WASHINGTON — In one of its last acts of 2025, the U.S. Senate confirmed four new members to the Tennessee Valley Authority Board of Directors late last week, including Alabamian Randall “Randy” Jones.
The confirmations will enable the board to conduct much of its business again, as it has been without a quorum since this past Spring when President Donald Trump removed Huntsville lawyer Joe Ritch from the board. Trump fired two board members shortly before and after Ritch. Additionally, there were three open seats. The nine-member board requires five members to reach a quorum.
TVA, created in 1933, is the nation’s largest public utility and serves customers in seven southern states, including the northern parts of Alabama.
Jones is an insurance agent and serves on the Guntersville Electric Board and the Jacksonville State University Board of Directors.
Sens. Katie Britt and Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., praised Jones’ confirmation in social media posts.
“This is great news for North Alabama, and I look forward to his efforts to deliver reliable, affordable energy for the region,” Britt said.
Tuberville said Jones “will do an excellent job representing our state.”
Mitch Graves and Jeff Hagood of Tennessee and Arthur Graham of Florida were the other three nominees confirmed to the TVA board.
The four new members were confirmed in the Senate on party lines in a bloc of nominations. They will join the board’s three current members, Bill Renick, Bobby Klein and Wade White, with two remaining open spots.
The Senate did not advance another nominee for TVA’s board, Lee Beaman of Tennessee.
During their confirmation hearing in October, Jones and the three other newly confirmed members all agreed on the importance of investing in nuclear energy to meet the region’s growing energy needs.
All four nominees also confirmed that they would not privatize TVA or sell off any of its assets.
The next TVA board meeting is scheduled for Feb. 11.