OUR DRY SUMMER IN TENNESSEE COULD PUSH YOU ELECTRIC BILLS HIGHER. TENNESSEAN’S BILLS MAY BE GOING UP THIS FALL UNLESS MORE RAIN STARTS SOAKING THE SOUTHEASTERN STATES., RELIEVING THE DROUGHT THAT IS ZAPPING T-V-A OF ITS ABILITY TO PRODUCE THE POWER. THE LACK OF RAIN – AND THE LOWER WATER LEVELS IN AREA LAKES – HAS CUT BY MORE THAN HALF THE AMOUNT OF POWER THE T-V-A NORMALLY WOLD HAVE GENERATED FROM HYDROELECTRIC DAMS IN THE FIRST SIX MONTHS OF THIS YEAR. WITHOUT LOW-COST HYDROPOWER TO FILL IN AS AIR CONDITIONERS CRANK UP IN THE SUMMER, MORE COAL HAS TO BE SHOVELED INTO BURNERS AT T-V-A POWER PLANTS.