VIDEO: Blackburn Calls for New Nashville Electric Service Leadership, Praises Judicial Nomination for Western District of Tennessee

VIDEO: Blackburn Calls for New Nashville Electric Service Leadership, Praises Judicial Nomination for Western District of Tennessee
February 5, 2026
WASHINGTON, D.C.
– On the Senate floor, U.S. Senator
Marsha Blackburn
(R-Tenn.) delivered remarks on the need to replace Nashville Electric Service leadership following the company’s failure to properly prepare for Winter Storm Fern, leaving thousands of Tennesseans still without power. Senator Blackburn also praised the nomination of Brian Lea to serve as the United States District Judge for the Western District of Tennessee ahead of the Senate’s vote to confirm him to the position.
Click here to download Senator Blackburn’s remarks on the Senate floor.
EXCERPTS OF REMARKS AS PREPARED
On Need for New Leadership at Nashville Electric Service Following Winter Storm Fern:
“By failing to properly prepare for Winter Storm Fern, the Nashville Electric Service—the 11th largest electric utility in the nation—put Tennesseans in harm’s way.”
“In recent years, the company slashed funding for one of the most important ways to prevent power loss. Across Nashville, hundreds of tree branches have broken off into power lines due to ice buildup. This is the main reason for the power loss. And it’s the responsibility of NES to trim trees around power lines to ensure this doesn’t happen.
“Between 2023 and 2025, the utility’s leadership cut funding for tree trimming services by $7 million. The reason? As CEO Teresa Broyles-Alpin told local media in August, ‘We care about the [tree] canopy. We have to live here, too.’ Instead of funding tree trimming, the utility has focused on DEI. Between 2023 and early 2024, NES held 102 DEI training sessions for employees.”
“It should be no surprise that when disaster struck, the utility was unprepared. People would get notices that their power was back on, but their electricity was not restored. People would try to call NES and report an outage, but the phone system was not working. Then they would pull up the NES website, but their online reporting was down.”
“This failure is simply inexcusable. On Friday, I sent a letter to NES demanding a clear explanation for why it failed to prepare for the storm and prevent massive power loss for thousands of Tennesseans. In response, the company refused to take any responsibility and said that power should be fully restored by next week. That would be a full two weeks of no power for many Nashville homes and businesses.”
“Let me be clear: Whoever is responsible for this disaster should be fired immediately—and replaced with competent leadership. This can never happen again.”
On Brian Lea’s Nomination to the Western District of Tennessee:
“In a few moments, this chamber will proceed to a cloture vote for the nomination of Mr. Brian Lea to serve as the United States District Judge for the Western District of Tennessee. I urge all my colleagues to vote to end debate and proceed to final confirmation.”
“Mr. Lea is an experienced lawyer who will serve our nation with excellence and integrity. He grew up in Memphis—graduating from Evangelical Christian School in 2002.  He went on to receive his B.A. from Union University in Jackson, Tennessee, and attended the University of Georgia School of Law, where he graduated first in his class and served as Articles Editor of the Georgia Law Review.”
“He clerked for Justice Clarence Thomas and worked for years at one of our country’s preeminent law firms, Jones Day. While there, he handled everything from products liability cases and business disputes to constitutional litigation and intellectual property matters.”
“Most recently, he has served our nation in President Trump’s Justice Department, advising Attorney General Bondi on the implementation of the department’s policies and assisting with litigation.”
“Mr. Lea has the experience and qualifications to serve the American people as a district judge in the Western District of Tennessee. I know he will make the people of Tennessee proud.”
RELATED
Blackburn Presses Nashville Electric Service on Failure to Adequately Prepare for Winter Storm Fern
Blackburn Leads Tennessee Delegation in Urging Swift Approval of Major Disaster Declaration Request in Wake of Winter Storm Fern
https://www.blackburn.senate.gov/index.php/2026/2/video-blackburn-calls-for-new-nashville-electric-service-leadership-praises-judicial-nomination-for-western-district-of-tennessee