He pulled off perhaps the biggest environmental land grab ever in history. He set into motion the frame work for what is now called The Tennessee Valley Authority.
Look on a map of Tennessee there is only one natural big lake in the state and it was due to the New Madrid Fault Line where the Mississippi actually flowed backwards for a time due to an 1800's earthquake.
TVA has abused Eminent Domain probably more than any other government agency. In the 1930's FDR and The New Deal made a fraudulent claim that by damming up the Tennessee river tributaries soil erosion would be controlled. They went as far to take pictures of eroded farms or were they eroded? No it seems they were on limestone ridges common to the area. TVA forced sales of farms owned by families from the 1700's on and has since continued the same tactics of false claims to justify needs.
One of the most popular cases was the Tellico Dam project or the Little T as it is called. This project was the first time the Endangered Species Act was tested in a court of law. It wasn't that a bunch of environmental zealots lived in the Tennessee Valley is was the fact TVA was and still is a government agency out of control and rampant in abuse. Local fisherman and others used the ESA to try and stop the dam. The project by TVA's own later admission was unwarranted and could never produce enough electricity to justify it's cost.
TVA won the battle the farms were taken not to the water line but above it as well. Sales were forced even beyond the waters edge. So what happened? A drive down to the Knox County and Loudon County lines tells the story. Developers ended up with prime lakefront acreage that re-sold for rates 1000% and higher of what was paid by TVA. It's a rich mans playground. The most Fertile and historical land in Tennessee flooded for absolutely no reason other than a power drunk government agency wanted to spend money.
I've dealt with them myself as well. They proposed a high voltage transmission line to run across my property. I'm not one to question need for electricity it's great. But rather than use other suitable and shorter routes they ran a 3 mile route which crossed my property. Other locations would have made the run 500 feet or less. Still I took it in stride. They showed up and made the offer you can't refuse for a purchase of a 100 foot wide 1200 foot long easement across my land. They showed the route and towers to be used. Easement was sold all was well. In the next few weeks TVA came in with a crew that proceeded across my land with chainsaws like Sherman through Georgia extending their cut up to 500 feet width in places.
I asked what was going on they were on my private land away from easement. They stated danger trees were to be taken out. A tree could jump 20 feet off the stump. I said you get me your supervisor here now and stop work now. He showed up and said too bad we're TVA I'll bring in a U.S. Marshall. I said you better get someone here with authority higher than yours you are to leave now till such a time.
I then made a fast call to my congressman an explained the situation and urgency of the matter. I live on the side of a wooded ridge below the cut. They were less than 150 feet from my home on a steep ridge. Next day a higher up showed up and after debate on the matter said they would purchase the trees they had destroyed. They had to go for 1200 feet stump by stump to estimate cost. It was about double that of the original price. It was paid. When asked about the fallen tree's they were told unless you can move them without destroying more you best leave them lay. That's where they are today.
TVA as well violated laws like not burning tires. They used them in burning the bulldozed brush that was too green to burn. This from a government agency who has federal marshal police authority anywhere in the Tennessee Valley. This from an agency who can fine you $10,000 for driving a car on the lake bank that has a drawdown of 80 plus feet a year and barren banks. It causes erosion they say.
Well the next spring after the line was ran we had a bad storm. I have lived here all my life and never saw this happen even in the most severe storm. The springs along the cut boiled up mud. TVA and FDR the great environmentalist.