Tennessee Valley Authority announces support for coal industry while abandoning clean energy priorities.
As the nation’s largest public power provider, the shift raises questions about the role of the federally owned utility and worsening pollution across the country.
What happened?
As Grist reports, TVA shared details about its coal commitments at a recent board meeting.
The announcement follows years of commitments to invest in renewable energy and sustainable battery storage, and a political shift on the organization’s board of directors, with three Biden administration appointees terminated and replaced with Trump administration choices.
The board attributed the renewed focus on coal to energy affordability, reliability and job creation. However, coal-fired power plants failed during the storm, and the spill caused a devastating environmental disaster in the region.
Why is reliance on coal power problematic?
Coal is one of the most toxic fuel sources in the world because of the harmful pollution it produces. Burning coal releases harmful substances and creates air pollution, which can lead to serious health problems, including respiratory infections and lung cancer.
This pollution also causes the Earth to continue to overheat, which affects climate patterns and increases the likelihood and severity of extreme weather events.
Coal is also becoming less economically viable because coal-fired power plants are more expensive to operate than renewable energy infrastructure such as solar and wind farms.
TVA has historically been known for its political independence. But its move to align itself with Trump administration policies and resume support for coal signals a disconnect between science, public opinion and politics.
“People are frustrated. They feel like we’re going backwards,” Amy Kelly of the Sierra Club told Grist. “The fact that these are factories from the ’50s and ’60s and we’re just propping them up with Band-Aid solutions to appease the current administration is going to cost people.”
Joe Schiller, a retired professor who lives near a coal-fired power plant in Tennessee, called electricity providers’ support for coal a “betrayal” and said, “It contradicts everything they’ve told us about the plant in the past.”
What steps are being taken to advance clean energy policy?
Numerous scientific studies document the harmful effects of coal-fired power plants on human health and the environment.
Efforts are underway to retrofit old coal-fired power plants to make them cleaner and more sustainable while creating new jobs. The former coal-fired power plant is now home to backup battery storage solutions and significantly reduces air pollution levels in nearby communities.
If you are concerned about coal plants where you live, consider contacting your elected officials to voice your opinion. As the TVA issue illustrates, energy policy is often closely tied to political leaders.
Voting for candidates who take climate action also puts your community on the path to clean energy solutions that support local jobs and the air you breathe.
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