Bill · H.R. 6357· House(119-HR-6357)
TVA IRP Act
- Introduced
- 12/2/2025
- Last activity
- 2/2/2026 — Referred to the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment.
- Sponsored by
- Steve Cohen
- Cosponsors
- - 1 - 1
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
This bill is known as the TVA Increase Rate of Participation Act or the TVA IRP Act. It amends the Tennessee Valley Authority Act to provide for further transparency from the Tennessee Valley Authority. The legislation establishes an Office of Public Participation within the Corporation to engage with the public. It mandates that the Board hold hiring authority for this new office without delegating it to staff. The office is tasked with acting as a liaison, coordinating with other offices, and creating a process for meaningful public engagement. Additionally, the bill sets rules for integrated resource planning, public comments, evidentiary hearings, and responses to discovery requests.
Yes· 3 of 10
Does this make what the government does easier for the public to see?+6
The legislation establishes an Office of Public Participation and mandates extensive transparency measures for the Tennessee Valley Authority.
Does this protect the right to fair treatment by the courts?+3
The bill creates formal evidentiary hearings and structured discovery response timelines for public participants and intervenors.
Does this better protect air, water and wildlife?+3
The bill explicitly mandates consideration of resilience, extreme weather risk, and public health in the least-cost planning program.
The opposite
No question was scored the opposite.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Section 2 (Adding Section 12B(a) and (c)): Establishing an Office of Public Participation creates a dedicated place for the public to get information, receive technical assistance, and provide input through outreach and education. This benefits everyday people by making processes more inclusive, fair, and easy to navigate.
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Section 2 (Adding Section 12B(d)): This provision sets up a clear public comment period and requires responses to discovery requests from intervenors within 15 days. This is positive because it gives citizens structured timelines to make their voices heard and ensures their questions do not get ignored.
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Section 3(a): The Board of Directors must oversee public engagement, provide modeling assumptions 100 days before a draft plan is released, and show how public input shaped the final plan. This holds our officials accountable by forcing them to show their work and prove they actually listened to the people.
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Section 3(b): The bill amends the least-cost planning program to explicitly include resilience, extreme weather risk, and impacts to public health. This is a win for the people because it forces planners to consider community safety and well-being alongside simple costs.
Potential Negative Impacts for People
- Section 2 (Adding Section 12B(b)): The bill requires that hiring authority for the Office of Public Participation rests solely with the Board and cannot be delegated to staff. Depending on how the Board operates, forcing top-level officials to handle every single hire could slow down getting staff in place to help the public.
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Good For Farmers+2Good For Low Income Households+2Good For Middle Class Households+2Good For Rural Residents+2Good For Urban Residents+2
- Governance And Ideology
- Improves Government Transparency+6Improves Due Process+3
- Environment Energy And Infrastructure
- Improves Environmental Protections+3Improves Rural Development+3
- Economy And Finance
- Improves Consumer Protection+2
- 2/2/2026
- Referred to the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment.
- 1/14/2026
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 12/2/2025
- Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- Introduced in House
Tim BurchettRepublican · Tennessee
Eleanor NortonDemocrat · District of Columbia