Cheatham County
Protesters hold signs opposing the proposed Cheatham County methane gas plant. Photo by Angie Mummaw.
In 2020, the Tennessee Valley Authority quietly bought 286 acres on Lockertsville Road in rural Cheatham County with no press release and no open houses — just a land deal that would soon galvanize a community to take action.
By May 2023, TVA revealed plans to build a methane gas power plant in Cheatham as a partial replacement for the second coal-burning unit at the Cumberland City Steam Plant, slated for retirement by the end of 2028. The proposal also depended on a new pipeline developed by a multibillion-dollar gas company that began preparing to sue landowners for survey access even before TVA completed its legally required alternatives review.
Residents responded immediately. Hundreds crowded TVA’s June 2023 open house in Ashland City, then organized as Preserve Cheatham County, a nonprofit dedicated to safeguarding clean air and water and preserving agricultural heritage. When TVA held a second, “larger” open house in February 2024, at Cheatham County Middle School, more than 450 people turned out to voice concerns about pollution, explosion risk, proximity to schools, and TVA’s opaque process.
TVA’s gas plant threatens rural Cheatham County
The momentum opposing the gas power plant surged. Farmers led a tractor parade to protest the seizure of rural land. Town halls spread across the county where locals spoke out. Local governments, including Ashland City and Pleasant View, passed formal resolutions against the plant. A cultural wave began with benefit shows under the banner of “Take Your Pipe and Shove It,” wildly popular t-shirts, and community events from music festivals to Squatchfest. All of this fueled phone banks and fundraising to turn local resistance into a high-visibility rural campaign.
On July 15, 2025, after two years of sustained pressure, TVA announced that Lockertsville Road was no longer its “preferred alternative” for the methane gas plant and that it was evaluating another site in Cheatham County as well as additional locations across Middle Tennessee. While it was a major win for Lockertsville Road residents, the burden could shift to an unknown neighbor who may be asked to host a polluting, dangerous fossil fuel plant. We continue to urge TVA to choose a cleaner, more reliable and affordable path for energy generation – like solar paired with battery storage.
Locals are relieved that TVA has changed plans, but the fight isn’t over for Preserve Cheatham County. TVA could still target another location in Cheatham County and it still owns the Lockertsville property. The county has offered to buy it back, and advocates remain vigilant, insisting on energy choices that don’t burden communities with health, safety and climate harms. Any future proposal must start with genuine public engagement and a better plan than replacing one fossil fuel with another.
Tracy O’Neil of Preserve Cheatham County presents to a group. Photo by Angie Mummaw.