Posted on Wed, Nov. 23, 2005
Bush's TVA board nominees are big political donors
DUNCAN MANSFIELD
Associated Press
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - None of the five business people nominated by President Bush to the Tennessee Valley Authority's board of directors has experience with utilities or environmental conservation.
But they share a common trait that may be just as important for a political appointment: all are big campaign contributors.
Together, the White House's five nominees to oversee the country's largest public utility and fifth largest river system contributed at least $296,250 to mostly Republican candidates and political organizations since 1990, according to Federal Election Commission records.
"We are concerned this appears to be more of a Who's Who list for the Republican Party than it does a list of people who are going to bring experience and wisdom to the TVA board," said Stephen Smith, executive director of the environmental group Southern Alliance for Clean Energy.
(snip/...)
http://www.sunherald.com/mld/sunherald/news/politics/13246114.htm