Tennessee Valley Authority Board of Directors Reclaims Decision-Making Authority on the Retirement and Replacement of the Kingston Coal Plant at Their May Board Meeting

Norris, TN — Just now, the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Board of Directors held their May board meeting where they voted to reclaim their decision-making authority on the retirement and replacement of the Kingston coal plant.

In Response the Clean Up TVA Coalition released the following statement:

“The 15 organizations of the Clean Up TVA Coalition applaud the TVA Board for correcting the misguided decision by the previous Board to hand over decision-making authority of the Kingston coal plant to CEO Jeff Lyash, an outspoken proponent of fossil gas. However, the Board’s action today does not go far enough.

“We continue to be disappointed that the Board failed to exert its oversight responsibility in TVA’s decision to force a large gas power plant and pipeline on communities that have been clear they do not want them. We are hopeful that the Board will use its oversight responsibility in the Kingston decision for a better outcome. TVA leadership is justifying its gas buildout on reliability, but as we all saw last year during Winter Storm Elliott’s Christmas Eve blackouts, gas is anything but reliable. With further oversight, the TVA Board can and should prevent further dangerous and unnecessary gas buildout decisions.”

TVA is a federally-owned corporation that generates electricity for nearly 10 million customers in Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Kentucky, Georgia, North Carolina, and Virginia.

###

The Clean Up TVA coalition is committed to transforming TVA into a green utility by shutting down coal plants, preventing new fossil gas development, and accelerating a just transition to fossil fuel-free, distributed renewable, affordable, and democratic energy for all communities and workers in the Tennessee Valley.