At least five hundred Cheatham County residents packed the Cheatham Middle School gymnasium on February 13th for a “TVA “listening session”. Representatives of the TVA, including COO Don Maul ($3.6 million compensation in 2022), allowed concerned citizens two minutes each to voice their concerns regarding the proposed construction of a methane gas power generation plant in Ashland City, TN.
The meeting did not get off to a good start as the TVA drastically underestimated turnout and only opened half of the gym bleachers. This resulted in many having to stand for the two-hour event. Things went from bad to worse for TVA when they cut off the microphone of Stephanie Henry, during her passionate remarks.
TVA quietly acquired a 286 acre parcel of land, nestled among farms and homes, in August 2020. TVA has a goal of net zero carbon emissions by 2050. To do so requires the phase out of coal fired plants, which have to be replaced with something. TVA’s stated intention for the property is to construct a methane combustion turbine methane gas plant and lithium ion battery storage farm. Of concern to residents is the destruction of their tranquil way of life. Not to mention the erection of ten stacks that will rise 180 feet into the sky. As if it couldn’t get any worse, the Sycamore Creek, which supplies drinking water for the Pleasant View Utility District, runs adjacent to this proposed abomination. Noise pollution, water pollution, industrialization of a rural area are all obvious impacts to Cheatham County if the TVA is not stopped.
TVA representatives indicate that this property checks all of their boxes. Really? Let’s do a quick run-down, shall we? The site is nestled farms and hundreds of residents. There is no interstate or highway access. There is no existing infrastructure. There are no transmission lines or pipeline connections in proximity to the site. Eminent domain will be the order of the day if this is not stopped, as miles of gas pipeline and transmission lines will have to be built.
Again, I ask, “Why this site?” I think more is at play here. While I don’t have all of the answers, here is what I have learned. The TVA is the fourth largest landholder in Tennessee (0ver 290,000 acres). TVA finances its operations through the sale of electricity and bonds. As an arm of the federal government, TVA enjoys privileges not available to other power companies. TVA has a legally authorized debt ceiling of $30 billion dollars. Even though TVA had revenue of $11.9 billion in 2023 it consistently operates in debt between $15 and $20 billion dollars. TVA has $51 billion in assets and $31b in liabilities, of which $19.5 billion is debt bonds.
What private company could continue to operate in billions of perpetual debt? What CEO would be compensated more than $10 million for a company that can’t pay off its debt? Answer, TVA CEO Jeff Lyash. He was the highest compensated federal employee in 2023.
The debtor is slave to the lender. In this case the lenders are institutional bond holders. Find out who they are and you will find out who is dictating policy at TVA. Zero carbon emissions, ESG, DEI are all acknowledged positions of TVA. Connect the dots.
On paper the US Government/ TVA is listed as the owner of the Cheatham parcel. In actuality, the bondholders are the owners of the Cheatham site. I’m not an accountant or a financial analyst but it seems to me that ownership of real estate is a way to make an otherwise failed entity appear solvent.
Acquisition of the Cheatham site looks like a land grab. By law, TVA can obtain property by purchase as an agent of the U.S., or through eminent domain. TVA is exempt from federal laws relating to acquisition of land. TVA holds real property as an agent of the United States. In simple terms, TVA is a middle man that acquires privately held land with our tax dollars and without our consent. This land becomes the property of the United States to serve as collateral to prop up failed institutions (Washington D.C. and the TVA). Those who own our debt own our land. It’s a simple transfer of land from individuals to corporations and TVA is the conduit.
You and I are financing our own demise, against our will. As Klaus Schwab and the World Economic Forum have told us, “We will own nothing and be happy.”
As far as I am concerned, my back yard has become ground zero for the battle against The Great Reset. Our elected representatives in Nashville won’t save us. They stripped us of this ability in 2022 when they exempted energy infrastructure from local zoning requirements. They are compromised. They have sold out to corporations intent to destroy us. Our elected representatives in Washington won’t save us. They won’t balance the nation’s checkbook or close our border. They are bought and paid for. They too are compromised.
It’s up to us! You and me. The little guy. David vs. Goliath. If we don’t stand up now, we will lose everything!
If there is a slim silver lining in all of this, it is that since the TVA is a creature of the federal government, Congress can legislate the sale of TVA assets and even eliminate TVA altogether. It’s time to privatize this behemoth!
Thank you for writing what thousands of us in Cheatham County -- and many other Tennessee counties -- feel in our hearts about TVA's shady handling of everything it touches. You have stated facts about how TVA operates and the acreage it owns as a three-letter government agency. YES! There's something more going on here. Americans need to WAKE UP before we all open our eyes one morning and find we own nothing. It's already happening.
If we think it's a pain to put any effort into the fight, nothing will compare to the pain of wishing we had done something when it's too late. Call Congress -- as many times as possible in a week. Call state representatives. Tell them we're mad as HELL and we're not going to take it anymore. Vote them out, and then run for local offices. We're in a war -- a spiritual battle of good and evil. If America loses, the world loses. The fight starts in our back yards to save everything we hold dear -- everything we've worked for and earned.
"The most effective way to do it, is to do it." -- Amelia Earhart