A massive ice storm that knocked out electricity to tens of thousands of homes across the Nashville area has turned into a political flash point, as many residents enter a second week without reliable power.
In recent days, some Republicans have argued that Nashville Electric Service (NES) — overseen by a board appointed by Democratic Mayor Freddie O’Connell — became distracted by “woke” priorities such as diversity initiatives and tree-management policies, contributing to the prolonged outages.
At the same time, there is broad agreement across party lines on one point: NES’ response to the storm has been widely viewed as inadequate. The utility struggled to mobilize enough crews and equipment, and the cleanup of downed trees — a major obstacle to restoring lines — has moved slowly.
Outages drag on as frustration grows
As of 11 days after the storm, roughly 6,000 customers still didn’t have power. NES also faced criticism over communication problems, including instances in which residents were mistakenly told service had been restored.
The crisis has had deadly consequences. In Davidson County, two men — ages 39 and 92 — were found dead in their homes in cases of suspected carbon monoxide poisoning, with generators nearby.
Mayor O’Connell initially defended NES, but later said its performance was “unacceptable” and announced that the city would conduct a formal review of how the utility handled the storm.
Republicans escalate “woke” blame
Sen. Marsha Blackburn, a Republican running for governor, wrote on X that the utility “was so focused on woke policies and DEI” that it failed at its “most basic responsibility: keeping the power on.”
Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton also called for major changes, writing on Facebook that NES’ “pro-tree canopy policy” and focus on DEI — among other concerns — warranted firing executive management and replacing the board. He said the General Assembly would pursue accountability measures.
NES CEO Teresa Broyles-Aplin defended the utility’s ongoing efforts, describing the storm as the largest outage event in the company’s history.
“Accountability is important,” she said at a Tuesday news conference. “Right now, we are in active recovery. We have plenty of time to do after-action review and evaluate things we could have done better.”
She did not directly respond to questions about whether the state should have increased oversight. NES later directed questions to her public remarks and did not provide additional comment.
The evidence conservatives cite
Republican and conservative critics have pointed to several details to support their claim that NES’ priorities were misplaced:
- A 2024 report showing the utility hosted 102 training sessions on diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility, and belonging during 2023 and early 2024.
- Budget documents indicating the utility spent millions less over the last two budget years on categories labeled “Contract Tree & Grass” compared with 2023.
- A 2025 report highlighted by local outlets that raised concerns about vegetation management and maintenance of the distribution system.
- A clip from a prior TV appearance in which Broyles-Aplin discussed “species specific trimming,” saying she did not want crews “destroying the canopy.”
At Tuesday’s news conference, Broyles-Aplin disputed the claim that spending on tree-trimming had declined.
Michael Lotfi, deputy state director of Americans for Prosperity Tennessee — a conservative group — said his own ongoing outage, dating back to Jan. 25, reinforced his view that NES emphasized the wrong things.
“It’s certainly not a conservative value to leave the trees hanging around power lines that will fall during a storm,” he said.
Blackburn echoed that view in a statement, saying NES leadership could not be trusted to put customers first.
Democrats push back — and focus on infrastructure
Democratic officials have also criticized NES’ response, but rejected the idea that DEI caused the breakdown.
State Rep. Jason Powell, a Nashville Democrat, filed legislation that would require electric companies serving 10,000 customers to maintain grid-resiliency plans. He dismissed the “woke” argument.
“Marsha Blackburn knows it wasn’t DEI that caused this to happen,” Powell said.
Republicans involved in the oversight push insist the scrutiny isn’t partisan. State Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson, whose district is in NES’ service area, said the issue is about basic safety and accountability.
“We’re not picking on Nashville because they’re a blue city,” he said. “People lost their lives.”
Residents: “This is about survival”
For many residents, the political fight has felt far removed from what they’re dealing with day to day.
Erica Moore, 46, said she spent 11 nights in a hotel with her dog and two cats. Her biggest frustration, she said, was inconsistent and confusing communication — including being told her power was back, then returning home to find it still out.
In local Facebook groups, she said, the questions are practical: whether schools will be warm, whether kids will get hot lunches, and whether buildings will even open.
“I’m not seeing people say, ‘Damn, NES shouldn’t have spent so much time on DEI training,’” she said.
Stefani Mugenyi, 35, said she and her husband, Jovan, weren’t aware of the political back-and-forth during their nine days without electricity. They were focused on charging phones and staying warm in their car. She said their turning point came when someone advised them on social media to contact a Metro Nashville Council member, Courtney Johnston, who delivered a generator and space heater.
“That’s the kind of politician you do want,” Mugenyi said.
NES said it expects restoration to be complete by Monday.
