External Stakeholder Group Assists TVA with Power Planning

Aug. 31, 2009

TVA has established a group of opinion leaders from across the Tennessee Valley region to provide additional input as TVA charts its options for meeting the region’s electricity needs for the next 20 years.

TVA is developing a new Integrated Resource Plan called TVA’s Environmental and Energy Future. The plan will outline various sources for producing electricity, their costs and reliability and their potential impacts on the environment.

TVA conducted public meetings in July and August to encourage members of the public to provide input on the various options for generating power. TVA will use that input as it develops a draft IRP for further public comment in early 2010.

In addition, TVA has asked a cross-section of opinion leaders from industry, government, education, environmental groups and distributors of TVA power to share their views and priorities about TVA’s power generation plans. The 14-member Stakeholder Review Group will serve as an information source, coordination mechanism and professional review group.

“We appreciate the participation of all members of this external stakeholder team in the important work to develop the IRP,” says Randy Johnson, IRP project manager. “Their perspectives will help us create a more inclusive plan by providing real-time public input. We also invite Valley residents and businesses to continue to share their comments through these opinion leaders.”

Members of the public can submit written comments to the Stakeholder Review Group. TVA will forward copies of all comments directed to the external stakeholder group to all members of that group.

TVA and the Stakeholder Review Group will occasionally host public comment sessions to receive additional input on specific topics. These sessions will be announced in the news media and posted on the TVA IRP Web site. The minutes of the group’s meetings and various presentations also appear on the site.

The following members of the public serve on the group:

Lance Brown, Executive Director
Partnership for Affordable Clean Energy
Montgomery, Alabama

Dana Christensen, Associate Director
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Oak Ridge, Tennessee

Ryan Gooch, Director, Energy Policy
TN Dept. of Economic and Community Development
Nashville, Tennessee

Richard Holland, Tennessee Paper Council
Nashville, Tennessee

George Kitchens, General Manager
Joe Wheeler Electric Membership Corporation
Trinity, Alabama

Henry List, Deputy Secretary
Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet
Frankfort, Kentucky

David McKinney, Environmental Services Division Chief
Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency
Nashville, Tennessee

Jerry Paul, Distinguished Fellow on Energy Policy
Howard Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy
Knoxville, Tennessee

David Reister
Sierra Club
Knoxville, Tennessee

Jan Simek, Acting President
University of Tennessee
Knoxville, Tennessee

Jack Simmons, President and CEO
Tennessee Valley Public Power Association
Chattanooga, Tennessee

Stephen Smith, Executive Director
Southern Alliance for Clean Energy
Knoxville, Tennessee

Lloyd Webb, Tennessee Valley Industrial Committee
Cleveland, Tennessee

Deborah Woolley, President
Tennessee Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Nashville, Tennessee

TVA is the nation’s largest public power provider and is completely self-financing. TVA provides power to large industries and 158 power distributors that serve approximately 9 million consumers in seven southeastern states. TVA also creates economic development opportunities and manages the Tennessee River and its tributaries to provide multiple benefits, including flood damage reduction, navigation, water quality and recreation.

Media Contact

Laura Smith, Knoxville, (865) 632-8287
TVA News Bureau, Knoxville, (865) 632-6000

TVA Newsroom