Unless the Senate acts, November’s TVA board meeting could be the last with a quorum

What This Story Is About

• The Tennessee Valley Authority’s board of directors will meet for its quarterly business meeting on Nov. 10, and it may be the last meeting the board has with enough members to meet a quorum.

Why It Matters

• According to the TVA’s bylaws, the board can continue operations that were established while TVA had enough members, but it does not have the “authority to direct [TVA] into new areas of activity, to embark on new programs, or to change the Corporation’s existing direction.”

What Happens Next

• The TVA has released its agenda for the Nov. 10 business meeting, but there’s nothing on it to suggest the board will be discussing the potential loss of two of its members.

For Context

• As it stands, two of the board’s members have run out the extent of their terms.

Catch Up

• If the Senate doesn’t act by the new year, it’s likely the TVA board will be without a quorum in January, a problem it repeatedly faced in 2025 when President Donald Tump fired several directors.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) - The Tennessee Valley Authority’s board of directors will meet for its quarterly business meeting on Nov. 10, and it may be the last meeting the board has with enough members to meet a quorum. The TVA is on schedule to lose two members of its already undersized board at the beginning of the year, leaving it unable to vote on major decisions.

As it stands, two of the board’s members have run out the extent of their terms; both Arthur Graham’s and Bobby Klein’s terms ended on May 18. The two are still on the board, but they’re only allowed to continue serving until the new legislative session, which begins on Jan. 3, 2027.

With their departures, the TVA Board of Directors would only have four members, and five people must sit on the board in order to reach a quorum. Usually, the board is made up of nine members.

According to the TVA’s bylaws, the board can continue operations that were established while TVA had enough members, but it does not have the “authority to direct [TVA] into new areas of activity, to embark on new programs, or to change the Corporation’s existing direction.”

Filling a TVA Board of Directors seat requires a nomination from the president and appointment by the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. At this time, Graham has been nominated for reappointment and a newcomer, Lee Beaman, has been nominated to fill the seat that will be left vacant by Klein. That said, the Senate committee’s meeting calendar lists no appointment hearings for the TVA. If the Senate doesn’t act by the new year, it’s likely the TVA board will be without a quorum in January, a problem it repeatedly faced in 2025 when President Donald Tump fired several directors.

The TVA has released its agenda for the Nov. 10 business meeting, but there’s nothing on it to suggest the board will be discussing the potential loss of two of its members. The board doesn’t meet again until February, according to its meeting schedule.

The TVA is the nation’s largest provider of public power. It serves more than 10 million people across seven states and manages the Tennessee River for flood control and navigation.