Frequently Asked Questions

What is the purpose of TVA’s Regional Resource Stewardship Council?

TVA has established this Council to seek advice from the public and private sectors to help it determine the best way to manage the natural resources of the Tennessee Valley.

Who appointed the Council members?

TVA was responsible for the appointment of the Council members. The governors of the seven states in TVA’s power service area nominated one member each, and TVA appointed the remaining ones. The members were chosen to represent the following interests:

Distributors of TVA power
Directly served industrial customers
Beneficiaries of TVA’s navigation program
Beneficiaries of TVA’s flood control program
Recreation interests
Environmental interests
Business, education, agricultural, and other interests needed to ensure a balanced and diverse working group.

Does TVA give the governors criteria for making their appointments?

No appointment criteria were given to the governors.

Why were the governors of Virginia and North Carolina able to nominate the same number of Council representatives as the governor of Tennessee, when TVA serves only a fraction of those states?

TVA’s mission is to maintain watershed-wide, integrated management of the entire Tennessee River basin, regardless of state boundaries or the acreage of river-system water in each state. The Council’s job is to set priorities for TVA’s resource management programs in order to optimize benefits derived across the region and for the nation as a whole.

Is TVA required to follow the Council’s recommendations?

TVA wants to ensure that it manages the Tennessee River system with all public interests in mind. Although TVA is not required to follow the Council’s recommendations, its members will play a strong role in any policy decisions or strategies TVA puts in place to manage the system’s resources.

Are Council meetings open to the public?

Interested members of the public may attend the meetings, file statements with the Council, and, in accordance with Council procedures, address the meetings.

Under what legal guidelines does the Council operate?

The Council operates under the auspices of the Federal Advisory Committee Act of 1973. FACA authorizes agencies of the federal government to create and operate advisory committees with uniform guidelines and procedures.

How does FACA work?

The Federal Advisory Committee Act requires adoption of a charter that establishes procedures for the Council’s operations. This includes guidelines on how members are selected and how meetings are called and recorded. The Act requires that meetings be open to the public and specifies that the Council will act in an advisory role only, with actual decisions regarding all matters under the Council’s consideration relegated to the sponsoring agency.