A bill aimed at increasing public transparency of the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Integrated Resource Plan is slated to be introduced by two Tennessee lawmakers on different sides of the volunteer state. Reps. Steve Cohen and Tim Burchett planned to introduce the TVA Increase Rate of Participation Act Friday in the U.S. House of Representatives.

“This bill requires the TVA to take into consideration the interests and informed views of affected stakeholders, including ratepayers and subject-matter experts, as is commonplace for other major utilities,” Cohen said in a statement.

Cohen has long been a critic of TVA, calling for Memphis Light, Gas and Water to opt to buy power from different sources. The call for transparency is also not new; Cohen has spoken out against TVA for its handling of public records regarding employee salaries, renewable energy plans and its disposal of coal ash from the retired Allen Fossil Plant.

The bill, if enacted, would set out various ways the federal utility company would “ensure meaningful public participation and the inclusion of third-party expert advice,” a release regarding the bill said.

More specifically, it would establish an Office of Public Participation to engage the public, require the Integrated Resource Plan to include a standard set of information and require the approval of the board of directors for the IRP.

“(The Office of Public Participation) acting as a liaison to members of the public by providing ongoing process information on individual proceedings and responding to requests for technical assistance; making recommendations to improve processes to ensure they are inclusive, fair and easy to navigate; and facilitating a process for meaningful and open public engagement in the IRP process including opportunities for intervention, discovery, filed comments and an evidentiary hearing,” according to a press release.

Under the new bill, the IRP would have to include information about the long-term forecast of sales and peak demand “under various reasonable scenarios.”

On the other side of the volunteer state, Burchett has also been a critic of TVA, speaking out against closed meetings the utility company had. TVA is headquartered in Knoxville, which is included in Burchett’s district.

Burchett said in a release that the bill would allow even more open dialogue regarding TVA’s decision-making.

“I appreciate the ways TVA has made an effort to become more transparent in recent years, and this would provide some solid guidelines on how to make that even more of a reality,” he said.

Memphis has had an over 80-year-long relationship with TVA and is the federal utility’s biggest customer. And Cohen introducing bills regarding TVA is nothing new. This will be Cohen’s third straight year introducing a bill aimed at increasing transparency.

He previously introduced a bill that would lower TVA’s “fence” and eliminate its monopoly power in the Southeast.

The Tennessee Valley Authority Transparency Act of 2023, was aimed at making public meetings more accessible. Cohen cosponsored a similar bill in 2022.

Memphis accounts for 10% of TVA’s business. In 2022, shortly after Cohen’s bill was introduced, MLGW board members rejected signing a 20-year, rolling contract with the Tennessee Valley Authority that could’ve locked MLGW into a generations-long electricity deal.

Brooke Muckerman covers Shelby County Government for The Commercial Appeal. She can be reached at brooke.muckerman@commercialappeal.com and followed on X, formerly known as Twitter @BrookeMuckerman.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Steve Cohen, Tim Burchett seeking more transparency from the TVA