TVA is a self-funded federal government corporation that generates and sells electric power across a seven-state region centered on the Tennessee Valley. It also manages the Tennessee River system for navigation, flood control, and economic development, serving roughly 10 million people through local power companies and directly served customers. It receives no taxpayer funding for its power program and has been self-financing since 1959.
Created by Congress under the Tennessee Valley Authority Act of 1933 (16 U.S.C. ch. 12A, §§ 831 et seq. (Pub. L. 73-17)), it acts within the authority that statute grants. Its actions are subject to judicial review and to congressional oversight and funding.
