Testimony of Skila Harris
Before the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works
October 6, 1999
Washington, D.C.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and the other Members of the committee for this opportunity to appear before you.

Preparing for this hearing, I have thought about your Constitutional responsibility to judge the merits of nominees. I appreciate and respect the seriousness with which you carry out that responsibility. I can assure you that, if confirmed, my service as a Director of the Tennessee Valley Authority will be undertaken with the same seriousness and commitment to providing for the power needs of the Tennessee Valley, to promoting economic development and to managing environmental resources.

I will be a full time Director committed to making judgments and taking actions consistent with accountable management, fiscal responsibility, smart planning, and conscientious stewardship of natural resources - - all in service to the Tennessee Valley region.

I want to express my deep appreciation to the President and the Vice President for the opportunity to serve they have given me. This nomination is an honor for me and my family. My late Grandparents, Jim and Myrtle Lester and Tessie and Minnie Harris and my late Father, Skiles Browning Harris and my Mother, Dorothy Lester Harris -- who is beaming her support to me from Bowling Green -- were born in the Tennessee Valley before TVA brought electricity to the region. Also a native of the Valley, I was raised on vivid, hardship stories about life during those early days.

The passage of time and my work in the energy business have added reality to those reminiscings. I recognize the challenges facing TVA in many areas but especially those posed by the emerging era of electric competition. In fact, I served as staff director of the Department of Energy's Tennessee Valley Electric System Advisory Committee. The committee included representatives from diverse groups who share a common and sometimes contentious interest in TVA's future in a competitive environment.

I think that the inclusive approach used during this process is a good model for TVA. Decisions made by TVA impact the lives of the nearly 8 million citizens in its service area; it is important for TVA to understand their interests and concerns and for those citizens to understand and support TVA's plans and decisions.

I see TVA as a corporate public servant, dedicated to the public good. In making the transition to a competitive market, the TVA Board has an obligation to make sure that the benefits of competition accrue to the citizens of the Valley and that they have a safe, reliable, and environmentally sound source of electricity to sustain the economic health of the region and the quality of their lives.

The Board also must fulfill its responsibilities to manage the resources of Tennessee River Valley in a way that provides for flood prevention, year-round navigation, protection of public health and the environment, and recreational uses. The philosophy of the TVA Act dictates a fundamental balance across crucial resource management decisions: balance in managing TVA's power program, TVA's dams and reservoirs, and the cumulative impact on the environment and the economy.

Just as the challenges facing Congress today are different from those it faced in its first years, the issues before TVA today are different and perhaps more complex than they were in the 1930s. The mission, however, is the same -- to serve the region and the nation -- for the greater public good.

I hope to have the opportunity to work along with Chairman Crowell and Mayor McCullough, as TVA continues to carry out its mission and meet today's new challenges.

Thank you very much.