The Knoxville Utilities Board and TVA are helping the 2023 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Toyota go green by reducing carbon emissions from Volunteer Landing, the Knoxville Convention Center and Thompson-Boling Arena through Renewable Energy Credits. Image by B.A.S.S.

KNOXVILLE -- The Tennessee Valley Authority and B.A.S.S., in conjunction with local authorities and the Knoxville Utilities Board, are partnering to make venues for the 2023 Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Toyota carbon-neutral.

In a first-of-its-kind partnership, the Knoxville Utilities Board and TVA are helping the Classic go green by reducing carbon emissions from Volunteer Landing, the Knoxville Convention Center and Thompson-Boling Arena through Renewable Energy Credits. While hosting 100,000 or more enthusiastic fishing fans, TVA’s renewable programs will allow the event to match 100% of their electricity usage with renewable energy and create the first-ever carbon-neutral Classic venues. This is just one of many ways the B.A.S.S. organization is working to positively impact the communities we visit and protect precious natural resources throughout the year.

“B.A.S.S. has a history of making conservation of our aquatic resources a high priority. TVA has been a partner in those efforts for many years, working hand-in-hand with our state B.A.S.S. Nation chapters on citizen advisory committees, habitat enhancement projects and lake clean-ups,” said B.A.S.S. Conservation Director Gene Gilliland.

Yamaha Rightwaters and Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful are teaming up with anglers Ish Monroe, Bobby Lane and Bill Lowen for a community litter clean-up event on Tuesday, March 21 near Fort Loudoun. Last year, volunteers from communities in Tennessee, New York and Wisconsin pulled just under 18,200 pounds of trash from the ramps and shores of Chickamauga Lake, Pickwick Lake, Oneida Lake and the Mississippi River as part of the 2022 Bassmaster Lake Clean-Up Challenges sponsored by AFTCO and Yamaha Rightwaters.

The TVA was founded on renewable energy with hydro-power from dams along the Tennessee River, and today solar and other green sources play a growing role in meeting energy needs. As part of their presence at the 2023 Bassmaster Classic, the organization will host an Environmental Stewardship Luncheon to highlight their work in protecting and enhancing vital public lands and water resources.

“TVA’s clean energy portfolio is a key component that everyone can use to help protect our region’s natural resources,” said TVA Senior Vice President of Resource Management and Operations Services Bob Dalrymple. “TVA and B.A.S.S. are environmental leaders and we’re proud to partner with them to make the first-ever carbon-neutral Classic venues possible.”

The Tennessee Valley Authority is a corporate agency of the United States that provides electricity for business customers and local power distributors serving nearly 10 million people in parts of seven southeastern states. TVA receives no taxpayer funding, deriving virtually all of its revenues from sales of electricity. In addition to operating and investing its revenues in its electric system, TVA provides flood control, navigation and land management for the Tennessee River system and assists local power companies and state and local governments with economic development and job creation.

For more information on TVA’s sustainability efforts, visit TVA.com/environment.

The Bassmaster Classic is being hosted by Visit Knoxville.

B.A.S.S., which encompasses the Bassmaster tournament leagues, events and media platforms, is the worldwide authority on bass fishing and keeper of the culture of the sport, providing cutting edge content on bass fishing whenever, wherever and however bass fishing fans want to use it. Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., the 515,000-member organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), TV show, radio show, social media programs and events. For more than 50 years, B.A.S.S. has been dedicated to access, conservation and youth fishing.

The Bassmaster Tournament Trail includes the most prestigious events at each level of competition, including the Bassmaster Elite Series, St. Croix Bassmaster Opens Series, TNT Fireworks B.A.S.S. Nation Series, Strike King Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops, Strike King Bassmaster High School Series presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors, Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Team Championship, Yamaha Rightwaters Bassmaster Kayak Series powered by TourneyX, Yamaha Bassmaster Redfish Cup Championship presented by Skeeter and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic presented by Toyota.