TVA Public Meeting in Nashville April 12st

[Sayma Earthcare Action Network]

From Ran Edwards of Nashville Friends Meeting:

I attended an organizing meeting of people concerned with influencing TVA's power generation planning for the next several decades last night @ West End United Methodist Church. The purpose of this meeting was twofold. (1) To establish an understanding of the process and the part of the public to participate, and (2) to gather as many people as we may be able to attend to spark a movement to recharge TVA to increase its solar/wind/ and efficiency energy resources.

I have for the past 6 years been working to implement the green and energy efficiency provisions of the International Building Codes in my capacity as a G-8 certified energy/green code specialist with the City of Franklin, while concurrently serving as the Electrical Codes Plan Reviewer overseeing solar (and hopefully - someday wind) installations. I have served on a select committee working with the University of Knoxville (through a federally funded research project) to establish, design, and write a fast track plan for solar installers to navigate the planning and plan submittal process through local city code organizations. So, this topic and the above approach to effectively act to mitigate the ever increasing CO2 ppm count has for some time been very dear to me.

         This meeting was a revelation to me. TVA being a federally funded power generation company has a unique charter/responsibility to be responsive to the public and to stimulate local jobs. They are one of the few to approach power generation from more than a mere 2 options by additionally including wind, solar and energy efficiency. Their projections into 2033 presently include reaching roughly 5-8% renewables and efficiency. They are presently less than 1%, but have retired 8 coal plants. I and others would hope to move them more towards an "on par" approach with Germany (please google the Wikipedia article on Germany's renewable energy).

 

         I am sorry I am so late in understanding the tremendous opportunity this represents to ACT in a productive way, but in the next 6 day's I am going to do all I can. If anyone has an interest in growing the representation of concerned citizens I will do all I can to pick people up at the airport (and back) and find lodging for an overnight stay (contact me @ raned...@comcast.net). Beyond this I will not give up. There will be more public meetings in another 3 to 4 years. I believe TVA is a good place to focus (on) to move other power generation concerns in the US, as they are uniquely constituted to be a leader.

 

       The Nashville public meeting is Tuesday April 21, 6:30-8:30PM @ the Loews Vanderbilt Hotel (Kirkland Calhoun Room), 2100 West End Ave. , Nashville.

 

posted by Ran Edwards

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