Most could say that it took an "Act of Congress", a new nine member TVA board and an outpouring of public, private, conservationist, environmentalist and developers comments before the TVA put together a "Public Land Policy" that appreciates economic growth but not at the expense of natural resourses or reneging on a promise to those who had to give up their lands via eminent domain so many years ago.
It was in 2003 that Mr. Baxter, TVA Board Member, had agreed to swap prime lakefront public land to private developer, Michael Ross, to build an exclusive, gated community. There were enviromental studies as well as a public outcry that if this policy were to be granted, it would start a domino effect for other developers to do the same. It wasn't much longer after TVA granted Mr. Ross the land swap deal that another developer, Thunder Thorton, requested sacred Indian burial grounds for his new gated community call "NickiJack" just outside of Chattanooga. It was in May of 2006 that a moratorium on development of TVA land was instituted. At the time reports stated that due to the moratorium, sixty-four potential developments were put on hold.
In November 2006, the nine member board voted 8 to 1 to establish a Public Land Policy that will no longer allow land swaps or public land to be developed for private use. Doing what you say and saying what you do speaks volumes!!! Mr. Baxter was the lone vote against the new land policy. He stated it was too restrictive.
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