Residents Of Anniston, Alabama Angry Over Settlement Terms With Chemical Plant
WALLACE: Today is the 25th anniversary of a dark chapter in America's nuclear history, the partial melt down at Three Mile Island. It was the worst nuclear plant accident ever seen in the United States. Americans were riveted by the events at the Pennsylvania facility and worried that radiation would contaminate the environment. For many, the accident lead to greater skepticism when it comes to nuclear power. After the Three Mile Island incident, the U.S. backed off licensing any new nuclear power plants, but now President Bush wants to change that. With utilities squeezing more megawatts out of existing facilities, he wants to jump start the industry. The president is backing an energy plan which calls for the construction of at least one nuclear plant by 2010. And coming up at 6:00 p.m. Eastern, we'll explore a grim reality of nuclear power safety in a post September 11 world. There are always concerns about terrorism. We'll hear from an expert about the protection of nuclear plants in the United States. For years, the people of Addison, Alabama have complained of health problems that they say were caused by chemicals spewed by a nearby plant. They settled with the plant for hundreds of millions of dollars, but much of the money ended up in the pockets of lawyers instead of their own. CNN's David Mattingly reports.</s>DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Every day of her life, Sylvia Curry of Anniston, Alabama has lived in the shadow of a chemical plant. Her strongest memories are of the smell.`</s>SYLVIA CURRY, ANNISTON RESIDENT: You can't describe the smell it was so bad.</s>MATTINGLY: But Curry and her neighbors now know there was something much worse in the air, in the soil and in the water: dangerous amount of PCBs, a chemical Curry believes killed her husband with cancer, caused her son's skin disorder and gave her cancer, as well.</s>CURRY: I'm very tired. Like I'm just drained a lot.</s>MATTINGLY: But last September, Curry and thousands of others in two class action lawsuits were awarded a staggering $700 million, paid by the plant owner Solutia and previous owner Monsanto. (on camera): Anniston residents, wanting long term healthcare and the means to move out of this neighborhood were elated. Some believed that the problems were over. They were wrong.</s>CURRY: We didn't get nothing but spills. That's exactly what we got.</s>MATTINGLY (voice-over): What started as $700 million soon diminished. $100 million was earmarked for environmental cleanup and a free health clinic. Then it was split between two sets of plaintiffs. The judge awarded attorneys on one side, $120 million. Leaving some plaintiffs an average of only about $700,000. Compare, the $29 million alone to Johnnie Cochran who handled the litigation and $34 million to the lead Alabama attorney Jere Beasely.</s>JERE BEASLEY, PLAINTIFFS' ATTORNEY: The judge found that the fee was necessary, reasonable, and because of the complexity and difficulty of - set the fee at this figure.</s>CURRY: They didn't come in here for the community. They come in here for themselves. They got it and they're gone.</s>MATTINGLY: Angry plaintiffs are complaining to the judge and the attornes. In a letter, Johnny Cochran said he would consult with other attorneys and the judge for provide clarification. Meanwhile, had her husband lived, Sylvia Curry would be now celebrating her 33rd wedding anniversary. Instead, she wonders if she'll see enough of the settlement to move away in hopes of prolonging her own life. David Mattingly, CNN, Anniston, Alabama.