[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 80 (Thursday, April 27, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19430-19432]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-08459]


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TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY


Bull Run Fossil Plant Landfill

AGENCY: Tennessee Valley Authority.

ACTION: Record of Decision.

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SUMMARY: This notice is provided in accordance with the Council on 
Environmental Quality's regulations and Tennessee Valley Authority's 
(TVA) procedures for implementing the National Environmental Policy Act 
(NEPA). TVA has decided to adopt the Preferred Alternative identified 
in the Bull Run Fossil Plant Landfill Final Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS). The notice of availability (NOA) of the Final EIS for 
the Bull Run Landfill was published in the Federal Register on January 
20, 2017. This alternative, Construct and Operate a Landfill for 
Storage of coal combustion residual (CCR) on TVA Property Adjacent to 
Bull Run Fossil Plant (Site J), would achieve the purpose and need of 
the project to provide long-term disposal of dry CCR materials produced 
at the Bull Run Fossil Plant.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Anita E. Masters, Project 
Environmental Planning, NEPA Project Manager, Tennessee Valley 
Authority, 1101 Market Street, BR 4A, Chattanooga, Tennessee 37402; 
telephone (423) 751-8697, or by email [email protected]. The Final EIS, 
this Record of Decision and other project documents are available on 
TVA's Web site https://www.tva.gov/nepa.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: TVA is a federal agency and instrumentality 
of the United States created by and existing pursuant to the TVA Act of 
1933. Its broad mission is to foster the social and economic welfare of 
the people of the Tennessee Valley region and to promote the proper use 
and conservation of the region's natural resources. One component of 
this mission is the generation, transmission, and sale of reliable and 
affordable electric energy.
    TVA operates the nation's largest public power system, producing 
approximately four percent of all of the electricity in the nation. TVA 
provides electricity to most of Tennessee and parts of Virginia, North 
Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and Kentucky. Currently, it 
serves more than nine million people in 80,000 square miles (mi) in 
this seven-state region. The TVA Act requires the TVA power system to 
be self-supporting and operated on a nonprofit basis and directs TVA to 
sell electricity at rates as low as are feasible. TVA receives no 
taxpayer funding, deriving virtually all of its revenues from sales of 
electricity. TVA receives no taxpayer funding, deriving virtually all 
of its revenues from sales of electricity. In addition to operating and 
investing its revenues in its power system, the TVA Act provides for 
flood control, navigation and land management for the Tennessee River 
watershed and assists local power companies and state and local 
governments with economic development and job creation.
    The Bull Run Fossil Plant generates over six billion kilowatt-hours 
of electric power in a typical year, which is enough electrical energy 
to meet the needs of approximately 430,000 homes. Historically, TVA has 
managed storage of CCR materials at the plant in ash impoundments or 
dry landfills. To modernize the facility and comply with TVA's 
commitment to manage CCRs on a dry basis, TVA completed the 
construction of a mechanical dewatering facility in 2014, which removes 
free water from the CCR--both bottom ash and gypsum. The CCR is then 
dry-stacked in an on-site landfill located east of the plant. TVA had 
already been handling and storing fly ash on a dry basis, so there were 
no changes to that process as a result of the change to dry storage of 
CCR.
    The Bull Run Fossil Plant has state-of-the-art air pollution 
controls and is one of the coal plants that TVA plans to continue 
operating in the future. TVA needs 20 years of disposal capacity to 
meet this operational timeline. Based on current estimates of energy 
production and consumption rates, on-site storage capacity will be 
expended within 10 years.
    The purpose of this action is to support the need for additional 
capacity for the long-term management of CCR at Bull Run Fossil Plant. 
Additional storage capacity would also enable TVA to continue 
operations at Bull Run Fossil Plant as planned and would be consistent 
with TVA's voluntary commitment to convert wet CCR management systems 
to dry systems.

[[Page 19431]]

Alternatives Considered

    TVA considered three alternatives in the Draft EIS and Final EIS. 
These alternatives are:
    Alternative A--No Action. Under this alternative TVA would not seek 
additional disposal options for dry placement of CCR generated at Bull 
Run Fossil Plant. Rather, CCR would continue to be stored in the 
current disposal areas for as long as storage capacity is available. 
There is limited capacity for additional CCR disposal on-site. 
Consequently, at some point in the future, capacity to store CCR on-
site will become a limiting factor for continued Bull Run Fossil Plant 
operations. Any limit on future operations of Bull Run Fossil Plant 
would not comply with TVA's plan to operate Bull Run Fossil Plant as a 
base load facility nor conform to TVA's long-range plan to provide 
power to meet future demands through 2033 as outlined in TVA's 
Integrated Resource Plan. This alternative would not meet the purpose 
and need for the proposed action and, therefore, is not considered 
viable or reasonable. It does, however, represent current conditions 
and as such provides a benchmark for comparing the environmental 
impacts of implementation of Alternatives B and C.
    Alternative B--Construct and Operate a Landfill for Storage of CCR 
on TVA Property Adjacent to Bull Run Fossil Plant (Site J). TVA would 
construct and operate a landfill for disposal of dry CCRs generated at 
the plant on TVA-owned property located approximately 0.4 mi east of 
Bull Run Fossil Plant. TVA estimates the landfill would provide 
approximately 15.5 years of disposal capacity based on projected energy 
production and consumption rates. Development of Site J would also 
include construction of a dedicated on-site haul road to convey dry CCR 
from the plant to the landfill. The 1.37-mile-long haul road would 
require a bridge to be constructed to convey haul route traffic over 
New Henderson Road.
    Alternative C--Off-Site Transport of CCR to an Existing Permitted 
Landfill (Chestnut Ridge). Under this alternative, CCR from Bull Run 
Fossil Plant would be transported to an existing off-site permitted 
landfill. The analysis of impacts associated with this alternative is 
based on the closest landfill that can currently accept CCR material, 
the Chestnut Ridge Landfill, a Class 1 Municipal Solid Waste Facility 
located approximately twelve miles northeast of Bull Run Fossil Plant. 
Dry CCR generated at Bull Run Fossil Plant would be transported by 
tandem dump trucks on existing roadways to the Chestnut Ridge Landfill 
for disposal. Barge and rail transport were not considered feasible 
options for this EIS given the lack of existing infrastructure and the 
proximity of Chestnut Ridge to Bull Run Fossil Plant.

Environmentally Preferable Alternative

    The EIS includes baseline information for understanding the 
potential environmental and socioeconomic impacts associated with the 
alternatives considered by TVA. TVA considered twenty-one resource 
areas related to the human and natural environments and the impacts on 
these resources associated with each alternative.
    Alternative A--No Action would result in the lowest level of 
environmental impacts as the construction-related impacts resulting 
from Alternative B and impacts related to transportation of CCR under 
Alternative C would be avoided. However, Alternative A--No Action, does 
not meet the purpose and need for the project. Implementation of 
Alternative B would result in minimal unmitigated impacts to the 
environment, most of which would be related to construction activities 
that would be temporary in nature and minimized with implementation of 
best management practices. Long-term minor impacts to wetlands, a 
stream on the site and losses of potentially suitable summer roost 
trees for the Indiana bat and northern long-eared bat would be 
mitigated as described below. The landfill would change the viewshed of 
some members of the surrounding community. However, as the landfill is 
located within Bull Run Fossil Plant property in an area that has been 
modified to support plan operations, there would be a minimal change to 
the overall scenic value. Alternative C, which utilizes an existing, 
permitted landfill, would result in few impacts to the natural 
environment. Impacts associated with this alternative are related to 
transportation of CCR from Bull Run Fossil Plant to the Chestnut Ridge 
Landfill.

Public Involvement

    On May 21, 2015, TVA published a Notice of Intent (NOI) in the 
Federal Register announcing that it planned to prepare an EIS to 
address the storage of CCR generated at Bull Run Fossil Plant. The NOI 
initiated a public scoping period, which concluded on July 6, 2015. In 
addition to the NOI in the Federal Register, TVA published notices 
regarding this effort in regional and local newspapers; issued a news 
release to more than 400 media outlets; and posted the news release on 
the TVA Web site, and posted flyers and signs near the alternative 
landfill site to solicit public input.
    The Draft EIS was released to the public on May 20, 2016, and a 
notice of availability including a request for comments on the Draft 
EIS, was published in the Federal Register on May 27, 2016. TVA's 
public and agency involvement for this Draft EIS included a public 
notice and a 45-day public review of the Draft EIS. The Draft EIS was 
posted on TVA's Web site and hard copies were available by request. To 
solicit public input, the availability of the Draft EIS was announced 
in regional and local newspapers and a news release was issued to the 
media and posted to TVA's Web site. In addition, TVA mailed postcard 
notifications to all residents within a one-mile radius of the plant 
(311 addresses). The postcards announced the availability of the EIS 
and requested comments. The public comment period closed on July 12, 
2016, although TVA accepted comments that were submitted as late as 
August 12, 2016. TVA's agency involvement included sending letters to 
local, state and federal agencies and federally recognized tribes to 
notify them of the availability of the Draft EIS.
    TVA received 12 comment submissions, which included letters, emails 
and submissions through the project Web site. The comment submissions 
were carefully reviewed and synthesized into comment statements. The 
most frequently mentioned topics from the public comments were related 
to the impact from noise and dust from landfill operations as well as 
the visual impact and change in land use of the site on the surrounding 
community. TVA provided responses to these comments, made appropriate 
minor revisions to the Draft EIS and issued the Final EIS.
    The NOA for the Final EIS was published in the Federal Register on 
January 20, 2017.

Decision

    TVA has decided to implement the preferred alternative identified 
in the Final EIS, Alternative B--Construct and Operate a Landfill for 
Storage of CCR on TVA Property Adjacent to Bull Run Fossil Plant (Site 
J). This alternative was selected over Alternative C--Off-Site 
Transport of CCR to an Existing Permitted Landfill (Chestnut Ridge) as 
it would achieve the purpose and need of the project with minimal 
unmitigated environmental impact, avoid the off-site transport of CCR 
along public roads, as well as the air emissions, noise, increased 
traffic and associated long-term safety risks, and disruptions to the

[[Page 19432]]

public that would be associated with such off-site transport.

Mitigation Measures

    TVA would use appropriate best management practices during all 
phases of construction and operation of the landfill. Mitigation 
measures, actions taken to reduce adverse impacts associated with 
proposed action, include:
     Due to the loss of potentially suitable foraging and 
roosting habitat for endangered bat species, Section 7 consultation 
with U.S. Fish and Wildlife will be required. Given the occurrence of 
potentially suitable roosting habitat for some endangered bat species, 
all tree clearing would be limited to those times of the year when bats 
are not expected to be roosting in the area (October 1 through March 
31). Impact to bat habitat would be mitigated in accordance with U.S. 
Fish and Wildlife requirements.
     TVA has coordinated with State of Tennessee Department of 
Environment and Conservation (TDEC) and the U.S. Army Corps of 
Engineers, and has proposed mitigation for areas impacted by relocation 
and/or encroachment of Worthington Branch through payment to an 
appropriate stream bank and/or restoration on-site.
     Actions involving wetlands and/or stream crossings and 
stream alterations would be subject to requirements outlined in the 
federal Clean Water Act Section 404 permit and the TDEC Aquatic 
Resources Alteration Permit. TVA would adhere to all conditions 
stipulated in these permits.
     TVA will maintain the plantings along the portion of Site 
J adjacent to Old Edgemoor Road to continue to provide a vegetative 
screen.
     TVA will develop a fugitive dust plan which identifies 
adequate dust control measures for this site. As per CCR rule 
requirements TVA has developed a fugitive dust hotline where concerns 
regarding fugitive dust can be recorded. Every year TVA will prepare a 
report detailing the dust controls used, any citizen complaints 
received, and a summary of any corrective actions taken.
     TVA will implement a groundwater monitoring plan that 
adheres to the requirements established in the CCR Rule and those 
established by TDEC.

    Dated: March 29, 2017.
Robert M. Deacy, Sr.,
Senior Vice President, Generation Construction, Projects & Services.
[FR Doc. 2017-08459 Filed 4-26-17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8120-08-P