President Donald Trump’s nominees to the Tennessee Valley Authority told lawmakers that they would not commit to pursuing the public utility’s 2050 zero-carbon goal during their confirmation hearing Wednesday.
Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) asked the four picks whether they would commit to “adhering to TVA’s net-zero target of 2050.” None offered a clear yes to the Environment and Public Works Committee.
“I think because of the great power need, I think that probably has to be reevaluated,” said Jeff Hagood, one of the nominees and a Knoxville-based litigation attorney.
TVA — which manages waterways, oversees public lands and provides electricity for roughly 10 million people — has not adjusted its carbon emission goals announced in a 2021 report. Those include a plan for a 70 percent reduction of carbon by 2030, developing a path to an approximate 80 percent reduction by 2035 and an “aspiration” to be net-zero by 2050.
