Nashville's 'quiet revolution' to fight climate change

• Metro's Climate and Energy Subcommittee recommends that the mayor start calling the shots on energy.

Something historic is underfoot in Metro Nashville, and it would be a shame if it got lost in the news stampede coming out of Washington. To people who care about climate change, or to people who simply live on planet Earth, a small committee of environmentally conscious people may have just sparked a quiet revolution.

For more than 80 years, the federal Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) has overseen all energy generation in our city. That includes decisions to build hydroelectric dams, as well as decisions to double down on the Gallatin coal plant. Nearly all of Tennessee comes under TVA’s jurisdiction, hence the Tennessee Regulatory Authority, set up to oversee our utilities, does not regulate our energy.

As the rest of the country and the world move toward cleaner and renewable energy sources, TVA has dragged its feet. If you don’t see solar panels on the rooftops of homes and buildings all over the city, you wonder why we don’t have community solar that allows customers to buy shares, and you don’t pass solar farms when driving in and around Nashville, it’s because of TVA policy.

Given this premise, it took no small measure of courage for Anne Davis, managing attorney at the Southern Environmental Law Center, and G.Dodd Galbreath, founding director of Lipscomb University’s Institute for Sustainable Practice, to lead Mayor Barry’s Livable Nashville Climate & Energy Subcommittee, and recommend to the mayor that Metro start calling the shots on energy.

Also participating on the subcommittee was Eddie Davidson, head of government relations at Piedmont Natural Gas, who at least once balked at the lofty renewable goals put forth. Decosta Jenkins, 13-year president and CEO of Nashville Electric Service, which has long maintained it is only a distributer of energy and does not get involved in producing energy or making energy generation decisions, also found himself in the hot seat.

At one meeting, TVA representatives had just explained that they have adequate renewable energy programs, and Davis and others were frustrated. Jenkins looked at Davis across a conference room table and said, “You just tell me what you want and I’ll deal with them,” pointing to the TVA presenters. That was Minute 1 of a new era.

The committee proposed that Metro government set a target of reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent by 2020, 40 percent by 2030 and 80 percent by 2050. The county as a whole would aim for a 10 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020, 30 percent by 2030 and 70 percent by 2050. On top of that, renewable energy should produce 10 megawatts of our energy by 2020 and become 30 percent of the energy mix by 2030.

Once the city sets goals, the work can begin to create a plan to realize those targets. As a start, the committee has recommended a two megawatts of community solar initiative, four to six megawatts of solar installed on Metro buildings, and switching to LED bulbs for street and traffic lights.

Mayor Barry has given the public one month to comment. I can tell you mine: Never thought I’d see this! Absolutely yes.

Read the draft recommendations: http://www.nashville.gov/Portals/0/SiteContent/MayorsOffice/Sustainability/docs/LN%20DRAFT.pdf

Take the Survey: https://keepnashvillebeautiful.wufoo.com/forms/mwlmyf61qv9faq/

Or email Maren.wilder@nashville.gov with the subject head: Livable Nashville Draft Recommendations Feedback

Amy Schulman Eskind is a freelance journalist in Nashville.