New Biden-appointed majority officially sworn in for federal utility

A new board majority appointed by President Joe Biden to oversee the nation’s largest public utility has officially been sworn into office.

The Tennessee Valley Authority says the six Biden nominees took the oath of office Wednesday from a federal magistrate judge in Knoxville.

The new board members at the federal utility are Beth Geer of Brentwood, Tennessee; Bobby Klein of Chattanooga, Tennessee; Michelle Moore of Midlothian, Virginia; Bill Renick of Ashland, Mississippi; Joe Ritch of Huntsville, Alabama; and Wade White of Eddyville, Kentucky.

The U.S. Senate confirmed them last month. Some had been awaiting confirmation since spring 2021.

The new members join President Donald Trump’s three remaining appointees to fill out the nine-member board.

The next quarterly meeting of the board will take place in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, on Feb. 16.

The utility is reviewing power generation failures that led to its decision to resort to rolling blackouts on Dec. 23 and 24.