The new CEO of the Tennessee Valley Authority says he’s moving ahead with a massive project to upgrade the Gallatin Fossil Plant. TVA wants to install scrubbers at the coal-fired plant to cut its emissions, but environmental groups want the utility to walk away from coal altogether.
TVA released a draft environmental study on the billion-dollar project late last year, but it hasn’t held a public hearing on those plans. People spoke out against the project at a meeting of TVA’s board in Chattanooga today. Most were there on behalf of environmental groups and read from prepared statements. Bill Johnson is TVA’s new CEO. He says he’s still aiming to have the scrubbers installed by 2017.
“We’re not quite done with the environmental assessment on Gallatin. However, we also had a lot of input today, lots of input over the last couple of days…letters to the board and otherwise. We’ll continue to take input and continue to evaluate it, but at the moment Gallatin is still part of the plan.”
Johnson repeatedly pointed out his commitment to shut down 18 other coal plants over the next decade, but TVA’s Chief Financial Officer noted in his presentation to the board that coal is still the utility’s cheapest power source.
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