Tennessee Valley Authority Would Be Exempt From US House Energy Bill, Renewables Mandate
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 08. 8.07
How ironic that the TVA, long ago created by the US Congress to bring electricity to the rural South and encourage economic development, now serves a constituency that wishes to be excluded from incentives to develop more cost-effective, clean forms of energy. Maybe they think that climate change only applies 'to the rest of the country'.
"The Tennessee Valley Authority and its distributors are exempt from a key requirement of the energy legislation adopted Saturday by the U.S. House of Representatives. But the Chattanooga-based trade group that lobbies for TVA's distributors and the co-chairman of the TVA Congressional Caucus still opposed the measure. The House voted 220-190 for an amendment to require by 2020 that at least 15 percent of the electricity sold by most utilities must come from renewable sources, including wind, solar and biofuels. U.S. Reps. Tom Udall, D-N.M., and Todd Platts, R-Pa., co sponsors of the amendment, said the measure would help America's energy independence and cut emissions of greenhouse gases linked to global warming. But to gain majority support, the amendment excluded public power agencies, including TVA, municipal utilities such as EPB in Chattanooga or electric co-ops such as the North Georgia Electric Membership Corp. " Via:: Chattanooga Times Free Press Image credit:: Hydrogen Commerce
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I’m a little puzzled there are so few references to the TVA in your archives. Maybe so, but you have taken them to task in this article. You would also think I would be first among tree huggers to be blasting the TVA because of what I’ve written about it.
First, I do not ascribe to the drastic positions your organization has taken or purported to have taken in the name of “green” at any cost. But I do agree with your position on the TVA.
You call it ironic – I call it arrogance of a federal agency gone wild. You say TVA and its constituent lobbyists “wish” to be excluded from a key element of the House passed energy bill. I say, what is a federal agency working with lobby groups lobbying Congress in the first place? TVA is a federal agency and last I heard it was illegal for a federal agency to lobby Congress.
For some time it has been clear to me that the TVA is working counter to the best interests of the American people and to the 8.6 million people who have no choice of an electricity supplier other than TVA.
CEO Tom Kilgore recently has stated that TVA needs to sell more electricity. He most certainly has his wish in the current heat wave. Only a few months ago TVA was bemoaning the fact that revenues were lower than usual. When TVA cites record usage, what they gleefully mean is more dollars to spend.
There is only one solution to the long-standing TVA mess – liquidate – and pay off as much of their $25 billion debt as possible. Investor-owned utilities may have similar rates but at least the states have some control over them.
While researching the TVA for the past two years, I came to realize what an anomaly TVA really is. Not only is it a thorn in the side on the U.S. Constitution, it surely is not market-based economics, it is not a leader in innovative development of renewable sources of energy, and it is dictatorial in its decisions on rate increases. None of the public service commissions in the seven states in TVA’s “service area” has any power to reject whatever rates the TVA chooses.
I’m preparing a book about the TVA; to get an idea of the thrust of it, please see my Website http://norsworthyopinion.com
For the TVA, it’s all about the money. And the mendacity of several congressmen comes shining through.
Ernest Norsworthy
=== author's response follows ====
Interesting comments.
Just a reminder that the post is principally an excerpt of a newspaper article published in Tennessee. I embellished upon the excerpt only by pointing to the direct irony (as your comment expands upon). Later it occurred to me how amazing it is that this is largely about Al Gore's home state.
I’m a little puzzled there are so few references to the TVA in your archives. Maybe so, but you have taken them to task in this article. You would also think I would be first among tree huggers to be blasting the TVA because of what I’ve written about it.
First, I do not ascribe to the drastic positions your organization has taken or purported to have taken in the name of “green” at any cost. But I do agree with your position on the TVA.
You call it ironic – I call it arrogance of a federal agency gone wild. You say TVA and its constituent lobbyists “wish” to be excluded from a key element of the House passed energy bill. I say, what is a federal agency working with lobby groups lobbying Congress in the first place? TVA is a federal agency and last I heard it was illegal for a federal agency to lobby Congress.
For some time it has been clear to me that the TVA is working counter to the best interests of the American people and to the 8.6 million people who have no choice of an electricity supplier other than TVA.
CEO Tom Kilgore recently has stated that TVA needs to sell more electricity. He most certainly has his wish in the current heat wave. Only a few months ago TVA was bemoaning the fact that revenues were lower than usual. When TVA cites record usage, what they gleefully mean is more dollars to spend.
There is only one solution to the long-standing TVA mess – liquidate – and pay off as much of their $25 billion debt as possible. Investor-owned utilities may have similar rates but at least the states have some control over them.
While researching the TVA for the past two years, I came to realize what an anomaly TVA really is. Not only is it a thorn in the side on the U.S. Constitution, it surely is not market-based economics, it is not a leader in innovative development of renewable sources of energy, and it is dictatorial in its decisions on rate increases. None of the public service commissions in the seven states in TVA’s “service area” has any power to reject whatever rates the TVA chooses.
I’m preparing a book about the TVA; to get an idea of the thrust of it, please see my Website http://norsworthyopinion.com
For the TVA, it’s all about the money. And the mendacity of several congressmen comes shining through.
Ernest Norsworthy
"How ironic that the TVA...now serves a constituency that wishes to be excluded from incentives to develop more cost-effective, clean forms of energy"
As a member of the constituency served by TVA I resent the implication that it is the constintuency who "wishes to be excluded'. We have no choice in the matter, and most are probably unaware of it. Don't blame us.