[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 24 (Friday, February 9, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Page S599]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





    90TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE CITY OF TUPELO PURCHASING POWER FROM TVA

 Mr. WICKER. Mr. President, 90 years ago this month, Tupelo, 
MS, went electric. The city became the first to purchase power from the 
Tennessee Valley Authority--TVA--sparking nearly a century-long 
partnership. We celebrate that distinction with an iconic sign at the 
intersection of Gloster and Main streets, which dubs Tupelo the First 
T-V-A City.
  In 1934, just 2 percent of rural Mississippi households were 
connected to electricity. Many Southern farming families had already 
lived in poverty before the Great Depression made their situation even 
worse. Congress created TVA to begin addressing these challenges. The 
TVA mission was to provide low-cost electricity, promote economic 
development, and reduce flood risk and damage.
  Tupelo is a testament to TVA's success accomplishing that mission. As 
a resident of the First TVA City, I look back on February 1934 with 
gratitude. Electricity helped unleash the latent potential of rural 
Mississippi, and we continue to reap the rewards today.

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