CHAPTER XXIII 

 THE TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY 



The Tennessee Valley Authority was created by act of Congress 

 on May 18, 1933, and is managed by a board of three directors ap- 

 pointed by the President with the approval of the Senate. As ex- 

 pressed by President Roosevelt: 



The continued idleness of a great national investment (the Muscle Shoals 

 development) in the Tennessee Valley leads me to ask Congress for legislation 



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FIG. 124. General outline of the basin of the Tennessee River showing the sites 

 of the Wilson, Norris and Joe Wheeler dams. The shaded areas lie within the 

 drainage basin of the Tennessee River, which is located in parts of 7 states. 



necessary to enlist this project in the service of the people. It is clear that 

 the Muscle Shoals development is but a small part of the potential public useful- 

 ness of the entire Tennessee River, such as, if envisioned in its entirety, trans- 

 cends mere power development; it enters the wide fields of flood control, soil 

 erosion, afforestation, elimination from agricultural use of marginal lands, and 

 distribution and diversification of industry. 



The Authority is clothed with the power of government but pos- 

 sessed of the flexibility and initiative of private enterprise. It is 

 charged with the broadest duty of planning for the proper use, con- 

 servation, and development of the natural resources of the Tennessee 



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