectly to Browns Ferry, including issues relating to spent fuel pool use and location, Mark I containment hardened vent systems and design, and backup electrical power. Each of these items was accepted for further investigation, but the requests for immediate action were rejected. The NRC has not yet rendered a decision regarding the petition.
• | Twelve separate petitions on various issues
In August 2011, the Natural Resources Defense Council submitted twelve separate letters to the NRC requesting action on various health and safety aspects of operating nuclear facilities in the United States. The NRC is treating these as a single 2.206 Petition. The NRC has not yet rendered a decision regarding the petition.
• | Petition Pursuant to 10 CFR 2.206 - Demand For Information Regarding Compliance with 10 CFR 50, Appendix A, General Design Criterion 44, Cooling Water, and 10 CFR 50.49, Environmental Qualification of Electric Equipment Important to Safety for Nuclear Power Plants
A petition was filed by the Union of Concerned Scientists in July 2011, requesting that a demand for information be issued for affected licensees, including TVA with regards to Browns Ferry, describing how the facilities comply with General Design Criterion 44, Cooling Water, within Appendix A to 10 CFR Part 50, and with 10 CFR 50.49, Environmental Qualification of Electric Equipment Important to Safety for Nuclear Power Plants, for all applicable design and licensing bases events. The NRC has not yet rendered a decision regarding the petition. National Environmental Policy Act Challenge at Gallatin Fossil Plant. To comply with the Environmental Agreements and the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards, TVA chose to reduce emissions at the Gallatin Fossil Plant by installing controls and an associated landfill. Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act ("NEPA"), TVA completed an Environmental Assessment in March 2013 to assess the impact of installing these emission controls. In April 2013, the Tennessee Environmental Council, Tennessee Scenic Rivers Association, Sierra Club, and Center for Biological Diversity filed suit in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee alleging that TVA violated NEPA when it decided to install additional emission controls and construct an associated landfill at the Gallatin Fossil Plant. Plaintiffs demand that TVA prepare an Environmental Impact Statement, and are asking the court to enjoin TVA from taking any further action relating to these matters pending compliance with NEPA. This case has been transferred to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee. Case Involving Colbert Fossil Plant. On April 1, 2013, the Alabama Department of Environmental Management ("ADEM") filed suit in the Circuit Court of Colbert County, Alabama, alleging that unauthorized discharges from TVA's Colbert Fossil Plant were violating the Alabama Water Pollution Control Act. On May 13, 2013, TVA and ADEM entered into a consent decree which resolves this lawsuit. The decree requires, among other things, that TVA continue remediation efforts TVA had begun prior to the suit being filed and stop using an unlined landfill after a lined landfill is approved and constructed. TVA also agreed to pay $150 thousand.

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