Press Mention The Knoxville News-Sentinel February 3, 1988
SACE Quoted
TVA chief, coalition to meet
In this mention
The Tennessee Valley Energy Coalition, as part of a 42-group coalition, will meet with new TVA Chairman Marvin Runyon on February 15 to question him on environmental, rate, and transparency issues. TVEC director Mark Siegel expresses concern that Runyon has restructured the TVA board to allow decisions to be made internally rather than publicly.
It seems they're trying to keep items off the board agenda and have them decided within the organization rather than publicly
Mark Siegel
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TVA chief, coalition to meet
After more than a six-month wait, a valleywide citizens group will finally get to question Marvin Runyon, TVA's new chairman, on Feb. 15 about his views on the environment, rates and openness.
Eight to 10 core members of the Tennessee Valley Authority Board Coalition will meet with Runyon that day in Nashville, said Mark Siegel, director of the Tennessee Valley Energy Coalition.
TVEC is one of 42 groups making up the coalition, which includes minorities, retirees and environmental groups, as well as the League of Women Voters and the National Organization for Women.
The coalition has a list of 20 questions it puts to all nominees to the TVA board. Runyon, former president of Nissan USA in Smyrna, Tenn., until now refused to answer the questions. Members of the coalition testified at Runyon's Senate confirmation hearing and said they opposed his appointment because they did not have enough information to approve his views.
Siegel still questions how open Runyon will be, especially after he changed the structure of the three-member TVA board to allow members to settle minor issues without bringing them before the public.
"It seems they're trying to keep items off the board agenda and have them decided within the organization rather than publicly," Siegel said.