FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, February 15, 2006

Isakson Wins Compromise
to Give Georgia a Voice on Tennessee Valley Authority Board
Will Continue to Push Legislation to Give All TVA States a Permanent Seat on TVA Board

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.) today agreed to lift his “hold” on the six nominations to the Tennessee Valley Authority governing board after all six of those nominees promised in writing to allow Georgia to have a voice in the board’s decision making.

“I am pleased that each of the nominees to the TVA board have given me their assurances in writing that the interests of Georgia will be represented in some form by the board,” Isakson said. “Each nominee is an outstanding individual, and I know I can count on their commitments.”

Isakson’s legislation is co-sponsored by Senators Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) and Richard Burr (R-N.C.), and a companion bill has been introduced in the House by Rep. Nathan Deal (R-Ga.).

The six new TVA nominees were approved today by the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. They now will come before the full Senate for confirmation.

In individual letters to Isakson, each of the six nominees pledged to “commit to the establishment of a process to ensure the views and advice of residents of each state in the Tennessee Valley are taken into consideration by the Board.”

Last week, when Isakson saw that none of the six new TVA nominees is from Georgia, he exercised his right to place a hold on the six nominees, blocking their confirmation by the full Senate. He agreed to lift that hold today after receiving the letters.

The TVA controls some 300 miles of shoreline on lakes in northern Georgia, covers 3,300 square miles of territory, includes five electric co-ops and delivers power to some 500,000 residents in northern Georgian. Still, no Georgian has ever been nominated to serve on the TVA governing board.  

At the same time, Isakson vowed to continue to push his legislation to require that Georgia and all seven states served by the TVA are represented on its board. Once the six new nominees are confirmed by the Senate, three TVA states still will not have a representative on the board: Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia.

Isakson’s bill would expand the TVA board from nine members to 13 members and to add a requirement that each state in the TVA service area have at least one seat on the board. The TVA service area serves Georgia, Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.  

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