Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), a vocal critic of the Tennessee Valley Authority, today introduced the TVA Reform and Consumer Protection Act that would allow greater competition inside and outside its electricity service territory by eliminating the “fence,” lowering costs to ratepayers, and subjecting the federally owned utility to much needed oversight by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).
TVA is exempt from the open-access transmission policies set by FERC in 1996 to increase competition among power providers and is not subject to meaningful regulatory oversight. It is past time for Congress to consider legislation to eliminate the fence and enable utilities in the region to access alternative sources of supply.
Congressman Cohen made the following statement:
“TVA’s outdated service model is from the 1950s and badly needs reform. Ratepayers deserve the benefits – lower costs and cleaner energy – that a competitive electricity market will provide. TVA’s ratepayers deserve to have access to alternative power supplies on a competitive and non-discriminatory basis. This measure will give greater access to clean energy and affordable energy bills in the TVA region.”
Original source can be found here.
