Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton (R-Crossville) revealed on Tuesday that the Tennessee General Assembly intends to “explore every option available” with regard to reforming Nashville Electric Service (NES) amid the utility’s prolonged power outages following Winter Storm Fern, as internal policies and operational priorities exposed in the wake of the outages have drawn sharp scrutiny from state and local leaders.
.@NESpower’s lack of a strategic disaster relief plan, pro-tree canopy policy and being more concerned about a DEI contract renewal – all of which jeopardized public safety – requires executive management to be fired and the board to be replaced. In contrast, our rural electric…
— Speaker Cameron Sexton (@CSexton25) February 3, 2026
In a post on X, Sexton sharply criticized NES’ executive management and its board of directors, accusing the utility of lacking a strategic disaster relief plan and prioritizing policies that he said “jeopardized” public safety.
“[NES’] lack of a strategic disaster relief plan, pro-tree canopy policy and being more concerned about a DEI contract renewal – all of which jeopardized public safety – requires executive management to be fired and the board to be replaced,” Sexton said.
The Speaker contrasted NES’ restoration approach and storm preparedness to that of other “rural electric cooperatives,” which he said “focused on the customer, was much more prepared, had more lineman and showed exactly how to work to effectively and efficiently to restore power.”
“The General Assembly will explore every option available with the stance NES cannot stay the same. NES failed not some customers, but all,” Sexton added.
Members of the NES Board of Directors are appointed by Nashville’s mayor and subject to confirmation by the Metro Nashville Council.
Sexton’s post follows mounting criticism from leaders and activists who have called for state intervention in NES governance, including proposals to restructure or replace the board, expand state oversight, or remove executive leadership altogether.
Tuesday marked the 10th day of outages for tens of thousands of NES customers. At noon, NES’ website showed 17,216 customers were without power.
NES serves roughly 470,000 customers across Davidson County and six surrounding counties.
On Monday, Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell issued Executive Order 58 establishing a 2026 Winter Storm Response Commission to review NES’ preparation for and response to the winter storm.
The nine-member commission, appointed by O’Connell, is granted broad investigatory authority, including the ability to hold hearings, compel testimony, and request documents, with initial findings due within six months and a final report expected within one year.
Reporting by The Tennessee Star into NES amid the outages has shed light on the utility’s leadership priorities under CEO Teresa Broyles-Aplin.
In August 2025, Broyles-Aplin publicly stated that the utility employs a restrained, species-specific approach to tree trimming to preserve Nashville’s urban tree canopy. She said at the time that she did not want crews “out destroying the canopy.”
Further, The Star reported that NES cut the amount it spent on contracted tree trimming services by more than $7 million in 2024 under Broyles-Aplin’s leadership and, during that same period, the utility expanded its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, conducting more than 100 DEI training sessions in 2024 and continuing contracts with DEI consultants during the peak of outages last week.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
Photo “Cameron Sexton” by Cameron Sexton.
