[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 116 (Thursday, June 18, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 29017-29019]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-14414]


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TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY


Environmental Impact Statement for Muscle Shoals Reservation 
Redevelopment

AGENCY: Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA).

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 the 
disposal and alternative future uses of approximately 1,380 contiguous 
acres of land on its Muscle Shoals Reservation (MSR) in Colbert County, 
Alabama. Public comment is invited concerning both the scope of the EIS 
and environmental issues that should be addressed in the EIS.

DATES: Comments on the scope and environmental issues for the EIS 
should be received no later than Wednesday, August 5, 2009, to ensure 
consideration.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be sent to Stanford E. Davis, Senior 
NEPA Specialist, NEPA Resources, Environmental Services and Programs, 
400 West Summit Hill Drive, Knoxville, Tennessee 37902. Comments may 
also be submitted via TVA's Web site at http://www.tva.gov/environment/reports/comments.htm or submitted by fax at 865/632-3451.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background

    This notice is provided in accordance with the Council on 
Environmental Quality's regulations (40 CFR parts 1500 to 1508), TVA's 
procedures 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 MSR is geographically located in the center of the cities of 
Florence, Muscle Shoals, Sheffield, and Tuscumbia. The Federal property 
that is the subject of this EIS includes the area bounded by 
Reservation Road on the

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north, Hatch Boulevard on the west, Second Street on the south, and 
Wilson Dam Road on the east. Also included is an access corridor to the 
Tennessee River in the vicinity of the slag area, the Western Area 
Radiological Laboratory (WARL) property, and the Multipurpose Building 
(MPB) Complex, which includes the Multipurpose Building, the Office 
Service Warehouse Annex, and the Office Service Warehouse, all on the 
north side of Reservation Road. A small amount of land surrounding the 
International Fertilizer Development Center and the site of the Muscle 
Shoals TVA Employees Credit Union would not likely be included in the 
proposal. Except for the slag area, WARL, and MPB Complex, the TVA-
managed land north of Reservation Road is not part of this land 
disposal action. It will continue to be used for public access and 
conservation with the possibility of enhancements to recreation related 
activities that are presently open to the public.
    The former United States Nitrate Plant No. 2 was built for the War 
Department during World War I on property that is now part of the MSR. 
Following the war, this plant was idle until the creation of TVA in 
1933, when it became the nucleus of TVA's National Fertilizer 
Development Center (NFDC). At its peak around 1980, the NFDC occupied 
about 475 acres of MSR land. Roughly 2,800 TVA employees worked in 
Muscle Shoals at that time, while approximately 600 to 700 people work 
there today. Over the years, NFDC developed many of the fertilizers and 
fertilizer production processes used in the world today. Fertilizer 
development and production operations began scaling back around 1990 
and by 1998 had largely ceased. TVA began demolishing some unused 
buildings and other structures in 1983, and since then, 34 structures 
(36 percent of the structures present in 1983) have been removed. The 
MSR presently provides office space, laboratories, and support 
facilities for staff primarily involved in environmental services, 
research and technology; central support and repair; environmental 
stewardship; and power system operations and maintenance.
    The Muscle Shoals Historic District (MSHD) includes historic 
properties associated with five prehistoric and historic contexts, 
which include a prehistoric mortuary complex, the Civil War, the Wilson 
Dam, the New Deal, and TVA's development of Muscle Shoals after the New 
Deal. Because a large number of buildings and structures, as a whole, 
demonstrate significant prehistoric and historic events associated with 
the area, the MSHD was recognized as eligible for listing on the 
National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) by the Alabama Historical 
Commission in October 2007. The boundaries of the MSHD include the 
1,380 acres of the MSR subject to this EIS.
    Part of the MSR was contaminated by historic chemical production 
and disposal practices. This part of the MSR contains a number of solid 
waste management units (SWMUs), which have been cleaned, i.e., 
remediated, to industrial standards. Most of these SWMUs are part of 
the 1,380 acres proposed for disposal and may require additional 
remediation to allow uses other than industrial. Five SWMUs on the MSR 
property are subject to continuing monitoring requirements and likely 
will be retained by TVA.
    The redevelopment of unused parts of the MSR is consistent with 
TVA's economic development mission. Due to its central location, flat 
terrain, highway access, and availability of utilities, the surrounding 
cities and counties have expressed interest in the redevelopment of the 
MSR for many years. In response to these requests, TVA has previously 
made a few areas on the periphery of the MSR available for commercial 
use. The currently proposed actions would make a much larger area 
available for a variety of redevelopment activities.
    Several surrounding cities and counties have been coordinating in 
the creation of a cooperative district under Alabama law. The district 
would then be eligible to be involved in the development of the MSR 
property proposed for disposal, perhaps through the creation of a 
comprehensive master development plan and/or the acquisition of the 
property.

Potential Alternatives

    The EIS will analyze a range of alternatives for redeveloping the 
MSR site. Under Alternative A, No Action, TVA would continue to use the 
MSR for program purposes and regional economic development, as guided 
by the 1996 Muscle Shoals/Wilson Dam Reservation Land Use Plan. Under 
this plan, TVA identified MSR and Wilson Dam Reservation property for 
various potential governmental and nongovernmental uses including 
economic development opportunity. The remainder of MSR, largely north 
of Reservation Road, was allocated in the 1996 land plan for TVA 
program purposes, including public recreation and conservation.
    Under the action alternatives, TVA proposes to dispose of this MSR 
land without restrictions on the future use of the property, except as 
described below. The EIS will evaluate four action alternatives 
associated with different potential future land uses. Some elements 
common to all action alternatives include:
    1. Requirements to protect or mitigate impacts to historic 
properties and endangered and threatened species; mitigate other 
potential environmental impacts; protect TVA's statutory, programmatic, 
and other interests; and ensure continued ongoing operational 
requirements such as monitoring SWMUs.
    2. The potential disposal of an access corridor to the Tennessee 
River, WARL, and MPB Complex north of Reservation Road; the corridor, 
in the vicinity of the slag pile, could be used for utilities or other 
supporting infrastructure development.
    3. The encouragement of the adaptive reuse of existing buildings, 
including historic buildings.
    4. The likely retention by TVA of five SWMUs that have long-term 
monitoring requirements and restrictions on use.
    The action alternatives presently under consideration by TVA 
include the following: Alternative B--Industrial Use; Alternative C--
Commercial/Retail Use; Alternative D--Residential Use; and Alternative 
E--Mixed Use, a combination of industrial, commercial/retail, and 
residential uses.
    TVA will use the results of the public scoping process and 
additional technical scoping studies to refine the range of 
alternatives that will be evaluated in detail in the EIS.

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 
range of proposed actions. TVA's evaluation of potential impacts to 
these resources will include, but not necessarily be limited to, 
historic and archaeological resources, socioeconomic resources, solid 
and hazardous wastes including existing SWMUs, floodplains management, 
land use, transportation, air quality, terrestrial and aquatic ecology 
including threatened and endangered species, wetlands, surface water 
and groundwater quality, and environmental justice.

Scoping Process

    Scoping is an integral component of the NEPA process for soliciting 
public input to ensure that issues are identified early and properly 
studied. The range of alternatives and the issues to be addressed in 
the draft EIS will be determined, in part, from comments received 
during this scoping process.

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The preliminary identification of a reasonable range of alternatives 
and environmental issues in this notice is not meant to be exhaustive 
or final.
    The participation of affected Federal, State, and local agencies 
and Indian tribes, as well as other interested persons, is invited. 
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 action to affect historic 
properties. As indicated above, TVA recognizes the presence of 
significant historic resources on the property and will consult with 
the Alabama Historical Commission regarding appropriate treatment in 
the event these resources are transferred to nonfederal ownership. This 
notice also provides an opportunity under Executive Orders 11990 and 
11988 for early public review of the potential for TVA's action 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 will hold a public scoping meeting on Tuesday, July 14, 2009. 
The open-house style meeting will be held from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Central 
Daylight Time at Muscle Shoals High School, 1900 Avalon Avenue, Muscle 
Shoals, Alabama 35661.
    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 a public meeting to 
be held in the project area. TVA expects to release the draft EIS in 
the spring of 2010 and the final EIS in late summer of 2010.

    Dated: June 11, 2009.
Anda A. Ray,
Senior Vice President and Environmental Executive, Office of 
Environment and Research.
[FR Doc. E9-14414 Filed 6-17-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8120-08-P