[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 126 (Friday, July 1, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 38237-38238]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-13013]


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TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY


Environmental Impact Statement for Rutherford-Williamson-Davidson 
Power Supply Improvement Project

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) addressing the proposed 
construction and operation of a new or expanded 500-kilovolt (kV) 
substation and associated transmission line upgrades in middle 
Tennessee. The substation would be located in Rutherford, Williamson, 
or Davidson County. Other project components would be located in these 
counties and in other counties in middle Tennessee. In the EIS, TVA 
will evaluate the potential environmental impacts of the construction, 
operation, and maintenance of the new and upgraded facilities. TVA will 
use the EIS process to obtain public involvement on this proposal. 
Public comment is invited concerning both the scope of the EIS and 
environmental issues that should be addressed as a part of this EIS.

DATES: Comments on the scope and environmental issues for the EIS must 
be postmarked or e-mailed no later than August 8, 2005, to ensure 
consideration.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be sent to Charles P. Nicholson, 
Environmental Policy and Planning, Tennessee Valley Authority, Mail 
Stop WT 9B, 400 West Summit Hill Drive, Knoxville, Tennessee 37902-
1401. Comments may be e-mailed to [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Hugh S. Barger, Environmental 
Engineer, Transmission/Power Supply, Tennessee Valley Authority, Mail 
Stop MR 4G-C, 1101 Market Street, Chattanooga, Tennessee 37402-2801. 
Telephone (423) 751-3131. E-mail may be sent to [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    The population in Murfreesboro, Franklin, and surrounding areas of 
Middle Tennessee has grown at a rate of 4.3 percent per year since 
1990. TVA supplies bulk electricity to this area through its Davidson, 
Pinhook, and Wilson 500-kV Substations. As a result of the rapid 
population growth, the electrical load for this area has also grown 
rapidly and is expected to exceed the capacity of the 500-kV 
substations serving the area by 2010. Several 161-kV transmission lines 
serving the area from these substations are also expected to become 
overloaded by 2010.
    TVA has studied these problems and tentatively concluded that the 
best method of remedying them is to either construct a new 500-kV 
substation or expand an existing 500-kV substation. The solution would 
also require the construction and operation of new 500-kV and 161-kV 
transmission lines and/or upgrades to existing transmission lines.

Project Description

    TVA has three potential alternative solutions. The first would 
involve the construction of a new 500-kV substation in southwest 
Rutherford County near Eagleville. The substation would require an area 
of at least 50 to 75 acres. Major substation components would include 
four 500/161-kV transformers, two 500-kV breakers, and nine 161-kV 
breakers. TVA would also add four 500-kV breakers to its Maury 500-kV 
substation in north-central Maury County.
    As part of this solution, TVA would also construct and operate a 
new 500-kV transmission line from its Maury 500-kV Substation to the 
new 500-kV substation. This line would likely be about 2725 to 30 miles 
long and would be built on right-of-way purchased by TVA in the 1970s 
for construction of the Hartsville-Maury 500-kV transmission line. This 
line was never completed and the portion of the right-of-way proposed 
for the new 500-kV line has remained in TVA ownership and was never 
cleared. Three 161-kV transmission lines are also proposed. One of 
these, from the new 500-kV substation to the Almaville Substation, 
would be about 7 miles long and built on vacant right-of-way owned by 
TVA. A double-circuit line about 12 miles long would be built on new 
right-of-way between the new substation and the Christiana substation. 
Another line about 2.5 miles long would connect the Murfreesboro-
Triune-E. Franklin 161-kV transmission line to the new substation. The 
proposed transmission lines are located in Rutherford, Maury, and 
Williamson Counties.
    The second potential solution involves the construction and 
operation of a new 500-kV substation in northeast Williamson County 
near Brentwood. The substation would be similar to that described for 
the first solution. As part of the second solution, TVA would also 
upgrade about 75 miles of existing 161-kV transmission lines. These 
transmission lines are located in Davidson, Rutherford, Williamson, 
Sumner, Wilson, Coffee, Franklin, and Bedford Counties. The upgrade 
work could range from replacing the conductors to completely rebuilding 
the lines.
    The third potential solution involves the expansion of TVA's 
existing Pinhook 500-kV Substation in southwest Davidson County. The 
substation would be expanded by adding a second bank of 500/161-kV 
transformers. This solution would also require the upgrading of about 
115 miles of existing 161-kV transmission lines. These transmission 
lines are located in Davidson, Rutherford, Maury, Williamson, Coffee, 
Franklin, and Bedford Counties.
    The new 500-kV transmission line would likely be built using self-
supporting, laced steel towers on right-of-way 175 feet in width. The 
new 161-kV lines would likely be built using self-supporting single-
pole or H-frame steel towers on right-of-way 100 feet wide. The 
structure types, right-of-way characteristics, and line lengths remain 
to be determined and could change when additional information is 
gathered.
    Line construction would require removal of trees within the line 
right-of-way as well as any other nearby tall trees which would 
endanger the safe operation of the line. Construction of the 500-kV 
support structures would require the excavation of foundations for each 
of the tower legs. Support structures for the 161-kV lines would 
normally not require separate foundations and the poles would be 
embedded in drilled holes. Cranes and other heavy equipment would be 
needed to construct the towers and pull the electrical conductor into 
place. After construction, the disturbed areas would be restored, and 
the right-of-way would be maintained periodically to control the growth 
of tall vegetation that could endanger the line. A detailed description 
these activities, as well as applicable and appropriate environmental 
protection measures, will be provided in the EIS.
    After the completion of scoping, TVA will begin detailed studies 
for siting the substation and routing the transmission lines using 
maps, aerial photography and other relevant data. When the studies have 
progressed sufficiently, potentially affected landowners will be 
contacted directly, and additional field surveys will be conducted.

[[Page 38238]]

Proposed Issues To Be Addressed

    The EIS will contain descriptions of the existing environmental and 
socioeconomic resources within the area that would be affected by 
construction and operation of the proposed transmission line and 
upgrades. TVA's evaluation of potential environmental impacts to these 
resources will include, but not necessarily be limited to, the 
potential impacts on water quality, aquatic and terrestrial ecology, 
endangered and threatened species, wetlands, aesthetics and visual 
resources, land use, historic and archaeological resources, and 
socioeconomic resources. The need and purpose of the project will be 
discussed.

Alternatives

    The results of evaluating the potential environmental impacts and 
other important issues identified in the scoping process, as well as 
engineering and economic considerations, will be used by TVA in 
selecting identifying a preferred alternative. At this time, the range 
of alternatives TVA has identified for detailed evaluation includes no 
action and the three alternative solutions described above. The ability 
of energy conversation to meet projected demands will be addressed. As 
analyses proceed, one or more alternatives may be eliminated due to 
technical infeasibility, unacceptable environmental impacts, or 
unreasonably high economic costs. TVA also expects to evaluate multiple 
sites for the new substation.

Scoping Process

    Scoping, which is integral to the process for implementing the 
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), 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 range of alternatives and the issues to be addressed in the 
draft EIS will be determined, in part, from written comments submitted 
by mail or e-mail, and comments presented orally or in writing at any 
public meetings. The preliminary identification of reasonable 
alternatives and environmental issues in this notice is not meant to be 
exhaustive or final.
    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.
    TVA will conduct a public scoping meeting on July 11, 2005. This 
informal meeting will begin at 4 p.m. and end at 8 p.m. (CST). The 
meeting will be held at the Eagleville High School, 500 Highway 99, 
Eagleville, Tennessee, Tennessee.
    At the meeting, TVA management and project staff will present 
overviews of the proposed transmission line project and the EIS 
process, answer questions, and solicit comments on the issues that the 
public would like addressed in the EIS. These meetings will be 
publicized through notices in local newspapers, by TVA press releases, 
on the TVA Web site at http://www.tva.gov/environment/calendar.htm and 
in letters to local elected officials preceding the public meetings.
    The agencies to be included in the interagency scoping are U.S. 
Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Tennessee 
Department of Environment and Conservation, the Tennessee State 
Historic Preservation Officer, and other Federal, State, and local 
agencies, as appropriate. After consideration of the scoping comments, 
TVA will further identify alternatives and 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 draft EIS in the fall of 
2006 and a final EIS in early 2007.

    Dated: June 27, 2005.
Kathryn J. Jackson,
Executive Vice President, River System Operations & Environment.
[FR Doc. 05-13013 Filed 6-30-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8120-08-P