Three Biden appointees to the Tennessee Valley Authority board have stalled in the U.S. Senate confirmation process. With a new Congress and new presidential administration set to take power in January, President-Elect Trump could take office with three immediate vacancies, a third of the nine-member controlling authority responsible for overseeing one of the country’s largest public utilities.
On Nov. 21, Biden submitted Beth Harwell, the Republican former speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives, and Brian Noland, president of East Tennessee State University, both of whom previously served TVA terms that expired in May. They joined Patrice Robinson, a former Memphis city councilmember, who has been awaiting confirmation since September 2023.
All three nominees await hearings in the Senate Environmental and Public Works Committee. Robinson would be the board’s only Black member and the only board member from West Tennessee. Noland and Harwell, both initially nominated by Trump in early 2020, sat for TVA’s Nov. 7 board meeting even though their terms officially expired in May.Â
The Senate EPW Committee has no meetings scheduled between now and Jan. 3, when the new Republican-controlled body starts business under the leadership of incoming GOP Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota.
Scenarios show natural gas buildout as an increasing environmental, economic and political liability
Chartered as a New Deal agency in 1933, the TVA holds a power generation portfolio that includes hydroelectric dams, coal-fired power plants, gas-fired power plants, nuclear energy, and renewable energy like solar and wind. The utility sells electricity to more than 150 local power companies — including the Nashville Electric Service — across seven states. Executives are currently developing a new Integrated Resource Plan, which charts TVA’s growth through 2050.
The agency currently faces criticism from environmental advocates and local power companies for favoring natural gas combustion over renewable energy sources. TVA’s goal for net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 doesn’t comply with existing federal mandates against carbon pollution. Nashville lost a key point of negotiating leverage when it signed a 20-year contract with TVA in 2019.Â
“Given the structure of TVA and local power company (LPC) contracts, the generation decisions made by TVA significantly influence our ability to meet our climate goals,” wrote Kendra Abkowitz, a sustainability officer for Mayor Freddie O’Connell, to the TVA on Dec. 11. “While there are actions that can be taken at the local level, achieving Nashville’s climate goals will require TVA to more intentionally pursue decarbonization of its energy system.”
Board members serve four-year terms and answer to the executive branch, allowing the president to vacate positions at will. Trump abruptly dismissed two board members in 2020 over an outsourcing dispute; he was also vocally critical of TVA CEO Jeff Lyash’s $8 million compensation package, the highest for any federal employee. Lyash took home $10.5 million this year.
A spokesperson for the TVA declined the Scene's request for comment.
