Tennessee Valley Authority must commit to 100% clean energy, align with Biden climate goals

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The federally owned Tennessee Valley Authority must align its energy planning with President Biden’s recent executive order requiring that the federal electricity sector completely decarbonize by 2035, energy justice groups said today in a letter to the public utility’s board of directors.

“TVA must change course immediately to address the climate emergency and meet President Biden’s urgent call to action,” said Gaby Sarri-Tobar, energy justice campaigner at the Center for Biological Diversity. “TVA’s electricity plans show no urgency to cut emissions, phase out poisonous fossil fuels, or diminish the unbearable energy burden felt by its customers, many of whom are Black and low-wealth. TVA board members are defying the president and worsening the climate crisis by failing to act.”

In advance of the board’s Feb. 11 meeting, the Center, Energy Alabama, Appalachian Voices and 10 other organizations demanded that the TVA board immediately commit to 100% clean and renewable energy by 2030.

“The TVA board has lost sight of its New Deal era roots and TVA’s prioritization of expensive and unnecessary coal and gas are threatening the very existence of the agency right when we need its bold action the most,” said Daniel Tait, chief operating officer of Energy Alabama. “TVA once led the country on clean energy development and earned its place as the nation’s iconic federal utility. It’s well past time for TVA to again set the federal example and get back to work for everyone in the Valley.”

TVA generates just 4% of electricity from solar, wind and energy efficiency. The utility plans to emit more than 34 million tons of carbon dioxide a year by 2038, according to its own projections. TVA is set to retire less than a quarter of its current coal fleet by 2030, and just this month announced plans to expand fossil fuel operations at two dirty gas plants.

“TVA should be modeling a rapid transition to zero carbon energy that also centers its union workforce. Instead, TVA continues to make expensive, dirty decisions, and now several local power companies are seeking a cheaper power provider, which may jeopardize jobs for our local unions,” said Brianna Knisley, Appalachian Voices’ Tennessee campaign coordinator. “Instead of making decisions that harm our environment and drive up energy costs, TVA should follow Biden’s executive orders and invest in clean and efficient projects that will bring energy equity and green job growth to the Valley.”

TVA’s actions jeopardize the utility’s long-term outlook as local power companies face rate spikes and diminished access to cheaper, cleaner energy. The Center recently intervened in a complaint filed by local power companies dissatisfied that TVA is blocking them from purchasing cheaper power from other suppliers. The companies are asking FERC to let them defect.

Last week Biden removed former President Trump’s nominations to the TVA board, so Biden will have four opportunities this spring to appoint clean-energy champions.

TVA is a federally owned corporation and the nation’s largest public power provider. It generates electricity for more than 9 million customers in Tennessee, northern Alabama, northeastern Mississippi, southwestern Kentucky, and portions of northern Georgia, western North Carolina and southwestern Virginia.

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Appalachian Voices is a leading nonprofit advocate for a healthy environment and just economy in the Appalachian region, and a driving force in America’s shift from fossil fuels to a clean energy future.

Energy Alabama is a membership-based nonprofit organization accelerating Alabama’s transition to sustainable energy. We accomplish our mission by educating at all levels, informing smart energy policy, building the next generation workforce, and providing technical assistance to deploy more sustainable energy. We believe in sustainable energy for all.