TVA’s Cease & Desist Halts Port Development; TCEA CEO Resigns

By Misty Green

The Tennessee Central Economic Authority (TCEA) held the Board of Directors meeting on Friday, April 25, 2025, at the Macon County Administration Building. At this meeting, TVA’s December 16, 2024, Cease-and-Desist letter, which halted the development of the PowerCom Industrial Center Port, has also urged the President & CEO of TCEA, Charly Lyons, to submit a resignation letter, stating that by June 2025, “I’ll be retiring… It felt like it was a blindside… This TVA thing,” he said.

The Tennessee Central Economic Authority, originally the Four Lake Regional Industrial Development Authority, was established on April 15, 1986, by the Tennessee State Legislature through a public act. The authority’s enabling legislation outlines its purpose as developing the region’s resources, including Macon, Smith, Sumner, Trousdale, and Wilson counties, while improving employment opportunities.

Charly Lyons joined the TCEA team on January 1, 2013, and for the past twelve years, his mission has been to see the 500 acres that comprise PowerCom developed, which happens to sit adjacent to TVA (Tennessee Valley Authority) property.

In the minutes from the December 13, 2024, TCEA meeting, in the President’s Report section, it was stated that the Southern Marine Construction Company has completed dredging our harbor to a depth of twelve feet (cost $748,508.00) and installing the mooring cleats on the dock (cost $27,576.00). A new gate has been installed on Cumberland Passage to deter trespassing in the port area.

Charly Lyons told the board that there are two parallel issues in the Cease-and-Desist letter from TVA. Although they are going on at the same time, they are completely separate. One is the pursuit of expanding the park by acquiring land from TVA, and the second is the port. “We are no longer trying to acquire the land,” Charly Lyons said, “With the port, the current TVA staff involved did not know what we had done in the maintenance dredging of the existing harbor. Nothing was expanded. In the initial conversations, I don’t think TVA realized this.”

“Senator Pody was very upset,” Smith County Mayor Jeff Mason said, “Because he thought we were trying to avoid doing something when we were not. I think he called some of the mayors and state officials.”

The official deed includes building restrictions and restrictions about entering the floodplain. “TVA has easements out of this facility that would be hard to get today that were gotten back in the 60s and 70s,” Mayor Jones said. So, they don’t want to sell any property until they can make a judgement or decision on what they may want to do because they have those easements.

Trousdale County Mayor Jack McCall stated, “When we received this letter on December 16, 2024, it stated cease. I would have expected Charly to contact the board immediately to set up a special-called meeting for a resolution. Now, 51 days after that letter was received, we have this discussion. About two years ago, Charly took TVA on. I was appalled by how demanding he was of TVA. At this point, I can say fairly certain that TVA is not in a working mood with Charly now because of the things he said to them. He even admitted that he would meet in the hall sometime and corner them and let them know how they felt about some things. That is going to make it difficult going forward.”

Charly Lyons explained, “It appears that TVA raised some concerns about what was going on with the property. This is when the deed restrictions were found. It’s not a matter of violating someone’s regulations, and it’s more of a matter of building restrictions and the consent needed. No one knew this, and consent had not been received prior. Cumberland Valley River Port needs this information clarified between maintenance dredging and expansion dredging. It was committed that we would have a dredged harbor for them. We had it dredged so that they could go to work and bring in equipment and barges today. However, this letter came later.  The Cumberland Valley River Port team needs to know the building restrictions on the property they lease and what approvals from TVA would be needed.”

In the Special Called meeting, Cumberland River Valley Port Attorney Zach Taylor said, “Cumberland Valley has spent a ton of money and time, and now we’re sitting here with our hands tied and don’t know where we’re going. It’s not a good place to be for us. We were never given a cease. We were never told. I still have not been provided a letter from anyone at Tennessee Central. I have a copy and have seen it, but it didn’t come from anyone at Tennessee Central. We could easily have been in violation of this. We have never been told don’t push. If we had pushed a barge of loaded soybeans, we would probably be getting sued by TVA. That is a major concern.”

Mayor Mason states, “Another concern TVA voiced to me yesterday is that they did a study in 2016 or 2018 that said the area was too shallow for barge traffic. Have we done a study that says differently, or were we just hoping?”

Charly Lyons responds, “According to the Army Corps of Engineers, it is deep enough.”

Mayor Mason stated, “The property was released to George McDonald and his group (Cumberland River Valley Port) to develop the port, and the next thing I know, Charly is telling me that we were dredging the port.”

When the letter came, work ceased. George McDonald stated, “We are spending our money, not TVA money or state money. So far, the conception to me is that we have wadded all the money spent and thrown it out the window.”

“Your investments will still have value,” Charly replied, “We are honoring everything they (TVA) are asking for and doing whatever they want. I don’t know that it is going to stop anything.”

“We have learned a lesson,” Macon County Mayor Steve Jones declared. If we do anything in the PowerCom Industrial Center, we had better contact TVA first. They are much bigger than we are and were the original owners of the property.”

In the minutes from the February 5, 2025, TCEA Special Called Board of Directors meeting  – TVA Communication Discussions ~ Charly Lyons, president and CEO of the Tennessee Central Economic Authority, stated that TVA gave him verbal approval for ARC’s expansion. ARC Automotive (Hartsville) is not technically included in the deed restrictions as they do not impede TVA property.

Macon County Mayor Steve Jones stated that the big question we all need answered is what precisely the deed affects in PowerCom. The report states, “I do not necessarily blame Charly, although, yes, the responsibility falls on his back. Someone should have known what was needed.”

Mayor Jones asks Charly if he knows if the appropriate permits were obtained for the dredging. Charly responds, “Two parallel running issues are in TVA’s Cease-and-Desist letter. They are entirely separate, although they are going on at the same time. One is the pursuit of expanding the park by acquiring land from TVA. The second is the port. The first issue started in 2022 with a letter to the regional vice president. They didn’t answer until January 2023. The discussions carried on from there for about 18 months. That issue has been resolved, as we are no longer trying to acquire the land. It has taken time to go through the TVA hierarchy, which generated the response in the letter. The second is the port. The current TVA staff involved with this did not know what we had done in dredging, referred to as maintenance dredging of the existing harbor. Nothing was expanded, and I do not think TVA realized this.”

TVA, rightfully so, is highly environmentally conscious.

Mayor Jones stated, “The bottom line is, Charly, TVA will work with the mayors, but does not want to work with you. You have offended them.”

On February 20, 2025, TCEA held a Special Called Board of Directors Meeting at TCAT in Hartsville.

Public Comments:

Stephen Chambers ~ Before Mr. Lyons and Don Rigby came on, you’d go in the Four Lake office and they’d be in there smoking cigarettes, playing solitaire, grass up to here, and had no development plans going forward. Before they came, it was a lot of empty buildings, now it’s full and generating revenue.

Jerry Warren ~ I appreciate the opportunity to work with Tennessee Central.

Ron Fultz ~ Charly and the staff of Tennessee Central have done an outstanding job.

David Nollner ~ I am the maintenance person at PowerCom. Charly always prioritized the site’s appearance.

Carroll Carman ~ I remember all the years of Four Lake, the actual beginnings of the nuclear plant back in the late 60s. I’m a 72-year resident of Trousdale County. I remember the many years before Charly and Tennessee Central. That, and no disrespect to anybody who might have been involved in that at that time. Four Lake was a disgrace. This man came in, and he cleaned up the disgrace and made it into something substantial.

Charly said, “Just because I’m going to be let go on a certain day or whatever, I’m going to work to the day I leave. I’ve never left a place where I didn’t work just as hard at the end as I did in the beginning. This is not a job. This is an enjoyment. Getting into these political things. No, that’s not. But I am able to see some of these folks grow their company. I’m in a position where when I walk out the door, it’s retirement. I’m not looking to go find another job. I’m not going to be looking to do consulting work or anything. I’ll be retired.”

Mayor Mason responds, “Charly, you have been a great help to me. No one can argue that the results of what you have done for this organization are in a much better place… I personally would like to see you say rather than resign, that you are retiring. We never said as a board that we’re replacing you. You brought the letter of resignation to us.”

Bob Rochelle said, “Well, the way you retire is to resign. That’s the way you retire. They’re not conflicting situations.”

“I really wish you will accept my letter,” Charly said, “If I need to rewrite it and say retirement, I’d be glad to do that.”

Heather Bay moved that we receive Mr. Lyons’s resignation/retirement letter and that it be effective June 30, 2025. Mayor McCall seconded the motion. The motion passed 4-1, with Sumner County Mayor John Isbell voting No.

In other business…

Dinkins Biological Consulting has completed the environmental study on the fleeting sections of the Cumberland River at mile 284.1. All indications show the area is environmentally approved.

Once Barge Design receives the final report, it will apply to the Army Corps of Engineers for a permit for barge fleeting.

ARC Automotive has extended its land lease and broken ground on an expansion of a 4,200-square-foot building on its PowerCom campus.

Ten additional signs have been placed in PowerCom to warn about no trespassing and no hunting.

I met with Ron Gerson and David (an Italian client) to review and tour Feldspar’s port and storage areas. Ceramic manufacturers use Feldspar, and PowerCom could be the distribution center.

A meeting with State Senator Ferrell Haile and State Representative William Slater to discuss funding for the future. There are two areas of concern. One is the funding of the port equipment and storage facilities. Two are the infrastructure for the newly developed sites on the south campus.

The Project Managers Report ~ This quarter, we received eight RFI requests. Two were submitted. The remaining RFIs sought existing buildings and rail access, or exceeded our workforce capacity.

TCEA Hears Waste-to-Energy Opportunity                                                                                                                                                 

With a vision to continually pursue the next level of enrichment for the people and communities in the Tennessee Central region, representatives from the five growing counties of Macon, Smith, Sumner, Trousdale/Hartsville Metro, and Wilson, entertained a proposal from Wastek Energy Solutions LLC that would turn municipal solid waste into energy (natural gas) at ZERO cost to taxpayers.

Wastek President Joe Mitchell explained that three things were needed from TCEA: a waste agreement, a location site, and a gas connection to the gas transmission line or gathering line.

Wastek Energy Solutions is an independent sales representative for Trilogy Financial Group Inc., which owns exclusive rights to the technology in North and South America.

The integrated WASTE-TO-ENERGY PLANT is an anaerobic digester, with water recovery, and Pyrolysis that will achieve the following results: 50% higher carbon to biogas (renewable natural gas) conversion; 30-50% higher biogas energy content than other commercially available digesters; sequestering nitrogen, sulfur, and phosphorus in the biosolids; ability to efficiently process liquid sludge and solid waste, while increasing the life of a wastewater treatment plant and landfills; #1 and #2 plastics are sold to after-market customers. #3-7 plastics produces hydrogen which is converted into green methanol; tires are sold to after-market customers who produce consumer products; turning the operation costs of wastewater treatment plant and landfills into income from energy, recoverable metal, glass, etc., and carbon dioxide sales; the organics are processed in our digester to produce methane (renewable natural gas) which alleviates the methane pollutant produced by organic dumped in landfills; and carbon dioxide is produced as a by-product in the digester for use in greenhouses and other commercial and industrial uses.

The project goal is to recycle larger portions of mixed residue; 95-99% of the waste is reclaimed as recoverable energy, and only 1-5% of the waste is non-recoverable waste (ash) to landfill. The ash is inert with silica, concrete fines, and traces of inert material, and when heated, it can be used as cover for the landfill; #3-7 plastics produce green methanol; organics to energy and carbon dioxide.

600 tons per day of municipal solid waste converts to: 375 tons per day of organics, which are converted to 2,740,000 CU FT per day of renewable natural gas to the Interstate Pipeline for use in the transportation industry and carbon dioxide for industrial and commercial use.

The typical timeframe for the complete project development from start to commissioning is 16-18 months and will bring 80 jobs close to home.

“I don’t know of any economic development organization in the country that has opened up a port,” Charly Lyons once said in a meeting, “And there is Zwirner, Cary Brothers, Iris Plastics, and Tri-Metals… Those are all some companies that we need to continue to work with to help them get to the next phase of their development and growth… All of those will be adding jobs.”