Revenue and Expense Data for TVA's Wind Power Plant

The following information was requested under the Freedom of Information Act on April 7, 2002.

Revenue and expense data for the wind power plant, from construction to current date.

The following response was released by TVA on December 2, 2002. It was a flat refusal to provide the requested information.

"We are withholding this information pursuant to the Government confidential commercial privilege incorporated within exemption 5 of the FOIA. We do not publish revenue and expense information at the plant level because public disclosure of this information would place TVA at a competitive disadvantage in the marketplace."

TVA apparently refers to the following portion of 18CFR § 1301.7(a):

(5) Inter-agency or intra-agency memorandums or letters which would not be available by law to a private party in litigation with TVA, including without limitation records relating to control and accounting for special nuclear material and to the physical security plans for the protection of TVA’s nuclear facilities;

If a submitter has any objection to disclosure, it is required to submit a detailed written statement. The statement must specify all grounds for withholding any portion of the information under any exemption of the FOIA and, in the case of Exemption 4, it must show why the information is a trade secret or commercial or financial information that is privileged or confidential.

Quote of the moment

The prescriptions in favor of liberty, ought to be levelled against that quarter where the greatest danger lies, namely, that which possesses the highest prerogative of power: But this [is] not found in either the executive or legislative departments of government, but in the body of the people, operating by the majority against the minority.

It may be thought all paper barriers against the power of the community are too weak to be worthy of attention . . . yet, as they have a tendency to impress some degree of respect for them, to establish the public opinion in their favor, and rouse the attention of the whole community, it may be one mean to control the majority from those acts to which they might be otherwise inclined.

~ (James Madison) Proposing Bill of Rights to House, June 8, 1789 ~

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Disclaimer Fine Print: This site is personal, and is independent of TVA or any other organization. Use of the abbreviation "TVA" is purely for descriptive purposes (for example, to distinguish from wind power plants on Buffalo Ridge in Minnesota). No endorsement, no approval, and no involvement by TVA is implied.

How are the finances at TVA's Wind Power Plant?

Is it making money?

TVA won't say

January 5, 2003