Memphis is not represented on the TVA board

More than 11 months after being nominated as the only black member of the Tennessee Valley Authority board of directors, Patrice Robinson of Memphis is still waiting to take her seat.

Robinson, a former Memphis City Council member, was nominated by President Joe Biden to serve on TVA's nine-member board on September 11, 2023. Her confirmation is pending.

In fact, there hasn't even been a confirmation hearing yet, and it doesn't look like one will be scheduled in the near future.

“I'm still waiting for Senate confirmation. It's just not a priority,” Robinson said. “It's been a little nerve-wracking, but I'm not there yet.”

There are currently eight people on the nine-member board. All are white. None are from West Tennessee.

TVA is a federally owned utility that provides electricity to parts of seven states. It is Memphis' sole provider of electricity. As TVA's largest single electricity customer, the city-owned Memphis Light, Gas & Water pays $1 billion annually for electricity. But the city hasn't had anyone on TVA's board since John Ryder, a Memphis attorney and former general counsel for the Republican National Committee, died in May 2022, just months after retiring from the board.

This is unacceptable, said State Rep. Justin J. Pearson.

“It's imperative that we have representation on the TVA board,” said Pearson, a Memphis Democrat who is a frequent critic of TVA. “We generate a significant portion of the revenue for TVA. And we in Memphis bear the largest energy burden in the country. We spend a lot of our money on energy. Our voice is critical.”

Robinson's nomination is awaiting approval by the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. When asked on July 25 about the status of Robinson's approval, a committee spokesperson responded via email with a one-line response:

“The Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works has not yet scheduled further consideration of the nomination of Patrice Robinson.”

The gridlock in congressional confirmation is nothing new, and it is not unique to Robinson's appointment. On July 30, at a hearing of the U.S. Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, a representative of the nonprofit Partnership for Public Service called on Congress to streamline the process of confirming presidential appointments, saying it hurts local communities and even threatens national security.

“The work required to select, nominate, and vote on presidential appointees is more lengthy, complicated, and uncertain,” Jenny Mattingly of the Partnership for Public Service testified in a written statement. “Many positions remain vacant for months or even years; some are never filled.”

Previous appointments to the TVA board have also waited a long time for confirmation. Current board member Beth Geer of Brentwood, who works as chief of staff for former Vice President Al Gore, and two others were first nominated in spring 2021 but waited until December 2022 for confirmation.

Biden's 2021 nominations for the TVA board included Kim Caudle Lewis, an African-American businesswoman from Huntsville, Alabama, but she withdrew her candidacy to run unsuccessfully for the Alabama State Senate.

Robinson, 68, finished two terms on the Memphis City Council in December, where she served as the council's liaison to MLGW. She also served as MLGW's supervisor for 17 years. The TVA board post became vacant in January when former TVA board chairman Bill Kilbride of Chattanooga retired.

At the time of her nomination, Democratic U.S. Representative Steve Cohen of Tennessee praised Robinson as the ideal person to represent Memphis and West Tennessee on the TVA board.

“Patrice Robinson has many years of experience in utility management and public service and is the ideal candidate for the TVA board. I am pleased to have another Memphian appointed to the board,” Cohen said in a statement.

Robinson said she had spoken to a representative of the Senate committee but was currently “on hold.”

Four of the TVA's current eight board members are from Tennessee. But none of these four live anywhere near Memphis (Nashville, Brentwood, Chattanooga and Johnson City). The others are from Alabama, Mississippi, Virginia and Kentucky.

Scott Brooks, TVA representative, said TVA has no say in who is nominated or confirmed for its board. The board has met twice since January, missing one member at each of those meetings. The board meets again on Aug. 22 in Florence, Alabama.

In addition to Ryder, Memphis already had previous TVA board members. Cohen's office reported that Robinson will follow in the footsteps of these Memphis citizens who previously served on the TVA board – Ron Walter, V. Lynn Evans and Bishop William Graves.

Pearson suggested that public pressure could help confirm Robinson's nomination, as has worked in the past when congressional confirmation was delayed. Pearson has been highly critical of TVA's push for fossil fuel power plants at the expense of green energy such as wind and solar.

“It makes no sense that we are not represented on the TVA board,” Pearson said. “We need someone to help us address our problems. And to speak out against the terrible direction the TVA is taking.”

Robinson declined to comment on whether the citizens of Memphis and West Tennessee should be concerned that such a vital part of the region's energy supply is not represented, saying she would rather focus on her qualifications for the job.

“I am confident I would represent West Tennessee and our community well. I come from a background in the utility industry and politics and I cannot think of a better candidate,” Robinson said.

This article was first published by the Institute for Public Service Reporting Memphis