Air Quality

Through the power distributors of the Tennessee Valley, TVA provides more than eight million customers with reliable electric power at an affordable price. The massive public power system operated by TVA—the largest in the nation—provides public service that is unfettered by the need to generate profits.

There are other constraints on the system, though. Public service means public responsibility, and power generation across an 80,000-square-mile service area cannot help affecting the environment. More than half of TVA’s power is generated by the burning of fossil fuels, and this process inevitably releases chemical emissions into the atmosphere.

TVA’s aim is to balance the need for low-cost, reliable power with the necessity of protecting the environment we all share.

How Clean Is the Air?
This July 2003 report provides a look at air quality in the east-central United States, showing trends from 1979 through 2002. An analysis of EPA data over the past quarter-century indicates that the air in this region is good and getting better. View the report here (PDF, 1.1 mb, requires Adobe Acrobat Reader).

Air quality standards

Check here for information on the federal environmental standards that affect TVA’s power generation.

On the Air

These pages present technical reports on important air quality issues.

Scientific papers

TVA carries out many research projects related to air quality and other environmental issues. See a bibliography of recent scientific papers.