[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 58 (Monday, March 26, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16514-16515]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-7451]


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TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY


Environmental Impact Statement--Pickwick Reservoir Land 
Management Plan, Colbert and Lauderdale Counties, AL; Tishomingo 
County, MS; and Hardin County, TN

AGENCY: Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA).

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: This notice is provided in accordance with the Council on 
Environmental Quality's regulations (40 CFR parts 1500 to 1508) and 
TVA's procedures implementing the National Environmental Policy Act. 
TVA will prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on 
alternatives for management of Pickwick Reservoir project lands in 
Colbert and Lauderdale Counties in Alabama, Tishomingo County in 
Mississippi, and Hardin County in Tennessee.

DATES: Comments on the scope of the EIS should be received by June 1, 
2001.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be sent to Jon M. Loney, Manager, 
NEPA Administration, Environmental Policy and Planning, Tennessee 
Valley Authority, 400 West Summit Hill Drive, Knoxville, Tennessee 
37902-1499.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Harold M. Draper, NEPA Specialist, 
Environmental Policy and Planning, Tennessee Valley Authority, 400 West 
Summit Hill Drive, WT 8C, Knoxville, Tennessee 37902-1499; telephone 
(865) 632-6889 or e-mail [email protected]

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pickwick Reservoir is the fourth largest of 
23 multipurpose reservoirs operated by TVA for navigation, flood 
control, power production, recreation, and other uses. Located on the 
Tennessee River, the reservoir is 53 miles long and extends through 
parts of four counties in Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee. TVA 
originally acquired 63,625 acres for reservoir construction. Of that, 
33,472 acres are covered by water during normal summer pool. Subsequent 
transfers of land by TVA for economic, industrial, residential, or 
public recreation development have resulted in a current balance of 
17,400 acres of TVA land on Pickwick Reservoir. TVA is considering 
updating a 1981 land allocation plan and allocating additional lands 
that were not considered in the 1981 plan. Because of increasing 
development pressure, the current plan may not reflect current demands 
for land and may need to be updated to reflect community needs and 
current TVA policies.
    TVA develops reservoir land management plans to help in the 
management of reservoir properties in its custody. These plans allocate 
lands to various categories of uses, which are then used to guide the 
types of activities that will be considered on each tract of land. By 
providing a clear statement of how TVA intends to manage land and by 
identifying land for specific uses, TVA hopes to balance conflicting 
uses and facilitate decision making for use of its land. Each plan is 
submitted for approval by the TVA Board of Directors and adopted as 
policy to provide for long-term land stewardship and accomplishment of 
TVA responsibilities under the 1933 TVA Act. Since 1999, plans have 
been finalized for the following reservoirs, Boone, Melton Hill, 
Tellico, and Tims Ford, all in Tennessee. Plans are currently underway 
for the four Bear Creek Reservoirs, Alabama, Cherokee and Norris 
Reservoirs, Tennessee; and Guntersville Reservoir, Alabama and 
Tennessee.
    In developing the Pickwick plan, it is anticipated that lands 
currently committed to a specific use would be allocated to that 
current use unless there is an overriding need to change. Commitments 
include transfers, easements, leases, licenses, contracts, utilities, 
outstanding land rights, or developed recreation areas. All lands under 
TVA control would be allocated in the planning process. Alternative 
approaches to land allocation would be analyzed in the EIS. The No 
Action alternative would continue to rely on the existing 1981 Pickwick 
Reservoir

[[Page 16515]]

Land Management Plan. The 1981 plan allocates land into 16 categories, 
including natural areas, forest and wildlife management, recreation, 
and industrial sites. The action alternatives would address options for 
allocating reservoir lands into seven land use zones. It is anticipated 
that the majority of the lands would be allocated to natural resource 
management and sensitive resource protection categories. However, 
existing uses would be grandfathered by allocating small acreages to 
industrial and commercial development, recreation, and residential 
access.
    This EIS will tier from TVA's Final EIS, Shoreline Management 
Initiative: An Assessment of Residential Shoreline Development Impacts 
in the Tennessee Valley (November 1998). That EIS evaluated alternative 
policies for managing residential uses along TVA's reservoir system, 
including Pickwick Reservoir.
    This notice publishes the intent of TVA to prepare an EIS for the 
Pickwick Reservoir Land Management Plan. TVA anticipates that the EIS 
will include discussion of the potential effects of alternatives on the 
following resources and issue areas: aquatic ecology, water quality, 
wetlands, terrestrial ecology, cultural resources, noise, recreation, 
visual resources, threatened and endangered species, and navigation. 
Other issues which may be discussed, depending on the potential impacts 
of the alternatives, include floodplains, prime farmland, and air 
quality.

Public Participation

    TVA is interested in receiving comments on the scope of issues to 
be addressed in the EIS. The participation of affected Federal, state, 
and local agencies and Indian tribes, as well as other interested 
persons is invited. Further, pursuant to the National Historic 
Preservation Act, TVA is interested in receiving comments on the 
potential of the proposed land allocation plan to affect historic 
properties. Written comments on the scope of the EIS should be received 
on or before June 1, 2001.
    Comments may also be provided in an oral or written format at one 
of the following public meetings:

 Thursday, March 29, 2001, 6 to 8 p.m. CST, Tishomingo County 
High School, U.S. 72 West, Iuka, Mississippi;
 Tuesday, April 3, 2001, 6 to 8 p.m. CST, Adams Mark Hotel, 939 
Ridge Lake Boulevard (Interstate 240 at Poplar Street), Memphis, 
Tennessee;
 Friday, April 6, 2001, 6 to 8 p.m. CST, Pickwick Landing State 
Park, Pickwick Dam, Tennessee.
 Thursday, April 12, 2001, 6 to 8 p.m. CST, Environmental 
Research Center Auditorium, TVA Reservation, Muscle Shoals, Alabama;

    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, and distribute it to commenting agencies and 
the public. Notice of availability of the draft EIS will be published 
in the Federal Register. Any meetings that are scheduled to receive 
comments on the draft EIS will be announced by TVA.

    Dated: March 20, 2001.
Kathryn J. Jackson,
Executive Vice President, River System Operations & Environment.
[FR Doc. 01-7451 Filed 3-23-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8120-08-U