Memphis Standard

WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-9), a senior member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, today questioned Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) CEO Jeff Lyash at a Subcommittee on Water and the Environment hearing reviewing President Biden’s 2024 Budget Request for that agency, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation.

In his line of questioning, Congressman Cohen focused on committing TVA to transition to renewable sources of energy in step with the Biden Administration’s goal to have a carbon emissions-free electricity grid by 2035.

Congressman Cohen also asked Lyash about TVA’s ongoing intransigence in providing salary data as required by the TVA Act. Congressmen Cohen and Tim Burchett (TN-02) introduced a bill last year to amend the Ethics in Government Act to require TVA employees already subject to financial disclosure requirements to also disclose their total compensation, including salaries, bonuses, differentials and benefits.

Lyash said that the TVA is no longer required to provide salary information to Congress and the White House but that it does provide that information to the Securities and Exchange Commission.

In response, Congressman Cohen said: “That’s not what the TVA Act requires and that’s just not right, Jeff. It’s not right. You’re part of the government.”

Representatives Burchett and Garret Graves (LA-06) agreed that TVA has failed to comply with its salary disclosure requirements and urged swift cooperation.

See the entire line of questioning here.

Other witnesses at the hearing today were:

• The Honorable Michael L. Connor, Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works, Department of the Army;
• Major General William “Butch” H. Graham, Deputy Chief of Engineers and Deputy Commanding General, United States Army Corps of Engineers;
• Mr. Adam Tindall-Schlicht, Administrator, Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation

Original source can be found here.