Rep. Ogles Urges TN General Assembly To Audit NES, Strip Metro Nashville Of NES Jurisdiction

WASHINGTON, DC - Congressman Andy Ogles (TN-05) sent a letter to the Tennessee Lieutenant Governor and the Speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives asking them to perform immediate oversight of the failed Nashville Electric Service (NES) board, following reports that the utility cut millions of dollars in essential vegetation removal while purchasing over 100 diversity, equity, and inclusion trainings for its employees and demonstrating severe ill-preparedness in responding to the ice storm that left hundreds of thousands of Nashvillians without power and many dead.

Currently, over 10,000 Nashville residents are still without power, 10 days after the storm. Congressman Ogles' letter asks the General Assembly to: take direct oversight of NES, dissolve the current NES Board, create a new accountable governance structure, and audit NES completely, including its spending, leadership, and emergency preparedness.

"Last Wednesday, NES approved a contract for DEI trainings while 90,000 of their clients were out of power. In 2024, NES cut $7 million from its tree-trimming budget to fund over 100 DEI training courses," said Congressman Ogles.

"Why has NES prioritized racist politics over providing electricity for my constituents? Not only are tens of thousands still without power, but Nashville's inept mayor refuses to step in. The city of Nashville has demonstrated it cannot handle municipal authority over NES, and therefore, the people's representatives in the state must take control. Freddie O'Connell is culpable for the failures of NES and for shielding them from any accountability. I am trying to change that," Congressman Ogles said.

Read The Letter Here

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