Electric bills are out of control in the Tennessee Valley. At the end of August, the Tennessee Valley Authority announced a 5.25% rate increase for customers of the federal utility. This increase is on top of the 4.5% increase approved last year. 

That’s almost 10% in two years! 

TVA is making it harder for customers to make ends meet because it is stubbornly clinging to plans for a massive methane gas expansion. During the past few years, TVA has proposed eight new methane gas plants that require hundreds of miles of pipelines to deliver gas to the plants.

Methane gas would increase costs for TVA customers because of its unstable price on the international gas market. Since TVA passes its fuel costs on to customers, electric bills are skyrocketing in the region.

It looks like TVA isn’t working to improve the situation for its customers. This past September, TVA released its draft plan for how it will meet growing energy demand during the next 25 years by doubling down on fossil fuel use instead of opting for cleaner, more affordable renewable energy options. 

TVA’s Integrated Resource Plan, or IRP,  would not only likely increase the cost of electricity in the region, it will also affect the utility’s ability to provide a steady, reliable supply of energy. Remember the rolling blackouts from Winter Storm Elliot? Most of the power plants that went offline during the Christmas 2022 storm, which contributed to power outages for millions of electricity customers in the Eastern half of the country, were methane gas plants.

Don’t you think that as the country’s largest public utility with 10 million customers across seven states, TVA should provide affordable electricity to its customers? In fact, it is required by law to do so. The U.S. Energy Policy Act of 1992 directs TVA to provide adequate and reliable power to its customers at the lowest cost.

And as a PUBLIC utility, don’t you think TVA should make itself more accountable to its customers? Unlike many of TVA’s neighboring utility companies, TVA is not regulated by a public utilities commission. Other utility companies submit their IRPs, which identify and prepare energy options to meet new electricity demand, to the state’s public utilities commission. Normally, the commission reviews the IRP by inviting stakeholders and third-party experts to give feedback. 

The IRP process was initiated in the 1980s to include meaningful public input to create better outcomes for customers and the environment. But we don’t have that with TVA’s IRP. 

Instead, the TVA holds open houses in its service area to present its IRP to customers. There’s no independent public utilities commission or process for third-party experts to balance or counter TVA’s narrative. Instead, customers are only given TVA’s position.

It isn’t fair to customers that TVA doesn’t engage in a more transparent and meaningful  process with the public. As the region’s energy provider, TVA plays a big role in people’s lives. When TVA maps out where electricity will come from and how much power it will need to generate for the next 25 years, it should involve the public. 

People have an opportunity to let TVA know how they feel about its plans. TVA’s open houses for its draft IRP are underway and are scheduled to occur through December 5. Attend an open house — or if you can’t make it, sign this petition calling on TVA to draft an IRP that uses clean and affordable energy sources!