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Legislative breakfast
The Cocke County Partnership hosted a legislative breakfast Friday which featured national, state and local officials, and which was attended by 100 local residents. First District Congressman Phil Roe, a Republican, said the three major issues in Washington currently are; "jobs, jobs and jobs." The congressman also reported that he is still working on ways to clean up the discharges from the Blue Ridge Paper plant in Canton, North Carolina, which are dumped into the Pigeon River and which then flow into Cocke County. Recently the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rejected a proposed wastewater permit for the plant saying it is not stringent enough. The federal agency has given North Carolina ninety days to issue a stronger permit or face the prospect that EPA will take over the permitting process. Roe pointed out that North Carolina classifies the waterway as a Class II river, the lowest classification for a river, from a pollution standpoint. He said a Wild, Scenic River is the highest classification and "so it seems to me that we in Tennessee should classify the river as a scenic river, so if you pollute on the other side of the state line, we can do exactly what North Carolina did with regard to the polluted air that was blowing into their state from TVA coal-fired plants in Tennessee." A federal judge in North Carolina has ordered TVA to spend a billion dollars to clean up it's air emissions to protect the air quality in that state. The congressman said as a result, TVA ratepayers now will have to pay for a new natural gas powered plant at Rogersville, as a part of the plan to reduce the air pollution. "We are looking into that, because if you re-classify the river, it changes totally what you can do," argued Roe. He also told the gathering that he has been working with Congressman Heath Shular (D-NC) to push for opening one lane of Interstate 40, in each direction. The thoroughfare has been closed completely since a rockslide in late October, 2009, resulting in a devastation of the economies in Cocke County and Western North Carolina. Congressman Roe also said he "doesn't have a clue" as to how the final health care reform bill be look. He did say a poll his office conducted recently indicated five percent of the respondents support the current proposals that are pending in congress, 38 percent want congress to start over on a plan and 52 percent say congress should "get to work on jobs." State Senator Steve Southerland (R-Morristown) and State Representative Eddie Yokley (D-Greeneville) reported that they have introduced legislation in the Tennessee General Assembly to pay for the infrastructure needed to serve the proposed new exit 438 on Interstate 40. Under the legislation, all of the sales tax collected at the site, which is earmarked for Nashville, would instead be used to pay off the infrastructure costs. The local sales and property tax would not be affected by the legislation. Plans are to develop one million feet of retail space and create approximately 1,100 jobs at the interchange. "Many Cocke Countians go across county lines every day to work in another county. This will keep residents closer to home and put funds where they will do the county the most good," argues Southerland. Sherry Butler of the Cocke County Partnership said roads and utilities at the site have an estimated cost of $12 to $15 million. Southerland said other communities in the state have had similar bills passed by the general assembly and "it wouldn't be taking money from the state, because this is money that Nashville currently doesn't get." The senator also pointed to other progress in the community including a water line to the Point Pleasant community. Representative Yokley said he is opposed to the proposed health care legislation pending in Washington. "Why? That is going to throw another billion dollars onto Steve and I that we won't be able to come up with," he explained. But the lawmaker quickly added that he believes health care reform is necessary because "we have people in this country who are suffering through no fault of their own." Yokley said under the current system, a major illness can easily send a good, responsible family into bankruptcy.
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Return to Today's News Stories - Front PageWednesday, September 08, 2010
Healthy Lifestyles Initiative is implemented
Pot search
Stepp named executive director of the chamber
Former Newport officer sentenced on public indecency charges
Vanpelt crash
Sunday, September 05, 2010
Painkiller arrests
Senter given consecutive life sentences
Iliff McMahan reflects on his term as Cocke County Mayor
Thursday, September 02, 2010
Judiciary declines to modify Judge John Bell ruling
Samples injured in midnight crash
Smith is indicted on public indecency charges
Wednesday, September 01, 2010
Indoor marijuana growing operation found
Grand jury indicts local residents
Mistrial declared in Henegar case
Cocke County has new officials
Cocke County woman dies in single vehicle crash
Fall rom ceiling leads to arrest
Rusty Denton is sentenced
Friday, August 27, 2010
Arrest in Jefferson County Animal Shelter solicitation case
Cocke County child abuse trial continues
Newport and Cocke County get SWAT unit
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