When the TVA first asked Congress for the funds to construct Douglas Dam in late 1941, U.S. Senator Kenneth McKellar (D-Tennessee) opposed the project because it would flood some  of fertile farmland important to the local food canning industry.
In December 1941, when the TVA requested congressional funding for Douglas Dam construction, U.S. Senator Kenneth McKellar (D-Tennessee) was against the plan because it would submerge portions of fertile agricultural land that were vital to the region's food canning sector.