Sierra Club opposes TVA’s decision to raise electric bills for customers

MUSCLE SHOALS, ALA. — TVA’s board of directors today approved a mandatory fixed fee that will force customers to pay more on their electric bill before they even flip a switch.

TVA’s new rate plan and fixed “Grid Access Charge” means families and small businesses will pay more each month, regardless of how much electricity they use.

Increased fixed charges take a bigger share from the incomes of those who are the least able to pay, most notably vulnerable populations on fixed incomes like seniors and people with disabilities, as well as those who have made good faith investments in energy efficiency measures to lower their bills.

In response, Bonnie Swinford, organizing representative for the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal campaign in Tennessee, released the following statement:

“Customers spoke out very strongly today about how much this decision will hurt them and their families. Adding these regressive fees to electricity bills is an unfair, unreasonable burden on residential consumers, especially those already struggling to make ends meet.

“Rather than forcing people to pay higher bills, no matter their energy usage, TVA should take full advantage of clean, cheap, smart options, like rooftop solar and other distributed energy resources, and invest in more robust energy efficiency programs that would take demand off the grid and save Tennessee families money, instead of punishing them for conservation.

“As members of TVA’s IRP Working Group, Sierra Club is committed to working with TVA staff, as well as with stakeholders and the public, to chart a new path for our utility, toward a clean energy future that protects our environment and benefits all the people of the Tennessee Valley.”