The Tennessee Valley Authority’s CEO today testified that the billion of gallons of ash spilled from the Kingston Steam Plant will not be returned to the same sort of storage pond that failed last month. But at this point, he says he’s not sure just what will be done with it. That answer didn’t satisfy the chairman of the Senate’s Environment and Public Works Committee.

Senator Barbara Boxer challenged TVA Chief Tom Kilgore to remember the utility’s mission statement, which includes a promise of environmental stewardship. She said the disaster was due in part to the utility choosing cheap fixes over proper maintenance. She also brought up a pollution lawsuit filed against TVA by the state of North Carolina, saying overall the utility’s coal plants have a poor track record that doesn’t engender trust.

“You’ve got problems and you are a nice man and I have a sense that maybe you didn’t know all of this, but you’ve got big problems. We want to work with you, but you’ve got to clean up your act there, literally.”

Boxer repeatedly said that the federal government needs to take a direct role in regulating ash disposal at coal-fired plants.

Senator Lamar Alexander also sits on the committee. In his questioning, the Tennessee Republican touched on points relating to the rights of nearby property owners, then turned to the topic of clean coal as a viable energy source. The senator’s questions about carbon capture and emissions scrubbers surprised Killgore, who responded that he’s been focused on the recovery effort.

Video of the hearing is archived on the committee’s website.

WEB EXTRA: View WPLN’s photo gallery of the ash spill.