[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 94 (Thursday, May 15, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 26371-26373]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-12129]


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TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY


Environmental Impact Statement--Koppers Coal Reserve Management 
Plan

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), 
section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) and its 
implementing regulations (36 CFR part 800), and TVA's procedures 
implementing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). TVA will 
prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to assess the impacts 
of various strategies for future management of TVA's mineral rights 
underlying 53,000 acres in Scott and Campbell Counties, Tennessee known 
as the Koppers Coal Reserve. TVA estimates approximately 5,000 acres of 
surface disturbance could occur from mining all of the identified

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coal reserves. Maximum recoverable coal is estimated at approximately 
70 million tons, including 28 million tons from surface mining and 42 
million tons from deep mining, having an estimated value of about $140 
million. TVA will select a management plan that will best guide the 
lease of Koppers coal over the next 50 years, with the goal of 
protecting both the environment and the value of TVA's assets for the 
benefit of its ratepayers.
    Lead and Cooperating Agencies: The Tennessee Valley Authority is 
the lead agency in the development of this EIS. The United States 
Department of Interior (USDI) Office of Surface Mining (OSM), 
Knoxville, TN; the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA); and the 
National Park Service, Big South Fork National River and Recreation 
Area (BSFNRRA) will participate as cooperating agencies.

DATES: Comments on the scope of issues and alternatives to be 
considered in the environmental review must be received on or before 
June 15, 2003.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be sent to Ruth M. Horton, Sr. NEPA 
Specialist, Environmental Policy and Planning, Tennessee Valley 
Authority, 400 West Summit Hill Drive, WT 8C, Knoxville, Tennessee 
37902-1499.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ruth M. Horton, Sr. NEPA Specialist, 
Environmental Policy and Planning, Tennessee Valley Authority, 400 West 
Summit Hill Drive, WT 8C, Knoxville, Tennessee 37902-1499; telephone 
(865) 632-3719 or e-mail [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    The Koppers Coal Reserve is a 53,000 acre area in western Campbell 
County and eastern Scott County, straddling Interstate 75 immediately 
north of the towns of Caryville and Jacksboro in upper east Tennessee. 
TVA acquired the rights to the Koppers Coal Reserve in 1962 as part of 
an effort to ensure reliable fuel supplies. The area is typical of coal 
properties in eastern Tennessee and eastern Kentucky, with coal seams 
of various thickness and quality. There are 19 seams identified on the 
property which vary in sulfur content from less than 1 percent to over 
5 percent, and range in thickness from 1 to more than 3 feet. Total 
recoverable coal is estimated at approximately 70 million tons, 
including 28 million tons from surface mining and 42 million tons from 
deep mining. This coal is presently valued at approximately $140 
million. The property was heavily surface- and underground-mined in 
certain areas from the 1930s through the 1950s, producing a significant 
quantity of coal and providing substantial employment to miners and 
other satellite businesses.
    Since 1962, production from the Koppers Coal Reserve has been 
limited. During the 1970s, three coal companies conducted mining 
operations to provide coal to TVA facilities. There were no requests 
for mining coal between 1979 and 1990, possibly as a result of the 
implementation of the more stringent mining and reclamation 
requirements in the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 
(SMCRA). Since 1990, 10 leases have been auctioned, with mining 
occurring on only seven of these leases. The newest lease, issued 
December 18, 2002, the Cross/Adkins mine, is still under development.
    TVA issued a Draft EA (DEA) in December 2002 for a proposal to mine 
coal at Braden Mountain which is located in the northwest corner of the 
Koppers Reserve. However, TVA is ending consideration of the Braden 
Mountain mine lease as a separate action and will include the review of 
Braden Mountain coal mining activity in this EIS.
    Since acquiring the Koppers Coal Reserve, TVA has considered 
requests from the coal industry for mine leases on a case by case 
basis. Site specific environmental reviews of lease requests have 
tiered from the Office of Surface Mining's (OSM's) permitting process 
and its 1985 FEIS on the Comprehensive Impacts of Permit Decisions 
Under Tennessee Federal Program. Cumulative impact assessments for 
these projects have focused on the Cumulative Hydrological Impacts 
Analyses (CHIAs) prepared for each permit application to the OSM.
    In 1992, the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) bought the 
surface overlying most of the Koppers Coal Reserve and established the 
50,000 acre Royal Blue Wildlife Management Area (WMA), with the 
understanding that the underlying minerals would be mined. A 
comprehensive management plan for the Royal Blue WMA has not yet been 
developed. In late 1995, TVA and TWRA reached an interim agreement to 
enhance communication and coordination on coal mining activities in the 
area. The Royal Blue WMA is adjacent to the newly created 74,000 acre 
Sundquist WMA. Additionally, the Smokey Mountain segment of the 
Cumberland Trail State Park crosses the southern portion of the Koppers 
Coal Reserve.

Proposed Action

    TVA is undertaking the development of a plan for managing its coal 
reserves on the Koppers property in response to an anticipated increase 
in demand for this coal. The market for coal from the Koppers Coal 
Reserve has improved as a result of utility industry efforts to comply 
with the 1990 amendments to the Clean Air Act which put a cap on 
emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO2) from electric utility 
boilers. These efforts by TVA and other electric utilities include 
constructing flue gas desulfurization units (scrubbers) at existing 
coal-fired generating plants. Due to their high SO2 removal 
efficiency, the scrubbers will allow TVA and other utilities to burn 
higher sulfur coal from coalfields like Koppers while still meeting 
emissions limits and reducing the amount of SO2 released. A 
management plan will help TVA manage the use of mineral resources at 
Koppers Coal Reserve to meet the future coal demand in a manner that 
protects both the environment and the value of TVA's coal assets for 
the benefit of its ratepayers. This EIS will assess the environmental 
impacts of alternative strategies for managing the Koppers Coal 
Reserve.

Range of Alternatives

    As required by Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations 
(40 CFR 1502.14) TVA will evaluate a reasonable range of alternatives 
in this EIS. At this time, TVA anticipates the following four 
alternatives would be assessed in the EIS in addition to the no action 
alternative: managed surface and deep coal mining; deep mining only; no 
mining beyond current leases; and disposal of TVA's mineral rights at 
fair market value. The no action alternative would entail continued ad 
hoc consideration of requests for both surface and deep mine leases. 
The managed approach would explore different intensities and quantities 
of surface and deep coal mining. In the deep mining alternative, no 
surface mining would be considered. The no mining alternative would 
look at the possibility of discontinuing coal mining on the Koppers 
Coal Reserve beyond current leases. Under the disposal option, two 
scenarios are possible. TVA's mineral rights could be purchased by a 
coal company for the purpose of mining or by an entity that does not 
intend to mine. It is envisioned that the no action and the managed 
mining alternatives would include consideration of the potential 
impacts from the proposed lease of mineral rights at Braden Mountain. 
Other alternatives proposed by the public; local, state, and federal 
agencies; and

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cooperating agencies during scoping will also be given due 
consideration.

Potential Environmental Impacts

    TVA anticipates that the EIS will include discussion of the 
potential effects of the various alternatives on the following 
resources: terrestrial wildlife and vegetation; aquatic ecology, 
endangered and threatened species; geology; surface and groundwater; 
wetlands; recreation and natural areas; cultural resources; 
socioeconomic and environmental justice issues; land use; solid waste 
disposal; visual resources; and transportation. Other issues that may 
also be discussed, depending on the potential impact of the 
alternatives, include noise, air quality, floodplains, and soils.

Public Participation

    TVA is interested in receiving comments on issues and alternatives 
to be addressed in the EIS. Written comments on the scope of the 
environmental review should be received on or before June 15, 2003. TVA 
will prepare an EIS on a range of alternatives for the proposed Koppers 
Coal Reserve Management Plan after considering public comments received 
from this scoping process. TVA anticipates completing the Draft EIS by 
October 2004. An opportunity to review and comment on the Draft EIS 
will be provided at that time. Concurrent with the NEPA review, TVA 
also seeks comments from the public on the scope of this federal 
undertaking on historic properties as provided under section 106 of 
NHPA.
    TVA plans to hold a public meeting to provide more information and 
to receive comments on the proposal on June 3, 2003, at Cove Lake State 
Park, 4 p.m.-8 p.m. eastern standard time. The time, location, and 
place will be announced in local newspapers, on the TVA Web page at 
http://www.tva.gov/environment/calendar.htm, and may be obtained by 
contacting the persons listed above.

    Dated: May 7, 2003.
Kathryn J. Jackson,
Executive Vice President, River System Operations & Environment.
[FR Doc. 03-12129 Filed 5-14-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8120-08-P