Sumner County Made Sure TVA Knew Its Concerns

September 7, 2005, The Tennessee Valley Authority’s decision not to ship coal by rail to its Gallatin power plant was met with great relief in Sumner County.

For months, residents voiced their opposition to the flawed plan, citing legitimate traffic and safety concerns. When Gallatin city officials held a 20-minute demonstration to simulate how a long coal train would block vital roads, a mile-long traffic jam resulted. Frustrated motorists made u-turns and searched for alternate routes, adding high volumes of traffic to side streets.

Emergency service providers told TVA they would need to know the train schedules so they could plan alternate emergency routes. Government officials asked TVA how much money would be saved by switching from barge to rail transport. But TVA didn’t provide that information.

As a public entity, TVA has a responsibility to provide adequate justification to any changes in operation. TVA also has a responsibility to work with local communities that may be affected by those changes.

When ratepayers and local officials didn’t receive the justification and cooperation they deserved, they made sure TVA officials knew they were concerned.

And TVA listened.

TVA’s wise decision to continue to transport its coal by barge will benefit Sumner County residents greatly. Quality of life will not be diminished, and cities will continue to grow and prosper.

This issue truly has illustrated that those of us in government do our best work when we get advice from local residents. Many folks in the community contacted their elected officials with valid concerns about TVA’s proposal. And we took those concerns to heart.

This is a good example of local, state and federal government working together for the benefit of residents.

I know that Sumner County residents are grateful for TVA’s decision. And when TVA considers future changes that impact the lives of community residents, I hope TVA officials will listen again to local concerns.