[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 11]
[Senate]
[Page 15279]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY

  Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. President, I rise today to discuss an important 
matter involving the future of the Tennessee Valley Authority.
  As you may know, TVA is led by a Board of Directors that consists of 
nine individuals appointed by the President and confirmed by the 
Senate. These board members serve for staggered 5-year terms.
  For some time, it has been understood that each State within TVA's 
service area should be represented on the board. This makes sense given 
TVA's diverse energy production and economic development activities, 
which affect communities in each State differently as do the 
Authority's various power plants and dams.
  Recognizing this, President Bush, in 2006, nominated to the board a 
fabulous individual from my State, Howard Thrailkill. The Senate 
confirmed the nomination unanimously.
  Mr. Thrailkill has undoubtedly served with distinction. He was 
president of AdTran, a successful technology company in Huntsville, and 
he brought to TVA a familiarity with the complexities of running a 
large organization.
  Upon his confirmation, Mr. Thrailkill immersed himself in the 
financial records, business plans, and technical data surrounding TVA's 
many functions. He became an expert on the organization in a way that 
many board members do not. When he identified a poor performing project 
or a proposal with downsides, he was not afraid to say so. And he was 
especially familiar with TVA's activities in North Alabama, where he 
lived.
  Undoubtedly, Mr. Thrailkill's willingness to devote his personal time 
and energy to the position was of great benefit to both TVA and its 
Alabama customers.
  Unfortunately, Mr. Thrailkill's term on the Board is now nearing its 
end. I was dismayed to learn recently that President Obama apparently 
failed to recognize the importance of this position to the people of 
Alabama, and had nominated an individual from another State to fill it.
  This is no small matter. Of the seven States that make up TVA, 
Alabama is the second largest in terms of revenue, the second largest 
in terms of employees, and the third largest in terms of service area.
  Also, Alabama is home to several important TVA facilities, such as 
Guntersville Hydroelectric Dam, Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant, and the 
Bellefonte facility--which could become one of the first new nuclear 
power plants in the country.
  Seven States make up the TVA service area. There are nine seats on 
the board. It is unacceptable that Alabama's long term representation 
be put in jeopardy.
  Accordingly, I have been forced to use my position in the Senate to 
block the progress of these TVA nominations until this matter could be 
resolved.
  I am pleased to inform the Senate today that after a series of 
conversations with the White House, we have reached an agreement that 
the next opening on the board will be filled by a nominee from the 
State of Alabama.
  That vacancy is expected in March of next year, and we have agreed to 
begin in the next month discussing which individuals should be 
considered for this important position. I wish to thank the President 
and his staff for working with me on this compromise.
  Senator Carper, who chairs the Environment and Public Works 
subcommittee that considers TVA nominations, has also stated his 
willingness to begin consideration of the Alabama nominee early to 
ensure he or she is confirmed before the start of the term. I thank him 
for that offer.
  I am pleased we could reach an agreement on this issue, and I look 
forward to the Senate confirmation of an individual from my State who 
will offer strong leadership to TVA in the coming years.
  Accordingly, I am also pleased today to lift my hold on the 
nominations to the TVA Board that are currently pending in the Senate. 
I urge my colleagues to move quickly with the nominations to ensure 
that the Board of Directors will have a quorum in August so that it may 
effectively conduct the business before it.

                          ____________________