[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 70 (Wednesday, April 11, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18841-18843]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-8851]


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TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY


Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement: Bellefonte 
Conversion Project

AGENCY: Tennessee Valley Authority.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) will prepare a 
supplemental environmental impact statement (SEIS) for the construction 
and operation of an integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) power 
plant by partially converting the Bellefonte Nuclear Plant (BLN) site 
in Jackson County, Alabama. The primary fuels for the proposed IGCC 
plant would be coal and petroleum coke. The plant would supply baseload 
capacity to the TVA electrical generation system to meet growing power 
demands. The SEIS will supplement the final environmental impact 
statement (FEIS) that TVA completed in 1997 on options for converting 
the Bellefonte facility to a fossil-fueled power plant. One of the 
options considered in the 1997 FEIS was an IGCC plant. The current 
proposed action differs from the 1997 proposed action in the extent to 
which the unfinished BLN would be converted to a fossil-based facility. 
The 1997 proposed action was for the full conversion of BLN, while the 
current proposed action would result in the partial conversion of BLN. 
Public comment is invited concerning both the scope of the SEIS and 
environmental issues that should be addressed in the SEIS.

DATES: Comments on the scope of the SEIS must be postmarked or e-mailed 
no

[[Page 18842]]

later than May 7, 2001, to ensure consideration.

ADDRESSES: Written comments or e-mails on the scope of issues to be 
addressed in the SEIS should be sent to Charles P. Nicholson, Senior 
Specialist, National Environmental Policy Act, Environmental Policy and 
Planning, Tennessee Valley Authority, 400 West Summit Hill Drive WT 8C, 
Knoxville, Tennessee 37902-1499 (e-mail: [email protected]).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Charles P. Nicholson, Tennessee Valley 
Authority, 400 West Summit Hill Drive WT 8C, Knoxville, Tennessee 
37902-1499 (email: [email protected]).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    In 1988, TVA halted and deferred completion of BLN because TVA 
power system requirements grew more slowly than projected. In December 
1994, the TVA Board announced that Bellefonte would not be completed as 
a nuclear plant without a partner to share investment and operating 
risk, and put further construction activities on hold until a 
comprehensive review of TVA's power needs was completed. This 
comprehensive review, known as Energy Vision 2020--Integrated Resource 
Plan and Environmental Impact Statement, was completed in December 
1995. One of the recommendations in Energy Vision 2020 was a 
reiteration of the decision to not complete Bellefonte as a nuclear 
plant without a partner.
    The short-term action plan in Energy Vision 2020 included the 
recommendation to convert the unfinished BLN to a fossil-fueled power 
plant. The analysis of this conversion is contained in TVA's 1997 Final 
Environmental Impact Statement for the Bellefonte Conversion Project. 
The conversion options analyzed were a pulverized coal plant, a natural 
gas combined cycle plant, an IGCC plant, an IGCC plant with chemical 
coproduction, and a combination natural gas/IGCC plant with chemical 
coproduction. TVA's preferred conversion option was a natural gas 
combined cycle plant producing about 2,400 megawatts of electricity. 
TVA has not yet made a decision on the Bellefonte conversion project.
    The completion of Bellefonte Units 1 and 2 in partnership with the 
Department of Energy (DOE) was subsequently considered in DOE's 1999 
Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Production of Tritium in a 
Commercial Light Water Reactor. TVA formally adopted DOE's EIS in 
accordance with Council of Environmental Quality and TVA National 
Environmental Policy Act procedures. DOE subsequently chose to use 
TVA's completed light water reactors for tritium production and not 
partner with TVA to complete BLN.
    Under the medium electrical load growth forecast in Energy Vision 
2020, TVA expected that an additional 6,250 megawatts of energy 
resources would be needed by 2005. TVA has completed several projects 
to meet this demand and has others underway. The proposed IGCC plant 
would further help TVA meet this demand.

Proposed Action

    TVA proposes to enter into agreements under which an IGCC plant 
would be built and operated at TVA's BLN site. The plant would generate 
about 1500 megawatts of baseload electricity and begin commercial 
operation in four to six years. The plant would utilize portions of the 
existing raw water intake, plant cooling facilities, and electrical 
switchyard on the Bellefonte site.
    The primary fuel would be Illinois Basin coal delivered by barge. 
The use of petroleum coke as a fuel will also be considered. TVA would 
construct and operate a barge unloading facility on the adjacent 
Tennessee River. Two options for the startup fuel will be considered, 
natural gas and fuel oil. Fuel oil would be delivered to the site by 
barge and stored in an onsite facility. Natural gas service to the site 
does not presently exist, and its selection as the backup fuel would 
require the construction of a pipeline to connect the site with a gas 
supply.

Proposed Issues To Be Addressed

    The environmental and socioeconomic resources at and in the 
vicinity of the Bellefonte site were described in the 1997 FEIS. The 
description of these resources was updated in DOE's 1999 FEIS for 
tritium production that TVA subsequently adopted. These descriptions 
will be further updated in the SEIS. The SEIS will evaluate the 
potential impacts of constructing and operating the proposed IGCC plant 
on air quality, water quality, aquatic and terrestrial ecology, 
endangered and threatened species, wetlands, aesthetics and visual 
resources, noise, land use, historic and archaeological resources, and 
socioeconomic resources. Other issues raised during scoping will also 
be considered.

Alternatives

    The 1997 FEIS evaluated two alternatives. The no action alternative 
was the continued deferral of BLN for its potential completion with a 
partner. The action alternative was the conversion of Bellefonte to one 
of the five types of fossil-fueled plants listed above. The current 
IGCC proposal will be presented as an action alternative, and the SEIS 
will compare its potential impacts with those of the alternatives 
evaluated in the 1997 FEIS.

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 soon after a decision has been reached to prepare an EIS in 
order to provide an early and open process for determining the scope 
and for identifying the significant issues related to a proposed 
action. The scope of alternatives and issues to be addressed in the 
draft SEIS will be determined from written comments received from the 
public by mail or e-mail, internal agency scoping, and comments 
received from other agencies.
    Agencies expected to participate in the discussions on the SEIS 
include the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service, various state of Alabama agencies including the Department of 
Environmental Management, and other federal, state, and local agencies 
as appropriate. The identification in this notice of reasonable 
alternatives and environmental issues is not meant to be exhaustive or 
final.
    The public is invited to submit written comments or e-mail comments 
on the scope of this SEIS no later than the date given under the DATES 
section of this notice.
    Upon consideration of the scoping comments, TVA will develop 
alternatives and identify important environmental issues to be 
addressed in the SEIS. Following analysis of the environmental 
consequences of the alternatives, TVA will prepare a draft SEIS for 
public review and comment. Notice of availability of the draft SEIS 
will be published in the Federal Register. The notice will solicit 
written comments on the draft SEIS, and information about a public 
meeting to

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comment on the draft SEIS will be announced by TVA. TVA expects to 
release a final SEIS by December 2001.

    Dated: April 3, 2001.
Kathryn J. Jackson,
Executive Vice President, River System Operations & Environment.
[FR Doc. 01-8851 Filed 4-10-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8120-08-U