Cheatham County honors John Rich for role in defeating proposed TVA plant
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Summary
The Cheatham County Commission honored John Rich and dozens of residents Dec. 15 for leading local opposition to a proposed Tennessee Valley Authority methane gas and battery-storage project; the body read a resolution and presented commemorations before routine business.
The Cheatham County Commission on Dec. 15 presented a resolution recognizing John Rich and local residents for organizing opposition to a proposed Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) methane gas power plant and battery-storage facility near Largasburg Road.
The commission read the resolution aloud and invited dozens of citizens forward to receive copies. The resolution credited grassroots tactics — petitions, protests, legal review and attendance at TVA board meetings — and recognized community groups including Preserve Cheatham County and Stop TVA for persuading TVA to withdraw the site.
John Rich, whom the commission honored, described taking the fight to federal officials and said the county’s opposition had helped stop a project he characterized as harmful to private landowners. “I believe that TVA was acting with communistic practices,” Rich said in his remarks, and urged that the land be returned to the county and protected, for example, with a conservation easement.
The mayor and other officials presented Rich with a countywide thank‑you card and local artwork. A county official noted the commission had passed the recognition resolution unanimously and that copies were available for residents who had participated in the campaign.
The presentation took place at the start of the Dec. 15 meeting in Ashland City and preceded a public hearing and a separate series of zoning and budget votes that evening.