New TVA board must refocus on reliability, affordability and accountability | Opinion

• The author argues the Tennessee Valley Authority has strayed from its core mission of providing reliable and affordable energy.
• New board members nominated by President Donald Trump are urged to refocus the agency on power generation.
• TVA should resist “side projects” like green energy, ESG goals, and government broadband.

As Tennessee, and six other southern states, prepare to welcome a new slate of Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) board members nominated by President Donald Trump, our state faces a pivotal moment for one of its most important public institutions.

TVA was created to serve a simple, vital purpose — to provide reliable, affordable energy to the people of our Tennessee Valley region. But over the years, that mission has drifted.

Too often, TVA has strayed into side projects that have little to do with keeping the lights on and everything to do with expanding the government’s reach. It’s time for that to change. With new leadership coming in alongside a vision cast by Trump and our two U.S. Senators, Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty, TVA has a chance to return to what it does best: providing affordable energy that powers Tennessee’s homes, businesses and industries.

The stakes could not be higher. From families trying to pay rising power bills, which seem to increase year over year, to small businesses struggling with inflation and energy costs, reliability and affordability aren’t abstract policy goals —they’re kitchen table issues. When the cost of electricity goes up, the cost of everything else follows.

TVA at risk of power shortages again this winter

And, according to Sen. Bill Hagerty, TVA’s failures are now a “limiting factor” on economic development projects in Tennessee. Not to mention the rolling brownouts we’ve experienced over the past few years — which TVA now anticipates will continue going forward.

That’s why the largely new TVA board, once approved by the U.S. Senate, should make one goal crystal clear: TVA’s job is to produce dependable energy at the lowest possible cost, not follow liberal trends, pursue pet projects or build new bureaucracies.

In recent years, TVA’s focus has too often shifted away from its statutory mission. Take broadband and other non-core ventures for example. They stretch TVA’s expertise, resources and legal boundaries. This kind of “mission creep” doesn’t help Tennessee families — it burdens them.

The truth is, government-run projects in spaces like broadband have consistently failed to deliver on their promises. Across the country, liberal pet projects like this have been riddled with cost overruns, low participation rates and disappointing results. They sound good on paper, but in reality, they waste taxpayer dollars and crowd out private providers that can do the job better and faster — all why putting the taxpayer on the long-term hook for repairs, upgrades and other network needs.

Tennessee’s Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) funding decisions offer a cautionary tale. Every state will receive federal funds to expand broadband access, but states must decide how those funds are spent. Here in Tennessee, the right choice is to prioritize free-market solutions that empower private providers to compete and innovate — not to expand the footprint of government-run networks that history tells us are unsustainable.

When TVA stays in its lane, Tennessee prospers

The same principle should guide TVA. The board’s first responsibility should be to the ratepayers – the people of Tennessee who depend on consistent, affordable electricity. That means ensuring every decision made under this new leadership passes a simple test: Does it make energy more reliable and affordable for the people TVA serves? If not, it’s the wrong direction.

Trump’s new nominees have an opportunity – and a responsibility – to restore trust and accountability at TVA. The Senate’s confirmation of these nominees for TVA’s board is a chance to chart a new course for one of Tennessee’s and the larger region’s most influential institutions.

We need board members who will roll up their sleeves, hold the agency accountable and keep TVA focused on what matters: energy independence, affordability and service to the people who actually pay the bills.

With new leadership and renewed focus, it can once again become a model of what government should be – limited, accountable and working for the people.

Walter Blanks Jr. serves as executive director of Black Americans United for Tennessee.