Obama tries again with Brown nomination to TVA

Obama tries again with Brown nomination to TVA
Written by Paul C. Barton Gannett Washington Bureau
Apr. 01

WASHINGTON — Angering Tennessee's two Republican senators, President Barack Obama again wants Senate consideration of energy efficiency expert

Marilyn Brown for a full term on the Tennessee Valley Authority Board of Directors.

The nomination, sent to Capitol Hill Thursday night, comes more than two months after Sens. Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker used Senate procedures to block Obama's previous attempt to appoint her to a six-year term.

Brown, who came to the board in 2010 to fill out the a vacated term and served through the end of 2012, is widely recognized for her expertise in energy efficiency

and other "sustainable" energy policies. She teaches in Georgia Tech's School of Public Policy after formerly working for the Department of Energy at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

"This is another example of the Obama White House not listening," Alexander said in a statement Friday.

"I told the White House in advance that the TVA board needs a nominee with a better understanding of the relationship between low electricity rates and better jobs in the Tennessee Valley. The Senate now has the responsibility to exercise its constitutional role of advice

and consent on the nominee."

Corker was even more critical.

"TVA needs leaders who enthusiastically support the mission of producing economical electricity and have an abiding appreciation of its important economic development role and impact on the well-being of Valley residents," he said.

"Unfortunately, during my discussions with Dr. Brown, it was clear she does not share that point of view."

Despite their irritation, the senators did not say whether they would again block her name from coming to the Senate floor.

But Stephen Smith, executive director of the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, said the statements leave little to doubt

"I think it was a pretty clear signal," he said in an interview.

But the two senators need to be even more specific about why they don't find her qualified, he said.

"If you are not going to allow it (the nomination), you owe it to the people of the Tennessee Valley," Smith said. "This doesn't make any sense."

Alexander and Corker took her name out of a long list of presidential appointments that the Senate considered on Jan. 1.

Brown herself could not be reached for comment Friday.

Smith and spokesmen for other energy conservation groups said Brown brought a unique perspective to the TVA board.

On Friday, they applauded Obama's decision to send her name back to the Senate.

"TVA needs a fully functional board of highly-qualified individuals with diverse backgrounds as the agency makes critical decisions about how energy is produced and consumed in the Tennessee Valley while protecting the region's natural resources," Smith said.

"We reject petty politics and personality differences as legitimate reasons for blocking her confirmation."

Kateri Callahan of the Washington-based Alliance to Save Energy said she disagreed with Alexander's contention that Brown is not familiar enough with the Tennessee Valley.

"I think she has a keen understanding of electricity issues regionally and nationally," Callahan said. "He (Obama) has picked an excellent nominee for the TVA board."

Callahan added: "She knows the region. She knows the people. She served the TVA extremely well in her first term."

Environmentalists were upset with Alexander and Corker in January because they wouldn't explain what aspects of Brown's background made her unqualified for a seat on the board.

Energy efficiency refers to a partnership between energy companies and their customers to provide the same service through the use of less energy.

Customers, often responding to financial incentives provided by utilities, take steps such as using more energy-efficient light bulbs and appliances, installing better insulation and window panes and weatherizing doors. Utilities themselves look to run their power plants more efficiently through better maintenance and other steps.

Clean energy advocates see efficiency efforts and conservation as a means of making construction of new power plants – either nuclear or fossil fuel – unnecessary, saving ratepayers billions of dollars over a decade or more.

Criticisms of energy efficiency abound as well, including charges that the energy price savings

achieved through efficiency measures just lead to more consumption – what's called the "rebound effect."

Some conservatives and tea party members contend energy efficiency is a prelude to government-directed "social engineering."

Contact Paul C. Barton at pbarton@gannett.com.