“Comments by ErnestNorsworthy”
June 1, 2009
Below are several posts made to the Knoxville News Sentinel in May 2009. One of them refers to the impossibility in my view of the federal government’s ability to share its assets with anyone. That assertion will be made false when the federal government in an unprecedented move soon takes over as the principal owner of an investor-owned private business, General Motors.
Using that logic, it would be possible for the TVA, a federal agency, to sell part ownership in some of its power assets to an association of TVA distributors. In both instances, I believe them to be at odds with the U.S. Constitution.
To go directly to the KNS site http://www.knoxnews.com/users/ErnestNorsworthy/comments/
Surely you must be kidding, "shoes". Of course they know approximately the costs for a spur; didn't they just repair their main spur to the coal pile?
Budget? What budget? Budgeting assumes some sort of planning for costs and where the money will come from. TVA is not very good at either.
TVA just agreed to pay $1.9 million to an ad hoc committee in Roane County to boost its PR image. Now that tells you where their priorities really are.
In my opinion, (because TVA always has some reasoning behind their actions, ulterior motives included), TVA wants the spur to tamp down the complaints of so many trucks rumbling through.
On Rail spur being added to assist in cleanup of fly ash from Kingston spill
Someone should grab TVA by the ear, sit it down and say, repeat after me ten times: "I will not endlessly litigate everything I do not like. I will not act like a spoiled teenager anymore, I will act like a responsible grownup".
If you believe this appeal by the TVA is unbelievable, check out what the TVA has done to its own pension program.
On TVA appeals N.C. emissions ruling
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Anger well directed can be a potent but peaceful force for change, not the kind of bankrupting change foisted on us by the present administration.
Sitting in that line of traffic are Americans who still support the TVA despite its false promises and its failure to act responsibly.
Yes, there is no question the repaving project could be handled differently particularly when all the data needed to plan such a long closure is available from the TDOT. And they probably would have some suggestions as to the scheduling of it. Another example of TVA’s “my way or the highway”.
On Bridge work over Fort Loudoun Dam backs up traffic
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Would it be too much trouble to post in a couple of paragraphs how the programs work?
In your words, not TVA's.
On TVA offers new energy efficiency programs
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The question at this time is whether the NRC has the authority to grant, again, the TVA to proceed with the re-instatement of the nuclear construction process for the two unfinished Bellefonte reactors.
My personal view is whether the NRC has the authority or not, the larger question is “Is TVA financially capable of this massive new undertaking when there is no more borrowing capacity?”
The two partially completed Bellefonte units have been so cannibalized for parts that basically TVA would be starting from scratch. New units are estimated to cost $9 billion each. Where would that kind of money come from? Right now, the burden is on the ratepayers and to pay again for these misadventures would be folly.
A significant amount of TVA’s present $25 billion debt is a carryover from bad management mistakes relating to other fits and starts of nuclear construction in the 1980s. I don’t think that leaves much confidence that TVA will not repeat those same mistakes.
The way TVA presently is financed would make it impossible for TVA to provide “cheap” electricity; plentiful but expensive with more nuclear plants. Already, some other utilities are beating TVA’s rates.
I have suggested that the administration take a hard look at the TVA to determine its role in today’s modern electricity production. Obviously, the present 1930s model does not mesh well.
A stark look at the huge additional debt TVA now is incurring relating to the Kingston debacle and the North Carolina mandated upgrade of coal plant scrubbers for two things, just these, add another $2 billion ratepayers must take care of. Who else is to pay?
It is obvious to me that major changes must come in the supply of electricity to the Tennessee River Valley area whether it is from a re-make of the TVA or from the sale of its assets to other providers.
On Bellefonte filing deadline June 3
TVA’s brier patch mentality
Oh Golly, Miss Molly! This is TVA at its best. Magnanimously TVA wants to pay for a PR program for Roane County because of TVA’s own “catastrophe”. I believe it really is for TVA to hope to ameliorate some of their possible criminal negligence.
Does any thinking person believe this would be only for Roane County? And why should Roane County taxpayers pay for the PR? TVA already has a huge in-house PR organization. Uncle Remus’ Mr. Rabbit pleaded with Mr. Fox not to throw him in the brier patch.*
Just who really needs a major PR adjustment? It’s TVA, of course, and it would be a win-win result for them. As one of the posters said, it is much more important to get the mess cleaned up than even to be thinking about “PR” for anyone.
Entangled in all this mess is TVA’s “bribes” in lieu of taxes. Roane County received “no strings” money of $1,263,035 from TVA last year with a similar amount expected for next year.
This is the perfect scam; TVA pays Roane County $1.2 million which the county could then use, plus another $700,000 of taxpayers’ money, to pay for a big time PR firm to do what? Tout the TVA, naturally. TVA says it will pay them back. It’s mind boggling how TVA manipulates not only money but tries through their “bribes” in lieu of taxes to influence local officials for them to “lean” toward the TVA.
I did notice an early reticence on the part of Roane County officials that they did not speak too harshly of the TVA. A tune now somewhat changed because of the anger of their constituents, the voters.
The best PR for Roane County and for the TVA is for them to get in there and do the job quickly while doing it right.
Don’t be duped again by the TVA!
Ernest Norsworthy
*Brer Rabbit was stuck in some tar stuff and it looked like finally, he would be eaten by Brer Fox. Brer Rabbit pleaded with Brer Fox to do anything with him, hang him, drown him, pluck out his eyes, or throw him in the fire, anything except to be thrown in the brier patch. So that is where Brer Fox threw him.
Ha, ha, the rabbit laughed after the fox threw him in the brier patch. “Bred en bawn in a brier-patch” he said, some distance away.
EN
On TVA asked to pay for $1.9M PR campaign to repair image from ash spill
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Unfortunately, FDR started the hydro wheel spinning toward a Southern culture that is too dependent on government, too much believing in the tooth fairy that there's something for nothing out there.
TVA is a master at obfuscation in its monolithic castle protected by our own federal government.
The worm has turned somewhat now that a federal judge in NC says ante up another billion for more scrubbers, the TDEC has mandated specific action and now, the EPA has taken over the Kingston "catastrophe".
I look for Kilgore to resign pretty soon, TVA is not much fun anymore.
On Brass: Solar power plan gets heat
I'm "shocked, shocked" to read about those TVA bonuses. EPA pulled the plug on TVA when it took over the Kingston cleanup.
Absent its real boss who never showed up for work (Congress), it was inevitable others would take TVA over; EPA, Tennessee, federal judges, (DOE?) and others chompin' at the bit for a piece of the action.
Whoa! Now it seems like the people are getting a little concerned. There are those who love the TVA and those who hate it. I think the latter is a bit ahead at this point.
On Silence: Surfing blogs turns up unique finds
There is a broad misconception that the people of the Tennessee Valley “own” TVA. How can you “own” a federal agency?
The Seven States group was formed when they realized that the distributors own nothing of TVA’s assets. But their plan is a sham. By financing new power construction, they believe incorrectly, that they will “own” part of those facilities.
Have you ever heard of the federal government sharing ownership with anything? Anyway, the distributors would have to float bonds to pay for the whole scheme; and where do you think THAT money is coming from? (Check your light bill carefully.)
Privatization of the TVA may be the ONLY workable answer because the TVA has dug itself into an unfathomable hole, rescue-able only by the federal government (a “bailout”?). That, of course, would change everything; no more high salaries and big bonuses, wasteful credit card spending, etc...
On TVA to cut power rates in July
When an organization like TVA is allowed to make its own rules and then enforce them, well, its like, you know what, a D-------ship.
TVA was flawed from the start, flawed to the end.
On Pennsylvania rejects TVA coal ash as too contaminated
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Will EPA do a better job? Better to have been an independent contractor to handle the whole job.
As I recall, TVA first tried to blame cold weather and rain as the cause of the Kingston breach but then pledged to get to the bottom of the reason why the ash containment failed.
Preliminary indications from several sources point the finger squarely at TVA for failing to make repairs when needed.
But now, almost five months later, there still is no answer.
I do not believe TVA ever will admit to this egregious management mistake, the only personnel changes as a result have been nominal, a shifting of the deck chairs on the Titanic.
Make no excuses for the TVA; it takes $10 billion yearly out of an 80,000 square-mile area of the South, money that goes directly to the federal government.
How much will it cost, you say? But the better question is, “How much will it cost individual users of TVA electricity?” TVA has not even come close to answering the last question, a question that every one of the 8.7 million customers who use TVA electricity has a right to know; how much and when?
I recommended early after the Kingston disaster that the TVA not be in charge of the cleanup, and knew that TVA would delay, would try to minimize the scope of it and would try and get out of doing all but the minimum.
The most basic, the most important question for the TVA was and is how and why it happened to immediately help possible similar disasters from happening.
TVA’s foot-dragging has gone on for nearly five months and no answers, no suggestions, nothing but a hunkered down TVA in its best defensive mode.
As pointed out, the enormity of TVA’s problems makes it all the more difficult to operate power plants, to provide electricity for 8.7 million people, with consistency.
On Editorial: Rain, money affecting TVA's cleanup
Ernest Norsworthy
emnorsworthy@earthlink.net
http://norsworthyopinion.com