The Environmental Journal of Southern Appalachia
Monday, 07 February 2022 16:52

TVA reopens public meetings to .... the public

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3D2A2F6C B919 4295 B244 36D48A4BF9BD 1 105 cA public demonstration in September 2021 in Market Square in Knoxville demanding TVA resume public meetings with reasonable pandemic safeguards. Courtesy Southern Alliance for Clean Energy

After pandemic starts and stutters, TVA finally allows personal public input at meetings

KNOXVILLE

For the first time in nearly two years, the publicly owned Tennessee Valley Authority will host a public listening session on the day prior to its next board of directors meeting.

Since shifting to virtual board meetings in 2020, TVA diverged from other utilities across the country by not holding a single virtual public listening session. In addition, written comments submitted by ratepayers prior to board meetings have not been shared with the media or the public. 

Members and advocates with the Tennessee Valley Energy Democracy Movement held a demonstration outside of TVA’s headquarters during its last TVA board meeting in November, delivering nearly 4,000 written comments that called on the utility to hold virtual public listening sessions and to transition to 100 percent clean energy by 2030. During that same meeting, the TVA board voted to delegate decision-making authority on the future of the Kingston and Cumberland coal plants to TVA CEO Jeff Lyash

The February TVA listening session, set for Feb. 9, will occur in Bowling Green, Kentucky, and public participation will be limited because of COVID safety concerns. The event will not be streamed.

The Tennessee Valley Energy Democracy Movement encourages ratepayers to safely participate in the session and continues to call on TVA to offer virtual participation options for accessible and transparent public input during listening sessions.

What: TVA Public Listening Session

Who: Open to the public

When: Wednesday, Feb. 9, 2 p.m. (Central Time)

Where: Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green

Convened in 2019, the Tennessee Valley Energy Democracy Movement is a collaborative of organizations, community groups and citizens working to bring democracy to the Tennessee Valley Authority energy system and transform it from the bottom up. Learn more at www.energydemocracyyall.org

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Last modified on Thursday, 16 June 2022 22:15