Sen. Markey, Rep. Cohen Lead Letter Urging TVA to Reconsider Plans for Increased Use of Natural Gas

Lawmakers suggest cleaner, affordable, more reliable alternatives to the agency's draft Integrated Resource Plan

Washington (December 10, 2024) - Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today led a letter to the leadership of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) with seven House and two Senate colleagues urging the federally owned electric utility to reconsider its focus on expanding gas-fired power generation and instead encourage and plan for renewable energy, energy efficiency, and distributed energy in its final Integrated Resource Plan (IRP). The IRP will be used to shape TVA's energy portfolio through 2050, with lasting impacts on affordability and reliability for its 10 million customers in the Tennessee Valley, as well as on the United States' clean energy goals. After reviewing the draft IRP, the lawmakers made six specific recommendations to help TVA "lead the energy sector to a cheaper, cleaner, and more reliable future, instead of increasing reliance on expensive, polluting, and unreliable natural gas." TVA is currently accepting public comments on its IRP until December 11.

The lawmakers wrote, "The Tennessee Valley Authority's (TVA's) draft Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) suggests that TVA will need 9 to 26 gigawatts of additional capacity by 2035. We are concerned that up to 19 of those gigawatts may be provided by natural gas plants, many of which rely on expensive carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) and hydrogen that also fail to reduce-and may even increase-conventional pollutants from gas units that directly harm human health. This is in addition to TVA's existing planned gas buildout, which is projected to be one of the largest of any American utility this decade. Given the urgency of the climate crisis, TVA should prioritize renewables, energy efficiency, and distributed energy in its final IRP, which will reduce costs to consumers."

Read the entire letter HERE.

"Our country's largest federal utility is stuck in the fossil-fuel era when it should be building a renewable, resilient energy future," said Gaby Sarri-Tobar, a campaigner with the Center for Biological Diversity's energy justice program. "TVA's long-range plan could lock in planet-heating gas and dangerous false solutions like carbon capture, leaving the next generation to shoulder skyrocketing energy bills, more extreme weather, and dirtier air and water. The 10 million people living in the Tennessee Valley are counting on TVA to improve their quality of life. TVA's leaders can deliver on that promise with a plan for 100 percent renewable energy."

"We are grateful to Congressman Cohen and Senator Markey for their leadership and advocacy for the millions of customers that TVA serves as the utility finalizes its IRP for the next five years," said Sierra Club's Beyond Coal Campaign Manager Amy Kelly. "Our communities deserve a plan that lowers energy costs for families, strengthens resilience to severe weather, and reduces harmful pollution. We hope that TVA will seriously consider the concerns outlined by Congressman Cohen, Senator Markey and other members of Congress to finalize a plan that delivers a brighter future for the next generation."

The letter was signed by Senators Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), and Representatives Nanette Barragán (CA-44), Raúl Grijalva (AZ-07), Jared Huffman (CA-02), James McGovern (MA-02), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC), Melanie Stansbury (NM-01), and Rashida Tlaib (MI-12).

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