MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Three more suburbs (Germantown, Bartlett, and Lakeland) caved in to pressure from the TVA Tuesday night, rather than trying to learn and understand more about the alternative.
They claim they're acting in the best interest of their citizens, but are they?
My guess is if those homeowners can save up to 30% on their electric bills, especially after this summer, and not sacrifice reliability, they'll want to at least give the process a chance.
Here's what I can tell you about MISO, which would likely provide our power instead of the TVA. It's a non-profit that operates one of the world's largest energy markets, coordinating the flow of electricity between buyers and sellers. Or as they describe themselves, "an air traffic controller for the electricity grid."
MISO supplies power to 42 million people. They're three times the size of the TVA.
Here are two more things the TVA won't tell you: MISO has to abide by the same federal reliability standards as the TVA, and last year, about the only place the TVA actually bought electricity from, in amounts so huge it accounts for about 10% of TVA's total output, was MISO.
I know change is hard, especially for MLGW. But hopefully, on Thursday it will stop keeping secret the 20 or so bidders who want to replace the TVA as our power source. The idea deserves a serious look.