History of the Tennessee Valley Authority

Club member Paul Clifford gave a history of the Tennessee Valley Authority, a topic that few of our members knew about. From its start in 1933 until its present day the authority built and manages dozens of dams and various power generating facilities along the Tennessee River Valley and its many tributaries. Started by an act of the US Congress the 
TVA now provides power to 9 million people in 7 states. The dams also provide erosion relief, flood control, navigation on over 1000 km, increased fish stocks and improved farming and logging.

Back in the 30s most of the valley was well below the poverty level with fewer than 10% of the population having electricity. Because of the project that number rose to 90% in a few short years. The TVA helped the process by building transmission lines into rural areas and buying large stocks of appliances which it sold to the inhabitants for just above cost.

Now the TVA has over 12,700 employees with sales of $11.2 billion a year. When it was started in 1933 most Republicans voted against it. Today, President Obama is talking about privatizing the TVA and it is the Republicans who want to keep it.

For more information please go to http://www.tva.com/abouttva/history.htm