TVA Quarterly Board of Directors Meeting at Nashville, Tn., Citizen Comments - Tree Cutting Issue Continues, TVA Intimidation? - November 6, 2014

Thursday, November 6, 2014 was the regular quarterly Board of Directors Meeting. This board meeting was held at the Music City Center in downtown Nashville. Board of Directors page, meeting video archives, future meeting schedule and bios on TVA's Board of Directors may be found at  http://www.tva.com/abouttva/board/index.htm

                                        NEWS ARTICLES
Chattanooga Times Free Press article - TVA CEO Bill Johnson gets raise. "TVA directors today voted to boost the pay of CEO Bill Johnson, already the highest paid federal employee in America, up by $1 million in salary and performance payments. TVA Chairman Joe Ritch said Bill Johnson, who was paid a total compensation package in fiscal 2013 valued at $5.9 million in cash and retirement benefits, is still underpaid for his performance."  http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2014/nov/06/tva-directors-giving-ceo-bill-johnson-1-million-ra/?breakingnews
TVA's  CEO is highest paid federal employee: http://timesfreepress.com/news/2014/nov/07/tva-boosts-ceo-payjohnson-already-highest-paid/?breakingnews
                                       

                                         MEETING AGENDA

VIDEOS 

  

LISTENING SESSION - CITIZEN PRESENTATIONS TO THE BOARD

Tree Cutting Issue - Citizens have been complaining about TVA's heavy handed tactics concerning tree cutting for many years.  Citizen Testimony reveals allegations in which the TVA or their contractors may be violating law or TVA policy as described -  intimidation by Right of Way Management; cutting of trees outside of line boundary; improper use of herbicides; poisoning of water sources; destruction of environment resulting in erosion and destruction of private property: contractors use of untrained and/or illegal labor for application of herbicides; cutting trees which fell on power lines.

Renewable - Sustainable Energy and Energy Efficiency vs Coal and Nuclear Power

TVA continues to insist that nuclear power is clean energy. This is a dangerous false mantra due to  deadly, highly radioactive used nuclear fuel which must be safely and securely stored for centuries. Nuclear power is an expensive, high risk energy alternative. 

EXCERPTS FROM THE DIRECTORS MEETING

CEO Statement

CFO Statement

Nuclear Regulatory Commission(NRC) - Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), Public Hearing - Concerning TVA's Sequoyah Nuclear Facility (NNSA Public Hearing Links on TVA Tritium Production)

(photo - wikipedia, Fair Usage rights for non-profit news reporting)

4 part video presentation, Generic Environmental Impact Statement for license extension-

The Sequoyah Nuclear Plant is a nuclear power plant located on 525 acres (212 ha) located 7 miles (11 km) east of Soddy-Daisy, Tennessee, and 20 miles (32 km) north of Chattanooga, abutting Chickamauga Lake, on the Tennessee River. The facility is owned and operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA).

The plant has two Westinghouse pressurized water reactors. Sequoyah units 1 & 2, as well as their sister plant at Watts Bar, both have ice condenser containment systems. In case of a large loss-of-coolant accident, steam generated by the leak is directed toward borated ice which helps condense the steam creating a lower pressure, allowing for a smaller containment building.

The operating license of Sequoyah's Unit 1 expires in 2020. Unit 2's operating license expires in 2021.^[2]

TVA's Sequoyah operating license was modified in September 2002 to allow TVA to irradiate tritium-producing burnable absorber rods at Sequoyah for the U.S. Department of Energy. The process of irradiating tritium-producing rods produces tritium, which is used in nuclear weapons and for various forms of research into nuclear fusion for commercial power production. Wiki article:   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sequoyah_Nuclear_Generating_Station

NRC information on the License Extension - http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/licensing/renewal/applications/sequoyah.html  It is remarkable that there is no date on the cover or other substantial documents listed on the NRC site references listed on the link referenced.

The Sequoyah plant has two pressurized water reactors. The current operating licenses are due to expire Sept. 17, 2020, for Unit 1 and Sept. 15, 2021, for Unit 2. The operator, Tennessee Valley Authority, submitted its renewal application Jan. 15, 2013.  

The NRC’s review of the application consists of a technical safety review and an environmental review. The draft supplemental environmental impact statement is Supplement 53 to NUREG-1437, Generic Environmental Impact Statement for License Renewal of Nuclear Plants. It is now available on the NRC’s electronic document database, ADAMS http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/ adams.html. under accession number ML14211A454.

In a related Federal Register notice, the NRC provided detailed instructions on how to submit written comments on the draft supplemental environmental impact statement. Comments will be accepted through Sept. 29, 2014 .Please refer to Docket ID NRC–2013–0037   Mail comments to: Cindy Bladey; Office of Administration, Mail Stop: 3WFN–06–A44M, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555–0001. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
David Drucker, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, telephone: 301–415–6223, email to David.Drucker@nrc.gov ; U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555–
0001.  GPO Federal Notice Record link:  http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2014-08-11/pdf/2014-18966.pdf

NRC Aug 12, 2014 · Generic Environmental Impact Statement for License Renewal of Nuclear Plants: Sequoyah Nuclear Plant, Units 1 and 2  http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/nuregs/staff/sr1437/supplement53/

TVA's home page on Sequoyah: http://www.tva.gov/power/nuclear/sequoyah.htm  No indications on  Sequoyah's home page concerning any documents relating to a license extension.
TVA  info on license renewal and environmental impacts
https://www.tva.gov/environment/reports/sqn-renewal/index.htm

Videos, NRC EIS Public Hearing  regarding a 20 year license extension of TVA Sequoyah Nuclear Facility, 4 part video presentation with  Citizen Input Regrding the EIS on September 15, 2014 at Soddy Daisy, Tn. Municipal Complex.

VIDEOS
NRC EIS Public Hearing Pt.1-TVA Sequoyah Nuclear 9-15-14 

NRC EIS Public Hearing Pt.2 TVA Sequoyah Nuclear 8-15-14 

NRC EIS Public Hearing Pt.3 TVA Sequoyah Nuclear 9-15-14 

NRC EIS Public Hearing Pt.4-TVA Sequoyah Nuclear 9-15-14 

BEST-MATRR's investigations into health, cancer and radiation in the Tennessee River Valley current summary:  Government health statistics and scientific investigations point toward this fact - radiation from man made ionizing radiation sources such as nuclear power plants, nuclear fuel facilities, nuclear weapons facilities and nuclear experimental facilities have increased ionizing radiation levels in the environment within the Tennessee River Basin area. Since the addition of nuclear facilities in the Tennessee River Valley, the cancer incident rates and mortality rates have steadily increased.  (National Cancer Institute statistics and maps http://seer.cancer.gov/statistics/scp.html  and BEST/MATRR Report: http://best-matrr.org/pdfs/AL_BFN_Report_2013-final-dig2.pdf  )" BEST-MATRR's investigations are ongoing in East Tennessee and North Alabama.

NNSA Public Hearing - The public comment period ends on September 22, 2014. 
http://nnsa.energy.gov/aboutus/ouroperations/generalcounsel/nepaoverview/nepa/tritiumseis
Videos in Chattanooga, Links:
NNSA introduction - Public Hearing, NNSA, Tritium Production 9-10-14 

Public comments, part 1:  NNSA-SEIS, 9-10-14 Public Hearing Chattanooga, Tn. Part 1 

Public comments, part 2:  NNSA-SEIS, 9-10-14 Public Hearing Chattanooga, Tn. Part 2 

Public comments, part 3   NNSA-SEIS 9-10-14 Public Hearing Chattanooga, Tn. Part 3 

TVA, Tennessee Valley Authority, Board Meeting April 16,2010, TVA Debt and Environmental Stewardship

TVA Board met in Knoxville, Tn. on 16 April, 2010. Bellefonte Nuclear Plant discussed.

New Board Chairman effective May 18, 2010. Dennis Bottorff of Nashville, TN, serves as chairman and partner of Council Ventures, a venture capital firm. He was chairman of AmSouth Bancorporation in Nashville until his retirement in 2001 and previously was chief executive officer of First American Bank. His term expires May 18, 2011.

Current TVA Board Chairman Mike Duncan resigns effective May 18, 2010. Chairman Mike Duncan of Inez, KY, is chairman, chief executive officer, and director of Community Holding Co.; chairman, CEO, and director of Inez Deposit Bank. He is a director of the regional Center for Rural Development. His term expires May 18, 2011. Chattanooga Times Free Press article of chairman change. http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2010/apr/16/tva-elects-new-chairman/?breakingnews

TVA Board Meeting April 16,2010 video link may be found at http://www.tva.gov/abouttva/board/ Scroll down to the April 16 Board Meeting, click on the video link.

The following is my 3 minute presentation made to the TVA Board during their listening session for TVA Stakeholders..

"Honorable members of the TVA Board, this opportunity to speak before you is greatly appreciated. My presentation today concerns TVA Debt and Environmental Stewardship."

"TVA Executive Management is requesting the debt ceiling be raised from the mandated Congressional Cap of $30 Billion dollars to an undisclosed increase in the debt ceiling."

"TVA's debt is approximately $23 billion, debt interest is $22 billion, long term commitments and contingencies are approximately $66 billion which includes debt and debt interest. These are the figures reflected in TVA's February 2010 10Q quarterly Financial Report filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission."

"Ladies and Gentleman of the TVA, to raise the debt limit to an undisclosed or for that matter any increase is unacceptable."

"The TVA Act requires you to produce affordable power for citizens of the TVA area. You do a wonderful job at keeping the lights on and the machines running. You know and I know that upgrades of current power production facilities are needed."

"With current trends of decreased electricity demand can you afford to proceed with the astronomical cost of nuclear power?Don't you think 800 mega watt combined cycle natural gas plants are far more economical?"

"The TVA Act requires environmental stewardship of the natural resources under your purview. Ladies and gentleman of the TVA you are lacking in this critical area."

"You have neglected your coal fired plant operations to such an extent engineering failures have occurred and polluted the resources which you are responsible. That is not all you have neglected."

"You have neglected the fishery by not controlling aquatic nuisance weed species. Your neglect in this area has resulted in environmental vigilantism by private citizens attempting to poison and control aquatic nuisance weed species on Lake Guntersville in Northeastern Alabama. "

"It is your responsibility to control nuisance aquatic species. TVA's failure to do so has resulted in the uncontrolled use of poisons on Lake Guntersville. TVA should be partnering and working with the Alabama Department of Conservation and Alabama's Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force to resolve this complicated problem. Why are you not working in a partnership to facilitate a long term solution to the weed control problem on Lake Guntersville instead of encouraging environmental vigilantism?"

"Our local legislators have informed the community that poisons such as battery acid, anti-freeze and even military defoliants are being dumped into Lake Guntersville to control aquatic nuisance weed species."

"Please be responsible and fulfill your environmental stewardship responsibilities."

"Do not raise the debt ceiling, get your debt under control."

"Thank you for your time."

The big questions, does anyone care that the TVA has a massive debt and they are failing to meet their environmental stewardship reponsibilities?

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