In the News
Tennessee Valley Authority's (TVA) clean up of the coal ash at its now-idled Allen Fossil Plant could take up to 20 years and Rep. Steve Cohen told TVA leaders Tuesday that's too long.
TVA said it will close its remaining coal ash pond at the Allen plant. The federal agency is now in the process of deciding just how it will deal with the coal ash that remains at the site. Options include sealing the ash and storing it in place and removing the ash.
Recently, I testified before the House Budget Committee to advocate for a people-oriented budget that would build a stronger and healthier nation. If our budget is to truly reflect our values, it is time to significantly increase non-defense spending to combat compelling needs at home.
I was pleased to read of President Randy Boyd's announcement that the University of Tennessee will begin offering free tuition to meritorious, need-based students in 2020.
MEMPHIS, TN (WMC) - Every vote counts.
This week saw yet another push from Memphis Congressman Steve Cohen and some Democratic Presidential candidates to abolish the Electoral College.
While President Donald Trump is against the move, some states are trying to bypass Congress and the White House altogether.
Last election the candidate who got the popular vote, Hillary Clinton, did not win the White House.
Cohen says that doesn't make any sense and it's time for a change.
"The candidates should have to appeal for every state," Cohen said.
Whether they're streaming a movie on Netflix or buying a music album on iTunes, consumers are at risk of paying multiple taxes on the digital goods and services they buy. That's simply unfair, and Congress should do something about it.
Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) said Tuesday the Electoral College was "conceived in sin" and originally designed to effectively perpetuate slavery.
"The country is different than it was when the Constitution was drafted," Cohen said on CNN while issuing support for the push to move to a national popular vote for presidential elections.
Cohen criticized the Electoral College's origins, saying, "When the Constitution was drafted, a lot of it had to do with slavery."
CLARIFICATIONS/CORRECTIONS: This story has been updated to reflect that workers for Jacobs, a contractor hired by the Tennessee Valley Authority to help clean up a 2008 coal ash spill in East Tennessee, say they were misled by supervisors about the dangers of coal ash exposure, citing safety managers who told them they could safely eat a pound of coal ash a day without harm. The company says the statements were not meant to be taken literally.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Congressman Steve Cohen is now calling on the FAA to ground all Boeing 737 MAX 8 airplanes after recent safety concerns.
Twenty airlines have taken the MAX 8 planes out of service in the last two days following the deadly
crash shortly after takeoff in Ethiopia.
About 350 are in operation which equates to about 8,500 flights a week around the world.
The jet came on the market in 2017. Each one costs about $121 million. Their engines are 40 percent quieter and 14 percent more fuel efficient than previous models.
Tennessee lawmakers are considering a resolution to express support for a bill in Congress that would require TVA's board of directors to hold open meetings.
State Sen. Ken Yager, of Kingston, is asking for a Senate resolution to support a bill in Congress to
require TVA to hold open meetings that the public can attend.
State Sen. Ken Yager, R-Kingston, explained Senate Joint Resolution 192 in a Senate committee meeting this week, in which the resolution won unanimous approval.
Gov. Bill Lee isn't changing his stance on keeping the bust of Confederate Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest in the State Capitol in spite of a letter from U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen urging him to seek its removal.
Cohen, a Memphis Democrat, followed up on a January letter to the first-year governor – after receiving no response – with a Feb. 22 letter in which he pointed toward Lee's "stated regret" in participating in "Old South" activities and wearing Confederate uniforms while in the Kappa Alpha Fraternity at Auburn University.