TVA Board Meeting - Listening Session - Environmental Groups' Press Conference

Tennessee Valley Authority Board of Directors Meeting February 16, 2012 in Chattanooga, Tn. (photo by G. Morgan)

TVA Agenda shown above. On demand video link to the Board Meeting: On-demand video (Windows Media) 

TVA Board Chairman Bill Sansom (above) and TVA CEO/President Tom Kilgore (below) (photos by G. Morgan).

TVA slide presentations link: TVA Presentations 

TVA Chief Financial Officer John M. Thomas, III (above) presents the Financial Report (below) (photos by G. Morgan).

"The financial report shows TVA revenues so far this year are down because of milder weather, and a mild second quarter also is expected."

"Milder temperatures and lower prices for purchased power meant TVA used less generation from coal in the first quarter. Coal accounted for 31 percent of generation, with nuclear at 32 percent. Natural gas, hydro, purchased power, renewables and energy efficiency were the balance. TVA announced earlier this month it is idling four coal units at Johnsonville Fossil Plant ahead of schedule."

"Mike Skaggs, TVA senior vice president for Nuclear Construction (pictured above, G. Morgan photo), said two new senior level managers hired at Watts Bar 2 and TVA’s Bellefonte Nuclear Plant Unit 1 “will increase experience levels and improve the span of control. These actions create a more direct line-of-sight to top management.”"

"Skaggs also provided the board with an update on Watts Bar 2, stating that when the review is completed, the result will be a high-confidence cost estimate and milestone schedule."

Watts Bar Issues (analysis = reason for failures)

 "“This review is a rigorous process that will help provide efficiency, productivity and high-quality work as we move toward completion of Watts Bar,” Skaggs said. “We are also developing independent assessments to improve our level of confidence.”"  Full TVA Press Release concerning Board Meeting: http://www.tva.com/news/releases/janmar12/feb_16_board.html

LISTENING SESSION ISSUES

Prior to each board meeting the TVA provides an opportunity for citizens to express concerns. Several Environmental Groups' concerns were represented. 9 environmental groups presented a letter to the TVA Board and the CEO. This letter was covered in area press releases. Report in Scottsboro's Daily Sentinel: http://thedailysentinel.com/news/article_49a58c0e-59cb-11e1-95bf-001871e3ce6c.html

Other issues included: Browns Ferry GE Mark 1 defective reactor and cooling pool design; dangers of Plutonium MOX fuel proposed to be used in the defective Browns Ferry Reactors; biomass inceneration hazards.

County Leaders Voice Frustration With TVA: http://www.newschannel9.com/news/county-1009087-tva-recreation.html


Previous blog listings on the coal ash spills listing dangers, deceit, TVA's negligence etc: http://arklite.blogspot.com/search/label/TVA%20Coal%20Ash%20Spill


Request for the TVA to fulfill its responsibilities under the Federal Sunshine Act.

PRESS CONFERENCE -After the TVA Board Meeting we had a joint Environmental Group Press Conference in front of TVA in Chattanooga, Tn. on Market Street.  Representing, 15,000 members of the endorsing organizations: Tennessee Environmental Council, the Tennessee and Cumberland (Kentucky) Chapters of the Sierra Club, Tennessee Clean Water Network, Tennessee Alliance for Progress, Appalachian Voices, BEST/MATRR, Urban Century Institute, Solar Valley Coalition and the many Valley citizens who wish to see TVA generate more renewable energy.

 Sierra Club Attorney Ms. Mary Mastin (above photo by G. Morgan) delivers group introduction and outline of our request to the TVA Board. "We are concerned about TVA‟s recent changes in its renewable energy incentive programs and with TVA‟s continued failure to fully recognize renewable energy, and particularly solar power, as a viable and substantial part of its energy portfolio. We believe that if TVA committed to developing and achieving greater levels of renewable energy and efficiency, no other new sources of energy generation would be necessary and TVA could further reduce its reliance on dirty and inefficient coal plants," said Ms. Mastin.

Dr. John McFadden, (above photo by G. Morgan)Tennessee Environmental Council Director discusses the advantages of Solar Power and bringing manufactoring jobs to the Tennessee River Valley. Dr McFadden Commented: "The new energy economy is the single best economic engine we have to create jobs and drive ourselves out of the current recession. Solar is a key component of the new energy economy with over 6,000 solar jobs already in Tenn. and more on the way with Sharp, Hemlock and Wacker investing in solar manufacturing jobs."

Bellefonte Efficiency Sustainability Team/Mothers Against Tennessee River Radiation ( http://www.matrr.org ) spokesperson Garry Morgan. (above photo by J. McFadden for Garry Morgan) "“We ask the TVA to implement sustainable-renewable energy technology,” Garry Morgan a member of BEST said. “In our letter we list seven advantages of renewable energy over nuclear and coal power generation options.”

Seven Advantages:

• Unlike nuclear or fossil fuels, wind and solar have no fuel costs. Citizens invest in the purchase and installation of photovoltaic panels for their homes or businesses with their own money. Minimal incentives from TVA and/or the government increases TVA‟s power generation capacity without the huge cost and need for financing of new nuclear power plant construction.

• Savings in transmission lines - Solar power from our own rooftops supplements electricity from big power plants, which has to be transported across long distances with line losses and therefore is more expensive when it comes out of the socket. Traditional fossil fuel sources of energy also require spending massive amounts for grid repair and expansion.

• The record is clear that solar energy equipment production and installation have produced many new green jobs in Tennessee over the past few years.

• The sun and wind are infinite sustainable energy sources compared to the finite availability of coal or uranium for nuclear production.

• Storage of radioactive waste from nuclear generation for up to a million years, or for coal ash from coal-fired power plants, is very costly ($1 million each for dry casks to hold spent fuel) and poses huge environmental risks. In the event of a serious incident, as we have seen with Kingston - or Fukushima- the damage can escalate to catastrophic proportions.
• Renewables don't require us to use destructive extraction methods such as mountaintop removal coal mining. Surface mining in Central Appalachia has been linked with job loss, poverty, sickness, and early death in mountain communities.

• Both solar and wind are much cleaner energy sources in terms of both air emissions and water discharges. The lack of need for cooling water is also a huge advantage. As TVA must recognize, clean water is becoming a more and more important and rare resource.

“Energy efficiency and sustainable-renewable energy technology saves money for citizens and business while energy efficiency generates local jobs for citizens and serves to expand business by saving money and by creating new job growth,” Morgan said.

J.W. Randolph Director of Appalachian Voices (pictured above, photo by G. Morgan). “Mountaintop removal means fewer jobs, higher healthcare costs, damaged property values, and the destruction of Tennessee and Appalachia's proud mountains forever. TVA produces less than 2% of their electricity from mountaintop removal coal. On behalf of Appalachian citizens' health and economic well-being TVA should become the first major utility in the country to step away from the use of mountaintop removal coal."

Area Press coverage of TVA event and Press Conference links: Chattanooga Times Free Press-  http://timesfreepress.com/news/2012/feb/17/work-watts-bar-nuclear-plants-second-reactor-behin/  Scottsboro's The Daily Sentinel-  http://thedailysentinel.com/news/article_49a58c0e-59cb-11e1-95bf-001871e3ce6c.html  The Chattanoogan.com- http://www.chattanoogan.com/2012/2/16/219646/Environmental-Organizations-Seek-25.aspx