Energy dominance was expressed by Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee in his State of the State address on the House floor of the Tennessee State Capitol in Nashville on Feb. 5.
“Over the past year, thanks to your partnership, we have made great strides,” the Republican governor added.
Following his speech, Mr. Lee took to X, formerly Twitter, to post that “[Tennessee] is well-positioned to lead the country into a new era of energy in America.”
State’s Nuclear Energy Future
In May 2023, Mr. Lee established the Tennessee Nuclear Energy Advisory Council through an executive order, aiming to promote and invest in “safe, clean and reliable nuclear energy” and create a $50 million fund to help recruit companies in the nuclear industry to the state.
In his speech to the Nuclear Energy Assembly last spring, Mr. Lee said the state currently gets about 44 percent of its energy from nuclear power, which is administered by the largest public power company in the United States, the Tennessee Valley Authority.
In his speech on Monday, Mr. Lee noted the advisory council he established last year had just produced its first report to “help guide [the state’s] strategy using the knowledge, expertise and experience of some of Tennessee’s brightest minds.”
“While more work needs to be done and is being done, Tennessee is well-positioned to protect the foundation laid decades before at Oak Ridge to not only lead the Southeast but lead this country into a new era of energy in America.”
That report was not yet available to the public, but a final report by the committee is expected to be made available in August.
Other Priorities Discussed
Mr. Lee presented a wide-ranging slate of budget and legislative priorities for the Tennessee General Assembly to consider this session, with a heavy focus on expanding school choice—a project Mr. Lee has focused on since he came into office.“Tennessee is a remarkable place with a richness of passionate people of all kinds, an unrivaled culture and deep-rooted traditions,” Mr. Lee said.
“We are also a state that is focused on opportunity, security and freedom for all of her people. In 2024, and for the remainder of my time in office, I believe our job is to fortify that which has been built over the years, and to remember the work it took to get here,” he added.
Mr. Lee noted the state’s fiscal stewardship leaves it in place for a $53 billion budget with funding for economic opportunities, education, protecting natural resources, and strengthening families.
Mr. Lee noted there has been a $20 million investment in Tennessee’s Rainy Day Fund, bringing Tennessee reserves to more than $2 billion—the largest in the state’s history.
He noted several educational changes as priorities, including more than $260 million to invest in education and including teacher raises.
Additionally, millions are being allocated for summer learning programs, AP course access for all, reading and phonics investments, and $15 million to fund charter school facility improvements.
Aiding his ambitions of expanding school choice options, $141.5 million is being proposed to establish “Education Freedom Scholarships” for parents to be able to choose where their children go to school.
Other priorities include investing in rural health access, strengthening mental health care, and investing in services for residents with disabilities.
Following the deadly Covenant School shooting last year—which took the lives of three children and three adults in Nashville—$8 million is being proposed to expand the “school-based behavioral health liaison program to fund 114 liaisons, giving students across Tennessee schools important resources and mental health support.”
Several of Lee’s proposals are being taken up for debate by the Tennessee General Assembly, which began its 2024 session last month.
