by Aaron Gulbransen
For decades, the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) operated with the noble promise of bringing affordable, reliable energy to the people of Tennessee. While covering all of Tennessee, it also serves a larger seven state region including portions of Alabama, Mississippi, Kentucky, Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia. However, today it’s clear that TVA – a federal entity – has drifted far from its original mission. What was once a respected public utility has become an unaccountable bureaucracy – plagued by mismanagement, bloated salaries and misplaced priorities – including a focus on green energy and woke policies like fully embracing far-left ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) initiatives and net-zero.
Unfortunately, Tennessee families, small businesses and communities are bearing the brunt of the cost of these misguided policies – largely in the form of double-digit energy price increases over the past few years. Most recently, TVA’s failures were on full display when it issued emergency alerts warning that it might not meet power demand during cold snaps. Sound familiar? It should. In 2022, TVA’s inability to manage winter power loads caused rolling blackouts across the state, shutting off heat to thousands of homes and even delaying a Tennessee Titans game.
These are not isolated incidents. They are signs of systemic dysfunction. Instead of investing in critical energy infrastructure, TVA has spent years raising rates and inflating executive compensation. In just the past two years, electricity rates have climbed nearly 10% – a painful squeeze on households already struggling with inflation and high grocery bills.
Meanwhile, TVA’s former CEO earned more than $10 million annually, which made him the highest-paid federal employee in the country. For instance, the President of the United States has a salary of $400,000 a year – the TVA CEO makes 25 times that as a government employee. That figure alone speaks volumes. While Tennesseans were sitting in the cold and paying more at the meter, TVA leadership enjoyed seven to eight-figure salaries and bonuses. It’s the kind of federal mismanagement that makes taxpayers furious – and rightfully so.
Thankfully, leaders are taking notice. Tennessee’s U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty called on President Donald Trump to intercede, citing TVA’s failures. Their message is clear: the people of Tennessee deserve better, and TVA must be held accountable.
Accountability starts with returning TVA to its core purpose: delivering affordable, reliable and dependable energy. Instead, it’s been distracted by political trends and questionable ventures. One glaring example: TVA’s rush toward so-called green energy has come at the expense of reliability. The agency has prematurely shut down reliable power plants without viable replacements, leaving the grid vulnerable during peak demand. Responsible innovation is one thing. Reckless, performative green energy policy is another.
And, TVA is doing all this with barely any oversight. Several seats on its nine-member board remain unfilled – in fact, the board currently lacks a quorum. A utility of this size that impacts millions of lives and billions in economic activity, should not be flying solo. President Trump, along with input from Senator Blackburn and Senator Hagerty, should make filling the TVA board vacancies a priority and make sure new board members share their vision to realign TVA’s priorities back to producing affordable and reliable energy, full stop.
Tennessee is growing. We are attracting new industries, building new homes and expanding communities. That growth requires dependable and abundant energy – now more than ever. Businesses making decisions about where to invest and hire demand reliable power, not rolling blackouts. Thanks to TVA’s mismanagement, Tennessee’s economic momentum could stall if power is not readily available for our continued growth.
The Tennessee Valley Authority must change. Including, supporting Governor Bill Lee’s focus to make Tennessee the leader in nuclear energy.
We need TVA leadership that respects the people’s money, ensures the lights stay on and puts essential services above woke politics. If TVA won’t reform itself, then it’s up to the President, federal lawmakers, governors and we the people to force that change.
Tennessee deserves a utility that works. It’s time to demand better – and stop accepting TVA’s hollow excuses.
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Aaron Gulbransen serves as CEO of the The Tennessee Conservatives Coalition.
Photo “TVA” by Tennessee Valley Authority.
After a friend in TX suffered frozen pipes and extensive water damage as a result of the TX electrical grid failure, I have been very sensitive to what appears to be the increasing unreliability of the TVA electrical power. It is foolish to embrace green energy to the detriment of reliable power sources. To avoid what my friend suffered through in TX, I have since installed a whole house back up generator in the anticipation TVA will not be able to keep up with demand during high peak periods exacerbated by frigid or scorching weather.
It’s about time someone looked into the TVA mess.
Are Biden’s dimmercrap board appointees still in place?