Mark Gordon: “First of all, there has not been a penny of taxpayer Federal dollars going to the TVA power program since 1959. What…”

“First of all, there has not been a penny of taxpayer Federal dollars going to the TVA power program since 1959. What little Federal money goes to the TVA goes to carry out Federal mandates. And these Federal dollars, as has been pointed out, have been cut by 28 percent already. So let me point out what are these Federal mandates. Where are these Federal dollars going. TVA manages the Nation's fifth largest river system, using 48 dams to control flooding and maintain the navigability along 652 miles of the Tennessee River. TVA is responsible for keeping up with 250,000 acres of Federal land along with 11,000 miles of environmentally sensitive shoreline, and the Land Between the Lakes, which is a 170,000-acre national recreation area, which is the largest contiguous forest east of the Mississippi River. So to cut these funds any further does not cut the responsibilities, it just shifts it from one pocket to the other. Mr. Chairman, I hope this has cleared up some misunderstandings, and I hope my colleagues will vote to only cut the TVA nonpower funds by 28 percent.”