[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 87 (Monday, May 5, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 24621-24623]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-9721]


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TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY


Environmental Impact Statement--Northeastern Tributary Reservoirs 
Land Management Plan, Tennessee and Virginia

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 impacts of various 
alternatives for managing project lands on seven TVA tributary 
reservoirs in northeastern Tennessee and southwest Virginia. 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 of the EIS and the environmental issues 
that should be addressed in the EIS should be received on or before 
June 5, 2008.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be sent to Heather L. McGee, 
Tennessee Valley Authority, Post Office Box 1010, SB1H-M, Muscle 
Shoals, Alabama 35662-1010. Comments also may be submitted on the TVA 
Web site at http://www.tva.com/environment/reports/ntrres, by phone at 
(866) 601-4612, or by fax at (256) 386-2559.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: D. Chris Cooper, Tennessee Valley 
Authority, 106 Tri-Cities Business Park Drive, Gray, Tennessee 37813. 
Telephone: (423) 585-2138. E-mail may be sent to [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

[[Page 24622]]

Background

    This notice is provided in accordance with the Council on 
Environmental Quality's regulations (40 CFR parts 1500 to 1503), TVA's 
procedures for implementing the National Environmental Policy Act 
(NEPA), and Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act 
(NHPA) and its implementing regulations (36 CFR part 800).
    The Northeastern Tributary Reservoirs Land Management Plan (Plan) 
will address lands on the following reservoirs: Beaver Creek and Clear 
Creek in Washington County, Virginia; South Holston in Washington 
County, Virginia, and Sullivan County, Tennessee; Boone in Washington 
County, Tennessee; Fort Patrick Henry in Sullivan County, Tennessee; 
Watauga in Carter and Johnson Counties, Tennessee; and Wilbur in Carter 
County, Tennessee.
    The length of the reservoir pools range from less than one mile for 
Beaver Creek to 24 miles for South Holston. TVA originally acquired a 
total of 10,952 acres of land above normal summer pool for these 
reservoirs and any associated hydroelectric generating facilities. Over 
the years, TVA has transferred a portion of this land to other public 
agencies, primarily the U.S. Forest Service, and has sold a majority of 
this land to various public and private entities. TVA presently owns a 
total of 4,946 acres of land on the reservoirs that are the subject of 
this Plan.
    The Plan will allocate lands to various categories of uses in 
accordance with the following goals: (1) Apply a systematic method of 
evaluating and identifying the most suitable uses of TVA public lands 
using resource data, stakeholder input, suitability and capability 
analyses, and TVA staff input; (2) Identify land use zone allocations 
to optimize public benefit and balance competing demands for the use of 
public lands; (3) Identify land use zone allocations to support TVA's 
broad regional resource development mission, which involves the 
management of TVA reservoir properties to provide multiple public 
benefits including recreation, conservation, and economic development; 
(4) Provide a clear process by which TVA will respond to requests for 
use of TVA public land; (5) Comply with federal regulations and 
executive orders; (6) Ensure the protection of significant resources, 
including threatened and endangered species, cultural resources, 
wetlands, unique habitats, natural areas, water quality, and the visual 
character of the reservoir; and (7) Provide a mechanism that allows 
local, state, and federal infrastructure projects when the use is 
compatible with the zone allocation. Plans are submitted to the TVA 
Board of Directors for approval and adopted as guidelines for 
management of TVA public land consistent with the agency's 
responsibilities under the TVA Act of 1933.

Potential Alternatives

    The EIS will analyze a range of alternative approaches to land 
allocation to implement the goals of TVA's land planning and to comply 
with the 2006 TVA Land Policy. Under the No Action Alternative, TVA 
would continue to rely on the Forecast System adopted by TVA in 1965 
for four of the subject reservoirs and the existing Land Plan for Boone 
completed in 1999. Clear Creek and Beaver Creek would remain unplanned. 
Planned uses under the Forecast System are Dam Reservation, Public 
Recreation, Agricultural Research, Industry, Reservoir Operations, and 
Commercial Recreation. The planned uses for Boone Reservoir lands are 
TVA Project Operations, Sensitive Resource Management, Natural Resource 
Conservation, Recreation, and Residential Access.
    One or more Action Alternatives are anticipated depending on the 
results of the public scoping and environmental analysis. Under any 
Action Alternative, TVA contemplates allocating lands into the 
following zones: Non-TVA Shoreland/Flowage Easement, TVA Project 
Operations, Sensitive Resource Management, Natural Resource 
Conservation, Industrial, Developed Recreation, and Shoreline Access. 
If there are multiple Action Alternatives, they would likely differ in 
the amount of land allocated to each of these zones.
    Under all alternatives, TVA anticipates that lands currently 
committed to a specific use would be allocated to that current use. 
Under all Action Alternatives, changes that support TVA goals, 
objectives, and the Land Policy can be considered. Committed lands 
include those subject to existing long-term easements, leases, 
licenses, and contracts; lands with outstanding land rights; and lands 
that are necessary for TVA project operations. The committed lands 
total 4,578 acres or 93 percent of the 4,946 acres being planned. 
Uncommitted lands total 368 acres. The uncommitted lands are on Boone, 
Fort Patrick Henry, South Holston, Watauga, and Wilbur Reservoirs.
    This EIS will tier from TVA's 1998 Final EIS, Shoreline Management 
Initiative: An Assessment of Residential Shoreline Development Impacts 
in the Tennessee Valley. That EIS evaluated alternative policies for 
managing residential shoreline development on TVA reservoirs. 
Residential shoreline occurs on Boone, Fort Patrick Henry, South 
Holston, and Watauga Reservoirs, and the Plan will not affect the 
policies for its management.

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 the 
Plan. TVA's evaluation of potential impacts to these resources will 
include, but not necessarily be limited to, the potential impacts on 
water quality, water supply, aquatic and terrestrial ecology, 
endangered and threatened species, wetlands, prime farmlands, 
floodplains, recreation, aesthetics and visual resources, land use, 
historic and archaeological resources, and socioeconomic resources.

Scoping Process

    Scoping, which is integral to the process for implementing 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 EIS will be determined, in part, from written 
comments and comments submitted orally on the phone or at any public 
meetings. The preliminary identification of reasonable alternatives and 
environmental issues in this notice is not meant to be exhaustive or 
final. Additional information on the planning process is available on 
the TVA Web site at http://www.tva.com/environment/reports/ntrres/.
    TVA invites the participation of affected federal, state, and local 
agencies and Indian tribes, as well as other interested persons. 
Pursuant to the regulations of the Advisory Council on Historic 
Preservation implementing Section 106 of the NHPA, TVA also solicits 
comments on the potential of the proposed Plan to affect historic 
properties. This notice also provides an opportunity under Executive 
Orders 11990 and 11988 for early public review

[[Page 24623]]

of the potential for TVA's Plan to affect wetlands and floodplains, 
respectively.
    Comments on the scope of this EIS should be submitted no later than 
the date given under the DATES section of this notice. Any comments 
received, including names and addresses, will become part of the 
administrative record and will be available for public inspection.
    TVA intends to hold a public scoping meeting on May 20, 2008. The 
open house style meeting will be held from 4-8 p.m. EDT at Sullivan 
Central High School, Blountville, Tennessee. Upon consideration of the 
scoping comments, TVA will develop alternatives and identify 
environmental issues to be addressed in the EIS. These will be 
described in a report that will be available to the public. 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 comments on 
the draft EIS in writing and at public meetings to be held in the 
project area. TVA expects to release the draft EIS in early 2009 and 
the final EIS in the fall of 2009.

Bridgette K. Ellis,
Senior Vice President, Office of Environment and Research.
[FR Doc. E8-9721 Filed 5-2-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8120-08-P