[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 40 (Wednesday, March 1, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11161-11162]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-5130]



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TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY


Environmental Impact Statement: Land Between the Lakes Public Use 
Plan

AGENCY: Tennessee Valley Authority.

ACTION: Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement 
(EIS).

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SUMMARY: TVA will prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on 
alternatives for public use at the Land Between The Lakes (LBL) 
national recreation area. A Public Use Plan will be developed to meet 
the future demands for outdoor recreation and environmental education 
uses and to strengthen the economic and environmental vitality of the 
LBL region. The EIS will analyze a range of alternatives that will 
include innovative financing and operating strategies, including 
partnership contracts with private and other public entities. Such 
strategies could be utilized to augment or replace congressional 
appropriated funding traditionally allocated for developing and 
managing federal public use areas, including LBL. One alternative will 
be identified as TVA's preferred alternative and will be described in a 
separate document which will serve as TVA's Draft Public Use Plan for 
LBL.

    The LBL mission has remained essentially the same since its 
creation. It is, ``To manage the resources of Land Between The Lakes 
for optimum yield of outdoor recreation and environmental education for 
the American people. In so doing, to utilize the demonstration 
assignment to research, test, and demonstrate innovative programs; to 
help stimulate the development of the surrounding region; and to extend 
the beneficial results as widely as possible.''
    The alternative approaches presented in the EIS will be developed 
through a NEPA scoping process in which the public can provide input on 
new public use guidelines. The guidelines will consider the balance of 
economic, environmental and social concerns and the feasibility of 
optional financing and operating strategies. It is envisioned that the 
EIS will analyze ways to achieve the mission with new funding and/or 
operating strategies.

DATES: Comments on the scope of the EIS must be received on or before 
April 17, 1995. Four public meetings will be [[Page 11162]] held in the 
LBL region to obtain comments on the scope of the EIS. Locations and 
times for these meetings are announced below. TVA encourages those 
wishing to provide comments to do so as early as possible.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be sent to Dale V. Wilhelm, National 
Environmental Policy Act Liaison, Tennessee Valley Authority, WT 8C, 
400 West Summit Hill Drive, Knoxville, Tennessee 37902-1499.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John L. Mechler or Tom Christensen at 
Land Between The Lakes, 100 Van Morgan Drive, Golden Pond, Kentucky 
42211, telephone (502) 924-5602.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In 1963, President John F. Kennedy directed 
TVA to develop an area with limited natural resources into a national 
demonstration of outdoor recreation, environmental education and 
resource management that would stimulate economic growth of the western 
Kentucky and Tennessee region. LBL was envisioned as a site for 
multiple-use public benefits. It was not to be a national park, a 
national forest or a national wildlife refuge, but rather a combination 
of all of these concepts where natural resources would be managed and 
used for a wide variety of recreation and education purposes.

    In 1964, TVA established Land Between The Lakes (LBL) as a 170,000-
acre national recreation area bounded by Kentucky Lake to the west and 
Lake Barkley to the east. The original 10-year concept plan called for 
LBL to demonstrate ways national recreation providers could meet the 
mounting outdoor recreation demands of a changing society. The plan 
included strategies and methods to provide a unique outdoor classroom 
and laboratory for combining recreation and education. The plan was to 
be financed principally through congressionally appropriated funding 
and it was estimated that up to 10 million visitors annually would be 
attracted. However, the subsequent level of appropriated funding 
provided for operations and capital projects was not sufficient to 
develop and support the program that would attract 10 million visitors.
    In the next 10 years, from 1974 to 1984, the level of federal 
funding provided to TVA for developing and managing LBL allowed for 
constructing and expanding some facilities and enhancing some programs.
    Since 1984, only one new facility was constructed while three were 
expanded and six closed. Most programs have continued, although at less 
intensive levels than in previous years.
    Current federal funding for LBL is not sufficient to operate and 
maintain the existing public use facilities and programs which, in 
1994, attracted 2.4 million visitors. Consequently, no major 
improvements or expansions can be considered that would require federal 
appropriated funding.

Proposed Issues to be Addressed

    The proposed issues to be addressed in the EIS include elimination, 
reduction, expansion or retention of existing public uses; 
consideration of new public programs and facilities; and optional 
financing and operating strategies for public uses. Other issues 
include impacts of development and increased levels of visitation on 
socioeconomic conditions and natural and other resources (e.g. 
wetlands, cultural resources, aesthetics, endangered and threatened 
species and sensitive habitat, and water quality).
    TVA is interested in exploring partnerships which would decrease 
TVA's dependency on federal appropriated funds and ensure the long-term 
viability of LBL's mission. TVA will consider a wide range of options 
to federal support, including those utilized by other public land 
management agencies, such as contract partnership arrangements with 
corporations, agencies and individuals to fund and operate facilities 
and programs that would benefit the American public. It is envisioned 
that all partnership arrangements would fit within one or more of six 
activity categories. These are:

1. Outdoor recreation
2. Environmental education and interpretation
3. Historical and cultural interpretation
4. Visitor hospitality (food and lodging)
5. Information, promotion and visitor relations
6. Other categories that might be added later as appropriate

Scoping Process

    TVA is interested in receiving comments on the scope of issues 
described above and on other suggestions received during scoping. TVA 
specifically requests comments on:
    1. What current and possible new public uses are important to the 
public at LBL?
    2. What alternative operating and financing options should TVA 
consider to provide public uses at LBL?
    3. What environmental or socioeconomic issues, or other aspects of 
developing a Public Use Plan for LBL should TVA consider?
    The scope of the EIS may be modified as a result of public scoping. 
The EIS will address reasonable public use alternatives and their 
associated economic, environmental, and social issues and impacts 
raised during public scoping. Scoping meetings will be held from 7 p.m. 
to 9:30 p.m. at the following dates and locations:

                      LBL Public Use Plan Meetings                      
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      City, State              Location                   Date          
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Murray, KY............  Murray State            Tuesday, March 14.      
                         University.                                    
Paducah, KY...........  Information Age Park..  Thursday, March 16.     
Clarksville, TN.......  Austin Peay State       Tuesday, March 21.      
                         University.                                    
Hopkinsville, KY......  Hopkinsville Community  Thursday, March 23.     
                         College.                                       
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    Persons interested in attending or receiving more information 
should call LBL at (502) 924-5602 prior to the meetings to confirm the 
time and location.
    Based on scoping comments and a review of market research data, TVA 
will develop a range of alternatives for managing public use at LBL. A 
draft EIS will then be prepared for public review and comment. Notice 
of the availability of this draft will be announced, comments on the 
draft solicited, and information about additional public meetings/
hearings will be published at a future date.

    Dated: February 22, 1995.
Kathryn J. Jackson,
Senior Vice President Resource Group.
[FR Doc. 95-5130 Filed 2-28-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8120-01-M