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The Use of Economic Analysis in the Tennessee Valley Authority: The Case of the Duck River Project

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 April 2015

Leonard A. Shabman
Leonard A. Shabman*
Affiliation:
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
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Extract

In September, 1968 the Tennessee Valley Authority recommended construction of two dams on the Duck River in middle Tennessee. Subsequently, an environmental impact statement (EIS) was prepared which further described the plan and provided a summary of the national economic efficiency justification for its implementaion. Table 1 summarizes the EIS justification. However, the accuracy of the EIS analysis may be subject to question. This paper evaluates the sensitivity of the EIS national economic analysis to changes in expansion benefit estimates, reconsideration of cost estimates and their use, and the discount rate used for analysis. Also discussed is the consideration given to alternatives to the Duck River Project, and institutional limitations on the TVA's mission that affect the use of economic analysis.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics , Volume 5 , Issue 1 , July 1973 , pp. 245 - 252
Copyright
Copyright © Southern Agricultural Economics Association 1973

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