US utility pledges more transparency after lack of notice it empowered CEO to make plant decisions

By JONATHAN MATTISE
Associated Press

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The nation’s largest public utility pledged to be more transparent after it took months to disclose that a general budget vote by its board last year also gave the CEO the final decision over several proposed natural gas power plants. The Tennessee Valley Authority’s board announced the changes Thursday during its quarterly meeting. The decision followed an August meeting in which the board cast the budget vote that quietly gave President and CEO Jeff Lyash the final say over the projects, including the replacement of the aging coal-fired Kingston Fossil Plant with a natural gas plant. But advocates say those provisions wouldn’t be made known until several months later, when documents with specific details were released.