[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 155 (Saturday, September 27, 2008)]
[House]
[Pages H10137-H10140]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   COMMENDING THE TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY ON ITS 75TH ANNIVERSARY

  Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to 
the resolution (H. Res. 1224) commending the Tennessee Valley Authority 
on its 75th anniversary.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                              H. Res. 1224

       Whereas May 18, 2008, marks the 75th anniversary of the 
     Tennessee Valley Authority;
       Whereas the Tennessee Valley Authority was created by 
     Congress in 1933 to improve navigation along the Tennessee 
     River, reduce the risk of flood damage, provide electric 
     power, and promote agricultural and industrial development in 
     the region;
       Whereas the Tennessee Valley Authority Act of 1933 (16 
     U.S.C. 831 et seq.) was signed into law by President Franklin 
     D. Roosevelt on May 18, 1933;
       Whereas the Tennessee Valley Authority continues to serve 
     the Tennessee Valley, providing reliable and affordable 
     electricity, managing the Tennessee River system, and 
     stimulating economic growth;
       Whereas the Tennessee Valley Authority provides more 
     electricity than any other public utility in the Nation and 
     has competitive rates and reliable transmission;
       Whereas the Tennessee Valley Authority is expanding its 
     environmental policy to increase its renewable energy 
     sources, improve energy efficiency, and provide clean energy 
     in the Tennessee Valley region;
       Whereas the Tennessee Valley Authority continues to reduce 
     power plant emissions and is working to further improve air 
     quality for the health of individuals in the Tennessee Valley 
     region;
       Whereas the Tennessee Valley Authority is a leader in the 
     nuclear power industry, with multi-site nuclear power 
     operations that provide approximately 30 percent of the 
     Tennessee Valley Authority's power supply;
       Whereas as part of NuStart Energy Consortium, the Tennessee 
     Valley Authority submitted one of the first combined 
     operating license applications for a new nuclear power plant 
     in 30 years;
       Whereas the Tennessee Valley Authority's integrated 
     management of the Tennessee River system provides a wide 
     range of benefits that include providing electrical power, 
     reducing floods, facilitating freight transportation, 
     improving water quality and supply, enhancing recreation, and 
     protecting public land;
       Whereas the Tennessee Valley Authority builds business and 
     community partnerships that foster economic prosperity, 
     helping companies and communities attract investments that 
     bring jobs to the Tennessee Valley region and keep them 
     there; and
       Whereas the Tennessee Valley Authority no longer receives 
     appropriation to help fund its activities in navigation, 
     flood control, environmental research, and land management, 
     because the Tennessee Valley Authority pays for all its 
     activities through power sales and issuing bonds: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
       (1) commends the Tennessee Valley Authority on its 75th 
     anniversary;
       (2) recognizes the Tennessee Valley Authority for its long 
     and proud history of service in the areas of energy, the 
     environment, and economic development in a service area that 
     includes 7 States;
       (3) honors the Board of Directors, retirees, staff, and 
     supporters of the Tennessee Valley Authority who were 
     instrumental during the Tennessee Valley Authority's first 75 
     years; and
       (4) directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to 
     transmit a copy of this resolution to the Chairman of the 
     Board of the Tennessee Valley Authority, Bill Sansom, and the 
     Chief Executive Officer of the Tennessee Valley Authority, 
     Tom Kilgore, for appropriate display.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Oregon (Mr. DeFazio) and the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Boozman) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Oregon.


                             General Leave

  Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their 
remarks and include extraneous material on H. Res. 1224.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Oregon?
  There was no objection.

                              {time}  1015

  Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I will leave it to the gentleman from Tennessee to carry the major 
part of this legislation for which he is responsible, but I would just 
like to reflect on it for a moment.
  I think it's very telling that we are here to celebrate the 75th 
anniversary of the Tennessee Valley Authority, something that was 
created by Congress and President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in the 
Great Depression. They had a little different philosophy back then.
  It wasn't shower money on Wall Street and hope things get better for 
people on Main Street and around the country; it was invest in America, 
invest in our infrastructure, build dams, roads, bridges, WPA projects. 
My region is a tremendous beneficiary from something called the 
Bonneville Power Administration, a wonderful gift that is still paying 
dividends to the American people that was key in our World War II 
effort and was there for the aluminum plants and for our nuclear 
weapons development to end the war.
  This is a different philosophy. Today, unfortunately, we seem to be 
going down the path that the way to fix the economic problems on Main 
Street in America is to shower money on Wall Street, buy up their bad 
investments and hope maybe someday taxpayers get their money back.
  What if we took the $250 billion they are talking about as an initial 
down payment on this faulty plan and we doubled our investment in our 
roads, bridges, highways and transit in America? Would that put more 
people back to work? Would that instill more confidence in the American 
economy? Would that maybe even drive up the value of stocks on Wall 
Street? I think so.
  I think it's incredibly appropriate that Mr. Cohen has brought this 
bill here to the floor today, and I thank him for doing that.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may 
consume.
  The Tennessee Valley Authority, an independent government 
corporation, was established in 1933 to aid in the development of the 
Tennessee River Valley watershed through the proper use, conservation 
and development of the region's natural resources. TVA is the Nation's 
largest wholesale power producer and the fifth largest electric 
utility. TVA supplies power to nearly 8 million people over an 80,000-
square-mile service area covering Tennessee and parts of Mississippi, 
Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia and Kentucky.
  In addition, TVA's nonpower program responsibilities include the 
multipurpose management of land and water resources throughout the 
Tennessee Valley and fostering economic development. Prior to 1959, 
construction of the power projects was financed mainly by congressional 
appropriations. The power program is now completely self-financed 
through power revenues.
  During the TVA's first 20 years, most of the power generated was 
hydroelectric. By 1950, with increased power needs, TVA began building 
coal-fired electric plants, and those plants now account for about 75 
percent of TVA's power generation. TVA provides more electricity than 
any other public utility in the Nation and has an unparalleled record 
of reliability.
  In addition, TVA is broadening its environmental stewardship 
responsibilities by increasing its use of renewable resources, 
improving energy efficiency, and working to improve air quality for the 
millions who live in the Tennessee Valley watershed. TVA constructed 
nuclear plants to supply additional power needs and just recently 
returned an additional nuclear power unit in Alabama, Browns Ferry Unit 
1, to service to meet expected future demand in energy.
  The agency spent approximately $2 billion to recover the facility, 
which became fully operational by May 2007. The Nuclear Regulatory 
Commission has approved a 20-year license renewal for all three units 
at the Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant.

[[Page H10138]]

  For 75 years, the TVA programs of navigation, flood damage reduction 
and power reduction have fostered economic development in an important 
region in the Nation.
  I urge all of my Members to support the resolution celebrating the 
Tennessee Valley Authority's 75th anniversary.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 1224, to 
commend the Tennessee Valley Authority on its 75th anniversary. My 
hometown of Memphis is the largest customer of the Tennessee Valley 
Authority. It supplies us with our energy.
  The Tennessee Valley Authority over the years has had many, many 
great commissioners and has now a new form of administration. In the 
past, one of our predecessors from this House and the State of 
Tennessee, Bob Clement, served as a member of the board of directors of 
the TVA; and also a gentleman named Johnny Hayes, who passed away this 
past week, who was a great Tennessean and a great supporter of our 
previous Vice President Al Gore and a dear friend of mine.
  The Tennessee Valley Authority was signed into law by Franklin Delano 
Roosevelt on May 18, 1933. At that time America was in the midst of a 
Great Depression, and the Tennessee Valley Authority was seen as a way 
to lift the country out of economic recession.
  The establishment of TVA by the Federal Government was a sign of 
Congress' recognition of the importance of integrating regional and 
national resource management strategies and issues affecting multiple 
States. The TVA wove together Southeastern Conference members in a way 
that hasn't been done since other than the conference. More 
specifically, it was created to provide inland waterway navigation, 
flood control, affordable electricity and to bolster economic 
development in the Tennessee Valley region. TVA also helped farmers 
improve crop yields, replant forests and improve fish and wildlife 
habitation in the valley.
  TVA's facilities now include 30 hydroelectric dams, 11 fossil fuel 
powered plants and three nuclear power plants. It is the Nation's 
largest public power company and provides reliable electricity to 
nearly 8.5 million customers in the Tennessee Valley. Near my home is 
Pickwick Dam, also a source of great opportunity for enjoyment and 
pleasures for people wanting to boat and enjoy outdoor life.
  Today, TVA continues to support navigation along the Tennessee River, 
reduce the risk of flood damage to the surrounding area, and provide 
reliable electric power to its many customers. It does so while 
applying a unique problem-solving approach while fulfilling its mission 
of integrated resource management.
  TVA has proven that it remains committed to fulfilling the needs of 
the region's businesses and citizens. This has been reflected in the 
development of hydroelectric facilities in the 1940s to support the war 
effort and the production of aluminum, to its present day development 
of renewable power sources.
  I urge my colleagues in the House to join me in supporting this 
resolution and honor the Tennessee Valley Authority for helping to meet 
the needs of our country for the past 75 years.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as he might consume to 
my good friend, the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Duncan) who is the 
ranking member on the Highways and Transit Subcommittee of 
Transportation.
  Mr. DUNCAN. I thank the gentleman from Arkansas for yielding me this 
time. I rise in support of this resolution congratulating the Tennessee 
Valley Authority on its 75th anniversary.
  First, I want to commend my good friend the gentleman from Alabama 
(Mr. Cramer) for bringing this resolution to the floor. He has served 
with great distinction as chairman of the TVA Caucus in the Congress.
  Since the Congress passed the Tennessee Valley Authority Act of 1933, 
TVA has played an important role, not only in the Tennessee Valley but 
in the course of the history of this Nation as well. TVA carries out 
its three-pronged mission of providing reliable electric power, 
economic development, and stewardship of the Nation's fifth largest 
river system by tapping into the talents of its 12,000 employees, many 
of whom live in my district.
  Right from the start, TVA tried to establish a problem-solving 
approach to fulfilling its mission of resource management for power 
production, navigation, flood control, malaria prevention, 
reforestation, or erosion control, and each was studied in its broadest 
context. TVA weighed each issue in relation to all the others.
  Today the Tennessee Valley is one of the most beautiful and fertile 
places in the Nation. With its beauty, hardworking people and abundant 
natural resources, the Tennessee Valley would have developed in a good 
and prosperous way without TVA, as did other areas of the South where 
there was no TVA.
  However, the establishment of the TVA led to the development of 
cutting-edge fertilizers and improved farming techniques and helped to 
revive the Tennessee Valley and forever changed its landscape. With the 
completion of dams, TVA brought electricity and flood control to the 
Tennessee Valley, providing stability and vital insect control programs 
that helped drastically reduce deaths caused by mosquitos and increase 
the quality of life.
  By the end of the 1930s, the Tennessee Valley was probably the most 
thoroughly mapped region in the country. Before long, however, TVA was 
called upon to use this expertise to provide then-General Eisenhower 
with the most detailed topographic maps of German-occupied France and, 
later, Japan during World War II.
  TVA played an important role in the Manhattan Project, the 
development of our first atomic bomb. At a time when the enrichment of 
uranium in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, consumed around 15 percent of the 
electricity of the United States, TVA rose to the occasion and met 
those power needs and helped end World War II.
  I am proud to say that TVA is headquartered in my congressional 
district. I am proud of TVA's president and CEO Tom Kilgore, and 
Chairman Bill Sansom, two good friends of mine, and of the leadership 
they provide to TVA in this challenging time for utilities across the 
country.
  I believe as we move into the future and look for more sustainable 
sources of energy, that TVA will continue to provide the leadership to 
help the valley become even stronger and more economically vibrant. I 
can tell you that my region has become one of the most popular places 
to move to in the entire country, and that is in no small part because 
of the Tennessee Valley Authority and the role it plays in the lives of 
our citizens.
  The citizens of the Tennessee Valley have been better off because of 
the work and historic mission of the Tennessee Valley Authority.
  I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.
  Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I would now like to yield as much time as he 
may consume to the gentleman who is the sponsor of this bill and 
brought this to the Congress, a gentleman who is retiring, and was one 
of the first people I had the opportunity to meet when I came up here. 
He has been very kind to me in my first year.
  I regret his leaving, but he has provided his service to this 
Congress, and a gentleman whose district shares much with my district, 
music, and many of the Memphis musicians fled to Muscle Shoals at one 
time. We forgive him that; that was their choice. We wish him good luck 
in the Alabama-Georgia game--Mr. Cramer of Alabama.
  Mr. CRAMER. I thank my friends from Tennessee, and I thank the 
Transportation and Infrastructure Committee where I spent so many 
valuable years, the staff on both sides of the aisle. I have 
appreciated what you have meant to my congressional district and what 
you have meant to the Tennessee Valley Authority as well.
  I rise today to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Tennessee 
Valley Authority. I think it's only appropriate that we do this during 
what we hope will be the last hours of this, the 110th Congress.
  In the 110th Congress, I had the honor of serving as the cochair of 
the congressional TVA Caucus, which has existed since I have been here, 
before I

[[Page H10139]]

was here. I have been here 18 years. I have cochaired this caucus along 
with Senator Lamar Alexander from Tennessee, so we have had a House-
Senate partnership there.
  There are 41 House and Senate Members that comprise this very 
proactive Tennessee Valley Authority Caucus. As I look around the room 
today, many of our House Members that have participated in that caucus 
are here today.
  My friends have talked about when TVA was created. Mr. Duncan, we 
know that TVA is wonderfully headquartered up there in your 
congressional district in Knoxville. When TVA was first chartered back 
in 1933, it was headquartered in the Muscle Shoals area of north 
Alabama, so we still reluctantly accept that you have the headquarters 
there that we had back when TVA was first chartered back in 1933.
  Let's remember back to 1933. It was the Great Depression. At that 
time the agriculture industry, which was the bread and butter of the 
Tennessee Valley, had collapsed. Trying to make ends meet, the people 
of the valley had overfarmed their land, leading to widespread erosion, 
soil depletion and low crop yields.
  As part of this New Deal program, President Franklin Roosevelt 
envisioned TVA as a different kind of government agency that could be 
backed by the power of the United States Government but also have the 
``flexibility and initiative of a private enterprise.''
  TVA was born, TVA has prospered, and TVA has done remarkable things 
for our area. We are economically prosperous because of the presence of 
TVA. They've built the dams, they've developed new fertilizers, they've 
been the lifeblood of partnerships with local and State government over 
economic development opportunities.
  You can't drive through the Tennessee Valley area without looking 
around and seeing a much different and much more prosperous area than 
we ever would have been if TVA had not been the entity that it had 
been.
  Now the TVA of today is not the TVA of the thirties, forties and 
fifties. We have a different board construct today. TVA is very 
concerned about the environment. It's looking at its plants, making 
sure that they are cleaner, more efficient than they ever were before.

                              {time}  1030

  Reflect back, also. After the war, TVA built a 650-mile navigation 
channel along the Tennessee River, allowing it to become one of the 
longest transport systems in the country. When we make our pitches for 
economic development opportunities, it is that navigational channel 
that is our strength as we acquaint those prospective new industries 
with what we have to offer.
  In the 1990s, TVA began several energy efficiency and conservation 
programs. These initiatives allowed TVA to cut their annual operating 
costs by more than $800 million while still meeting the electricity 
needs of the growing population of the Tennessee Valley.
  In 1998, TVA started a new $5.8 billion clean air program that has 
reduced their emissions by 70 to 80 percent. Additionally, TVA recently 
began its Green Power Switch Program, designed to increase the 
availability of energy derived from renewable resources such as solar 
and wind for customers in the Tennessee Valley.
  TVA is also leading the way to clean and safe nuclear power. In my 
district, TVA is making great strides to increase our Nation's use of 
nuclear energy. That is a reality we must confront.
  So I believe the TVA today, under the leadership of Chairman Bill 
Sansom and CEO Tom Kilgore, is ready and able to meet the growing 
environmental and power demands while continuing to be a valuable 
economic partner to the men and women of the Tennessee Valley.
  Since I am leaving Congress, I want to thank my colleagues for 
serving with me and making sure that our TVA area is the area that we 
know it to be today, an efficient government entity, and that is not 
something you can say very often.
  Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. Speaker, we certainly support this resolution and 
thank Mr. Cramer for bringing it forward. We also thank him so much, 
not only for this resolution but for his hard work in Congress in 
general. Mr. Cramer has done an outstanding job and he is an individual 
that will be missed by both sides, by Republicans and Democrats, and we 
truly appreciate all that you have done, Bud, in serving your 
constituents.
  I yield such time as he would like to the gentleman from Tennessee 
(Mr. Duncan).
  Mr. DUNCAN. I thank the gentleman from Arkansas for yielding to me 
one more brief time.
  I rise to say it has been a privilege and honor for me to serve with 
the gentleman from Alabama who unfortunately is leaving the Congress 
this year. Bud Cramer and I have traveled many times together. We have 
become, I think, very close friends. It is interesting to me that our 
careers have been almost parallel. We were in law school at 
approximately the same time. We practiced law. He became a prosecuting 
attorney in his hometown of Huntsville when I was serving as a criminal 
court judge in my hometown of Knoxville. He came to Congress shortly 
after I did. He rose to become one of the senior members and one of the 
most powerful and influential members on the Appropriations Committee 
here in the Congress.
  I can tell you that I have respect and admire Bud Cramer more than 
almost anybody I know. He has been an outstanding public servant in 
every way, and this Congress will certainly miss the gentleman from 
Alabama when he leaves. I want to personally thank him for not only his 
friendship to me, but more importantly his service to this Nation.
  Mr. BOOZMAN. Does the gentleman have any more speakers?
  Mr. COHEN. No, sir.
  Mr. BOOZMAN. If the gentleman has no further speakers, I yield back 
the balance of my time.
  Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I again join with my colleagues in expressing 
the pleasure I have had serving with Mr. Cramer and my appreciation for 
his service. We do share a lot. Sam Phillips was born in your district. 
He came to Memphis, he gave birth to Elvis Presley and the rest is 
history.
  Thank you; you have been a true gentleman and I will miss you.
  Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 1224, 
to commemorate the Tennessee Valley Authority (``TVA'') on its 75th 
anniversary.
  H. Res. 1224 recognizes the TVA for its long history of service in 
the areas of energy, the environment, and economic development on a 
service area that includes parts of seven States.
  President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed the legislation creating 
the TVA on May 1, 1933. This Authority was a product of President 
Roosevelt's New Deal plan to help the economy rise from the depths of 
the Great Depression.
  The establishment of the Tennessee Valley Authority by the Federal 
Government illustrated Congress's recognition of the importance of 
integrating regional and national planning into problem solving 
strategies that affect multiple States.
  The TVA's mission areas were originally identified to reduce the risk 
of flood damage, improve navigation on the Tennessee River, provide 
electric power, and promote ``agricultural and industrial development'' 
in the region.
  The TVA continues to manage its resources in an integrated fashion 
for a wide range of benefits including electric power production, flood 
control, waterborne commercial transportation, recreation, water 
supply, and water quality.
  Through the years, TVA has continued to adapt and evolve to reflect 
the needs of the day. This evolution is reflected in its development of 
hydroelectric facilities in the 1940s to support the war effort and 
production of aluminum, to its present day development of renewable 
power resources.
  I applaud the sponsor of this legislation, the gentleman from Alabama 
(Mr. Cramer), for his strong advocacy of the Tennessee Valley Authority 
during his 18 years in Congress. The gentleman has been a valuable 
member of this Chamber, a distinguished alumnus of the Committee on 
Transportation and Infrastructure, and a dedicated champion for the 
people of the 5th Congressional District. I wish him well in his future 
endeavors.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in agreeing to the 
resolution.
  Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Oregon (Mr. DeFazio) that the House suspend the

[[Page H10140]]

rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 1224.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a 
quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not 
present.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.
  The point of no quorum is considered withdrawn.

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