TVA expansion of the Valley Investment Initiative
April 16, 2010
In another anti-free enterprise move, TVA’s board on Friday voted to expand a limited program called Valley Investment Initiative to include soliciting businesses from outside TVA’s fenced-off territory.
“The program [VII] launched in 2009 but limited to existing companies in TVA's service area, now will offer financial incentives for qualifying new businesses that will attract new jobs and capital investments to the region.” (PR Newswire)
That action not only violates the spirit of the original “fence” which was meant to keep TVA from expanding into other areas, it prima facie violates the law. What’s the difference in TVA jumping the fence and dragging in a sharply incentivized business across the fence? Dirty pool, I’d say.
Typical of TVA’s underhanded methods, questions must be raised about the expenditures of this risky venture. It is clear what TVA wants to do; lock in a long-term contract to help guarantee their production levels. If the scheme works, look for the fence gradually to come down so that TVA can expand to anywhere.
Already TVA has contracts for wind-powered electricity from as far away as North Dakota and others in between. In the past, that is how TVA expanded its territory; contract with an adjacent power supplier who could not compete; buy out the “competition” and voila! TVA’s territory is expanded to cover all of the service area of the now out of business power producer.
The same thing, theoretically, could happen if a mid-west supplier could not maintain its contracts with TVA and TVA bought out that producer. It could be a thousand mile expansion of TVA territory. And FDR’s dream of “little TVA’s” all over would be realized without changing the law.
“The expansion approved Friday provides incentive awards based on several factors, including a company's long-term investments, jobs, wages, and compatibility of their energy efficiency improvements with the TVA power system. The expanded Valley Investment Initiative will replace past TVA incentives based primarily on businesses' power usage.” (PR Newswire)
The charade TVA has been putting on about decreasing demand can now be discarded. They have been lying all along.
TVA’s “Green Power Switch” – use of solar, wind, etc.
“Physical laws determine where electricity is ultimately used, so power from these sources will go into TVA’s electric system as part of the Valley’s total power mix, rather than to individual homes or businesses.” (PR Newswire)
In other words, there is no way an individual purchaser of “blocks” of TVA green power electricity ever knows where their money is going; it might as well be called a donation to TVA, a drop in TVA’s huge bucket. No value received.
I believe this to be a fraudulent program and that it has been greatly misrepresented. I have prepared a list of questions about the GPS and presented them to TVA. No word from them since March.
For a greater elaboration on the GPS, see ’TVA Green Power Switch (or not)’ http://norsworthyopinion.com/TVAGreenPowerSwitchornot.aspx for the questions I have submitted to the TVA. It may be that I’ll have to go the FOIA route and force a response from them.
Resorting to use of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) was one of the things the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) was trying to limit with their new “Open” web site directive. TVA was supposed to have theirs up and running last month. By clicking on www.tva.gov/open this and other kinds of information is supposed to be available to the public. If that link doesn’t work, check with the OMB.
Ernest Norsworthy
emnorsworthy@earthlink.net
http://norsworthyopinion.com