Republicans in Tennessee have blamed 'woke' policies for major power outages that have left thousands of Nashville residents without electricity following recent winter storms. GOP Senator Marsha Blackburn wrote on X that the Nashville Electric Service (NES) was 'so focused on woke policies and DEI that it failed at its most basic responsibility: keeping the power on.' She called for new leadership at NES.
GOP Representative Cameron Sexton echoed the criticism, stating that NES's 'lack of a strategic disaster relief plan, pro-tree canopy policy and being more concerned about a DEI contract renewal' jeopardised public safety. He demanded that executive management be fired and the board replaced.
The power outages have stretched into a second week after 'historic' weather events. Around 6,000 customers still lacked power 11 days after the storm, according to NBC. Two people were found dead of suspected carbon monoxide poisoning with generators nearby in Davidson County, following miscommunication over power restoration.
Conservative media highlighted NES CEO Teresa Broyles-Aplin's remarks last year, where she said she did not 'want us out destroying the canopy.' Republicans also pointed to a report showing a decrease in spending on vegetation management and an increase in DEI training sessions.
Democrats have rejected the GOP's assertions. Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell criticised NES's response speed and lack of transparency as 'unacceptable.' Representative Jason Powell filed a bill requiring electric companies with 10,000 or more customers to have grid-resiliency plans, stating, 'Marsha Blackburn knows it wasn't DEI that caused this to happen.'
NES has been contacted for comment but has not yet responded.
