Host of organizations strongly oppose privatization of the Tennessee Valley Authority: Public power belongs to the people

Tennessee Valley - Following recent public concern that the administration may be working to replace the Tennessee Valley Authority's CEO with pro-privatization leadership, Energy Alabama, Appalachian Voices, Sierra Club, Third Act Tennessee, Sunrise Movement Nashville, Tennessee Interfaith Power and Light, Tennessee Alliance for Progress, Climate Nashville, Climate Reality Project: Memphis and Mid-South Regional Chapters, and Climate Reality Project: Nashville Chapter strongly oppose any effort to privatize the Tennessee Valley Authority, and condemn privatization as a reckless corporate power grab that threatens the livelihoods, security, and financial well-being of millions of families, businesses and communities across the Southeast.

"TVA was originally created because the private sector failed rural America," said Daniel Tait, Executive Director of Energy Alabama. "Turning TVA over to private, for-profit interests would mean higher electricity rates, destruction and loss of access to outdoor recreation areas, and other devastating consequences for families and businesses across the Tennessee Valley."

"Any attempt to privatize TVA is a direct assault on the people of the Tennessee Valley, and flies in the face of the long-standing, bipartisan support for public power in this region," said Bri Knisley, Director of Public Power Campaigns at Appalachian Voices. "No new TVA board nominees should be confirmed unless they have a demonstrated, verifiable commitment to the public power model, and the energy expertise that is needed to guide TVA under its mission. We thank Sens. Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty for committing to defend TVA from privatization, and urge them to block any board nominees who do not commit to keep TVA in the hands of the people it serves."

"Privatizing TVA would be devastating to families all across TVA's service region," said Bonnie Swinford, Organizing Strategist at Sierra Club. "At a time when our communities can least afford it, hardworking families in the Tennessee Valley would see monthly bills go up while private energy companies and their millionaire CEOs pocket the profits. This sort of blatant and transparent wealth transfer would be nothing short of highway robbery. Our community will continue to make our voices heard and make it clear that our power belongs to us, not private companies."

Background:

Privatization = higher rates, higher bills, less accountability

Privatizing TVA would hand over critical public assets, including power plants, transmission lines, dams, parks, lakes, trails and other recreational areas to corporations that serve shareholders, not communities. This would lead to skyrocketing utility bills, reduced service quality, a loss of local control over vital energy infrastructure and loss of access to free or low-cost recreational opportunities. Not to mention the loss of functional landscapes that save all of us money, along with the destruction of critical habitat for wildlife.

Investor-owned utilities routinely charge customers substantially more than public power utilities. Alabama Power, a private for-profit utility, charges its residential customers 40% more than Huntsville Utilities, which buys from TVA. TVA uses a portion of its revenue to reinvest into economic development, flood management, environmental stewardship and many other critical programs that would be lost or become much more expensive if the utility were privatized.

TVA is fully self-sustaining and does not add to the federal deficit

TVA's sales of electricity fully fund TVA operations. TVA does not receive appropriations from the federal budget and its bonds are not a federal obligation. Privatizing TVA will not lower the federal deficit, but it will burden the 10 million people living and working in the Tennessee Valley with higher costs.

A dangerous national security gamble

Selling off TVA's power and dam infrastructure is not only irresponsible, it is a grave national security risk. The Tennessee Valley is home to numerous critical military bases that employ hundreds of thousands of people, and TVA has underpinned America's defense operations across the region. Selling TVA to the highest bidder would jeopardize the energy infrastructure serving missile defense systems, FBI operations and space missions, placing it in the hands of private interests who answer to shareholders, not the American people. Once that control is gone, we can't get it back.

We paid for TVA, they want to steal it

TVA belongs to the people. Our communities paid for it and maintained it, and we rely on it every day. Privatization is nothing more than an attempt to steal public assets for private profit.

No confidence in nominees until TVA is protected

We also oppose all current and future TVA board nominees who are not committed to the public power model. We oppose any nominee who supports privatization, and refuse to support any leadership that would sell out our communities.

We urge residents across the entire Tennessee Valley to stand with us in defending public ownership of TVA. Public power belongs to the people and we intend to keep it that way.

About the Sierra Club

The Sierra Club is America's largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit https://www.sierraclub.org.