Carper Statement on TVA’s Decisions on Coal-Fired Power Plants

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.), top Democrat on the Environment and Public Works Committee (EPW), which oversees the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), issued the following statement reacting to the TVA Board of Directors’ decisions to phase out and retire the Paradise and Bull Run Fossil Plants.

“Today, the Tennessee Valley Authority board followed the unbiased guidance of experts and acted in the best interests of their ratepayers and public health,” said Senator Carper. “These decisions are in line with what many utilities are doing throughout the country: phasing out uneconomic, heavier-polluting coal-fired power plants and transitioning to cleaner forms of energy, both boosting their bottom lines and lowering their carbon footprint. This decision wasn’t based on politics or on President Trump’s tweets. It was based on economics, science and adherence to TVA’s mission.”

Yesterday, Senator Carper sent a letter to TVA Chair of the Board of Directors Richard Howorth questioning how the board, in making this decision, is continuing its practice of acting on behalf of ratepayers and public health.

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