[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 158 (Wednesday, August 14, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42299-42300]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-20701]


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TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY


Environmental Impact Statement: Proposed Exercise of Option 
Purchase Agreement With LSP Energy Limited Partnership for Supply of 
Electric Energy

AGENCY: Tennessee Valley Authority.

ACTION: Notice of Intent.

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SUMMARY: The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) will prepare an 
environmental impact statement (EIS) for the proposed exercise of an 
electric energy option purchase agreement (OPA) with LSP Energy Limited 
Partnership. Under the terms of the OPA, TVA may elect to purchase firm 
electric energy provided as 750 megawatt (MW) of base load electric 
capacity. This energy would be provided from a 750 MW (approximate 
capacity) natural gas-fired combustion turbine combined cycle power 
plant that LSP Energy Limited Partnership has proposed to construct and 
operate in the City of Batesville, Mississippi. Batesville is in Panola 
County and is about 140 miles north of Jackson, Mississippi and 50 
miles south of Memphis, Tennessee. The EIS will evaluate the potential 
environmental impacts of the proposed power plant. TVA wants to use the 
EIS process to obtain the public's comments on this proposal.

DATES: Comments on the scope of the EIS must be postmarked no later 
than September 13, 1996. TVA will conduct a public meeting on the scope 
of the EIS. The location and time of this meeting is announced below.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be sent to Greg Askew, PE, Senior 
Specialist, National Environmental Policy Act, Tennessee Valley 
Authority, mail stop WT 8C, 400 West Summit Hill Drive, Knoxville, 
Tennessee 37902-1499. Comments may also be e-mailed to [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Ron Westmoreland, Environmental Research Center, Tennessee Valley 
Authority, mail stop CEB 4C, Muscle

[[Page 42300]]

Shoals, Alabama 35662-1010. E-mail may be sent to [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Project Description

    The natural gas-fired combustion turbine combined cycle power plant 
proposed by LSP Energy Limited Partnership to satisfy the requirements 
of the OPA would be located on a 50 acre site in the Batesville 
Industrial Park. The industrial park fronts the east side of 
Mississippi Highway 35 at Brewer Road and is within the Batesville city 
limits. The power plant would consist of two or more natural gas fired 
combustion turbine-generators, two or more heat recovery steam 
generators and exhaust stacks, one or more steam turbine-generators, 
wet mechanical draft cooling towers, fuel oil storage tanks for backup 
fuel, feedwater and wastewater treatment systems, a 161 kilovolt 
switchyard, a control building, and other minor appurtenances and 
equipment necessary for plant operation and maintenance.
    Other actions necessary for operation of the power plant include 
development and operation of water supply and conveyance systems, 
construction and operation of wastewater treatment with conveyance and 
outfall, construction and operation of one or more natural gas pipeline 
taps and conveyances, construction and operation of an interconnection 
between the plant switchyard and the TVA Batesville Substation, and 
construction and operation of improvements to the Batesville 
Substation. Other improvements to the TVA power transmission system may 
be necessary to support plant operation.

TVA's Integrated Resource Plan

    TVA's integrated resource plan and final programmatic environmental 
impact statement, Energy Vision 2020, was completed in December 1995. 
Energy Vision 2020 contains recommendations for meeting future TVA 
customer energy requirements. Call options (option purchase agreements) 
are recommended as one component of TVA's preferred alternative which 
is a portfolio of energy resource options. The Energy Vision 2020 
short-term action plan for the years 1996-2002 recommends that TVA 
purchase call options for up to 3,000 MW of peaking and base load 
capacity additions to be available in the years 1998 to 2002.

Proposed Issues to be Addressed

    The EIS will describe the existing environmental, cultural, and 
recreational resources that may be potentially affected by construction 
and operation of the project. TVA's evaluation of potential 
environmental impacts due to project construction and operation will 
include, but not necessarily be limited to the impacts on air quality, 
water quality, aquatic and terrestrial ecology, endangered and 
threatened species, wetland resources, aesthetics and visual resources, 
noise, land use, cultural resources, and socioeconomic resources. 
Because the proposed project is to be located in an industrial park, 
the on-site issues of terrestrial wildlife, vegetation, and land use 
are not likely to be important.
    TVA's Integrated Resource Plan, Energy Vision 2020, identifies and 
evaluates TVA's need for additional energy resources and the 
environmental impacts of alternative energy resources.

Alternatives

    The results from evaluating the potential environmental impacts 
related to these issues and other important issues identified in the 
scoping process together with engineering and economic considerations 
will be used in selecting a preferred alternative. At this time, TVA 
has identified as alternatives for detailed evaluation in the EIS: (1) 
Not exercising the OPA (No Action), and (2) Exercising the OPA.

Scoping Process

    Scoping, which is integral to the NEPA process, is a procedure that 
solicits public input to the EIS process to ensure that: (1) Issues are 
identified early and properly studied; (2) issues of little 
significance do not consume substantial time and effort; (3) the draft 
EIS is thorough and balanced; and (4) delays caused by an inadequate 
EIS are avoided. TVA's NEPA procedures require that the scoping process 
commence after a decision has been reached to prepare an EIS in order 
to provide an early and open process for determining the scope of 
issues to be addressed and for identifying the significant issues 
related to a proposed action. The scope of issues to be addressed in a 
draft EIS will be determined, in part, from written comments submitted 
by mail, and comments presented orally or in writing at a public 
meeting. The preliminary identification of reasonable alternatives and 
environmental issues is not meant to be exhaustive or final. TVA 
considers the scoping process to be open and dynamic in the sense that 
alternatives other than those given above may warrant study and new 
matters may be identified for potential evaluation.
    The scoping process will include both interagency and public 
scoping. The public is invited to submit written comments or e-mail 
comments on the scope of this EIS no later than the date given under 
the DATES section of this notice and/or attend the public scoping 
meeting. TVA will conduct a public meeting on the scope of the EIS in 
Batesville, Mississippi on September 5, 1996. The meeting will begin at 
5:00 p.m. at the offices of the Tallahatchie Valley Electric Power 
Association located at 200 Power Drive just west of the intersection of 
Mississippi Highway 6 and U.S. Interstate Highway 55.
    The agencies to be included in the interagency scoping are U.S. 
Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Mississippi 
Department of Environmental Quality, Mississippi Historical Commission, 
and other federal, state and local agencies as appropriate.
    Upon consideration of the scoping comments, TVA will develop 
alternatives and identify important environmental issues to be 
addressed in the EIS. Following analysis of the environmental 
consequences of each alternative, TVA will prepare a draft EIS for 
public review and comment. Notice of availability of the draft EIS will 
be published by the Environmental Protection Agency in the Federal 
Register. TVA will solicit written comments on the draft EIS, and 
information about possible public meetings to comment on the draft EIS 
will be announced. TVA expects to release a final EIS by May 1997.

    Dated: August 8, 1996.
Kathryn J. Jackson,
Senior Vice President, Resource Group.
[FR Doc. 96-20701 Filed 8-13-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8120-01-M