[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 135 (Friday, July 12, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 36723-36724]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-17714]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
[Project Nos. 11499-000 and 11500-000-Tennessee]


Armstrong Energy Resources; Notice of Intent To Prepare a Joint 
Environmental Impact Statement, Conduct Public Scoping Meeting and Site 
Visits, and Determine the Feasibility of Forming a Cooperative 
Consultation Process Team With Interested Parties

July 8, 1996.
    The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and the Tennessee 
Valley Authority (TVA) have received proposals from Armstrong Energy 
Resources to construct and operate the 1,500 megawatt Laurel Branch 
Pumped Storage Project, FERC No. 11499-000, and the 1,000 megawatt 
Reynolds Creek Pumped Storage Project No. 11500-000. The Laurel Branch 
Project would be located in Bledsoe County, Tennessee, seven miles 
northeast of Dunlap, Tennessee. The Reynolds Creek project would be 
located in Sequatchie County, Tennessee, approximately five miles 
northwest of Dunlap, Tennessee.
    The FERC staff has determined that Federally licensing these 
projects pursuant to provisions of the Federal Power Act would 
constitute a major federal action significantly affecting the quality 
of the human environment. Additional federal involvement with these 
projects include TVA's approval of project shoreline structures under 
Section 26a of the TVA Act, providing the ``pump-up'' power for the 
projects, and, possibly purchasing some of the generation from the 
projects. Therefore, FERC and TVA staff intend to prepare an 
environmental impact statement (EIS) on the hydroelectric projects in 
accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). TVA has 
requested that FERC be a joint lead cooperating agency in the 
preparation of an EIS and FERC has agreed to become a joint lead 
agency. Additionally, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has agreed to be 
a cooperating agency because of its jurisdiction pursuant to Section 
404 of the Clean Water Act.
    The review process being utilized for the projects will initiate 
environmental compliance under NEPA subsequent to the filing of the 
Section 26(a) permit application with TVA and concurrently with the 
preparation of a FERC license applications. Under the joint cooperative 
EIS process, scoping and draft EIS preparation will occur prior to the 
filing of a final license applications with FERC.
    Active participation by interested federal and state agencies and 
members of the public will be essential for this process to be 
successful. TVA and FERC staff will determine at the scoping meetings 
whether Federal and State resource agencies, local and regional 
conservation organizations, local municipalities and other parties are 
interested in participating in a Cooperative Consultation Team Process 
(CCP) to assist the staff in development of the EIS scoping process. 
CCP team members would assist in identifying areas of interests, 
issues, required scientific study objectives and methodologies, provide 
information or data, define project alternatives and other matters of 
interest to all parties. To enhance public input the TVA and FERC staff 
will actively engage and work with the participants throughout the 
process.
    The EIS will objectively consider both site-specific and cumulative 
environmental impacts of the projects and reasonable alternatives. It 
will also address economic, financial and engineering analysis. A draft 
EIS will be circulated to all interested parties for review. Comments 
will also be requested. FERC and TVA will also hold a joint public 
meeting to elicit comments on the draft EIS. All comments filed on the 
draft EIS will be analyzed by staff and will be considered in a final 
EIS. The staffs' conclusions and recommendations will be presented to 
the Tennessee Valley Authority and the Federal Energy Regulatory 
Commission for consideration in reaching final permit and licensing 
decisions, respectively.

Scoping Process

    FERC and TVA will jointly conduct two scoping meetings on August 6, 
1996. These meetings are scheduled as follows:
    An agency scoping meeting will be held at Bledsoe County High 
School, Highway 127 South in Pikeville, Tennessee, beginning at 10:00 
a.m., CDT.
    A public scoping meeting will also be held at Bledsoe County High 
School with registration beginning at 5:00 p.m. and the meeting 
scheduled from 5:30 to 9:00 p.m., CDT. It will not be necessary for 
participants to stay for the whole meeting in order to have their 
comments recorded. Anyone needed sign language interpretation or other 
special arrangements, please contact Jill Elmendorf at (423) 632-6592 
no later than Monday, July 29.
    The meetings will be recorded by a stenographer and will become a 
part of the formal record of the FERC and TVA proceeding. Individuals 
presenting statements at the meetings will be asked to sign in before 
the meeting starts and to clearly identify themselves for the record.
    Interested individuals, organizations, and agencies are invited to 
comment on the scope of the proposed EIS. Scoping will help ensure that 
a full range of issues related to these proposals are addressed in the 
EIS, an also will identify significant or potentially significant 
impacts that may result from the proposed projects.
    To help focus discussions at the meetings, a preliminary scoping 
document (Scoping Document I) outlining subject areas to be addressed 
on the EIS will be mailed to agencies and interested individuals. 
Preliminary Scoping Document I will also be available at the scoping 
meetings.

[[Page 36724]]

    At the scoping meetings, FERC and TVA staff will: (1) Identify 
preliminary environmental issues related to the proposed project; (2) 
identify preliminary resource issues that are not important and do not 
require detailed analysis; (3) identify reasonable alternatives to be 
addressed in the EIS; (4) solicit from the meeting participants all 
available information, especially quantified data, on the resource 
issues; and (5) encourage statements from experts and the public on 
issues that should be analyzed in the EIS, including points of view in 
opposition to, or in support of, the staffs' preliminary views.
    Persons choosing not to speak at the meetings, but who have views 
on the issues or information relevant to the issues, may submit written 
statements for inclusion in the public record at the meetings. In 
addition, written scoping comments may be filed with Lois Cashell, 
Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street, NE., 
Washington, DC 20425, with Linda Oxendine, Senior Specialist, Tennessee 
Valley Authority, 400 West Summit Hill Drive, WT8C-K, Knoxville, TN 
37902. All written correspondence should clearly show the following 
captions on the first page: Laurel Branch Pumped Storage Project, FERC 
Project No. 11499-000, and Reynolds Creek Pumped Storage Project, FERC 
Project No. 11500-000.

Site Visit

    A site visit to the proposed project location is planned for 
Monday, August 5 at 2:00 p.m. CDT. Participants will gather at Dunlap, 
Tennessee. Please contact Jill Elmendorf at (423) 632-6592 no later 
than Thursday, August 1 for reservations and information.

Consultation With the State Historic Preservation Officer

    With this notice, we are initiating consultation with the Tennessee 
State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO), as required by Sec. 106 of 
the National Historic Preservation Act, and the regulations of the 
Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, 36 CFR 800.4.

Additional Scientific Study Requests

    In accordance with Section 4.32(b)(7) of the FERC regulations, if 
any resource agency, SHPO, Indian Tribe, or person believes that an 
additional scientific study should be conducted in order to form an 
adequate, factual basis for complete analysis of these projects on its 
merits, they must file a request for the study with the FERC, together 
with justification for such request, not later than 60 days from the 
date of this notice and serve a copy of the request on the potential 
applicant.
    For Further Information on This Process, please contact Eddie R. 
Crouse, FERC, (202) 219-2794, or Linda Oxendine, TVA, (423) 632-3440.
Lois D. Cashell,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 96-17714 Filed 7-11-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M