TVA can remain 'positive force'

Dr. Stephen Smith, Executive Director
Tennessee Valley Energy Reform Coalition

TVA can remain 'positive force'

Anyone with roots in the Tennessee
Valley knows that TVA has a history of
responding successfully to the chal-
lenges placed before its people. We
have seen it time and time again over
TVA's 65 years. Although there have
been rough times and mistakes, the
Tennessee Valley and the nation have
benefited from the "living laboratory"
known as TVA.

Today TVA and our nation face a
new set of challenges. On the nation-
al scale, restructuring of the industry
will tax the creativity and efficiency of
all TVA employees from the Boardroom
to the boiler room. All within TVA will
need to be able to put aside old ways
of thinking and look forward to antici-
pating and preparing for the needs of
our country and our valley.

National leaders will have to make
sure all customers, employees and the
environment benefit from increased com-
petition and not allow the largest compa-
nies and their shareholders to "make out
like bandits" at the expense of many.

The best strategy for TVA's assured
survival as a federal entity will be to
focus on filling a unique niche in the
energy services of this nation. This
means leadership in areas that have
value, not only to our region, but also
to the country and the world.

As a "living laboratory," TVA is
uniquely qualified to meet the chal-
lenges of cleaner-energy technologies
while managing the nation's fifth-
largest river system. With this as a
focus, TVA could aid our region by
helping people and business be more
energy-efficient, as well as helping the
economy by spotlighting our clean nat-
ural environment and the tourist and
recreation dollars that flow with clean
air and water.

On the national level, TVA could
take the lead in the challenges of glob-
al warming and clean-fuel technology,
boldly embracing these challenges and
going forward ahead of the others in
the industry. Switching fuel from dirty
coal to gas, fuel cells and renewable
energy — the power choices of the
future — TVA should be there first.

By responding to the challenges of
the 21st century as an agency that has
successfully met the challenges of the
20th century, TVA could continue to be a
positive force for change for years to
come.