[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 105 (Friday, May 30, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 31180-31182]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-11829]


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TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY


Environmental Impact Statement--Douglas and Nolichucky Reservoirs 
Land Management Plan, Tennessee

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 Douglas and Nolichucky 
Reservoirs in northeastern Tennessee. 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 
July 1, 2008.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be sent to Richard L. Toennisson, 
Tennessee Valley Authority, 400 West Summit Hill Drive WT 11D, 
Knoxville, Tennessee 37902. Comments also may be submitted on the TVA 
Web site at http://www.tva.com/environment/reports/dnlp, by telephone 
at (866) 601-4612, or by fax at (865) 632-3451.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: D. Chris Cooper, Tennessee Valley 
Authority, 3726 East Morris Boulevard, Morristown, Tennessee 37813. 
Telephone: (423) 585-2138. E-mail may be sent to [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

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 Douglas and Nolichucky Reservoirs Land Management Plan (Plan) 
will address lands on Douglas Reservoir in Cocke, Jefferson, Hamblen, 
and Sevier Counties, Tennessee, and on Nolichucky Reservoir in Greene 
County, TN.
    Douglas Dam was completed by TVA in 1942 on the French Broad River 
and has a generating capacity of 165,600 kilowatts. Douglas Reservoir 
has about 530 miles of shoreline with 28,420 acres of water surface and 
2,054 acres of public land managed by TVA. Nolichucky Dam was privately 
built in 1913 as a hydroelectric project on the Nolichucky River. 
Nolichucky Reservoir stretches six miles upstream from Nolichucky Dam 
and has 1,144 acres of public land managed by TVA. Due to siltation of 
the reservoir, the electrical generating facilities were taken out of 
service in 1972 and a portion of the reservoir was converted into a 
wildlife management area. TVA presently manages a total of 3,198 acres 
of land on the two 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 Douglas Reservoir. Planned uses under the Forecast System are Dam 
Reservation, Public Recreation, Agricultural Research, Industry, 
Reservoir Operations, and Commercial Recreation. Nolichucky Reservoir 
lands would remain unplanned.
    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 and 
objectives and the TVA 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 are 
26 percent of the public land being planned on Douglas Reservoir and 66 
percent of the public land being planned on Nolichucky Reservoir. 
Uncommitted lands on both reservoirs total 889 acres.
    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 Douglas Reservoir, 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

[[Page 31182]]

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 telephone 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/dnlp/.
    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 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 June 12, 2008. The 
open house style meeting will be held from 4-8 p.m. EDT at Walters 
State Community College in Morristown, 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. E8-11829 Filed 5-29-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8120-08-P