[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 20 (Thursday, January 30, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5531-5532]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-01604]


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TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY


North Alabama Utility-Scale Solar Environmental Impact Statement

AGENCY: Tennessee Valley Authority.

ACTION: Notice of Intent.

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SUMMARY: The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) intends to prepare an 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed TVA-developed 
solar facility in Lawrence County, Alabama. The purpose of this EIS is 
to address the potential environmental effects associated with 
building, operating, and maintaining the solar facility, North Alabama 
Utility-Scale Solar Project, in Lawrence County, Alabama. The proposed 
facility would encompass approximately 3,000 acres. Public comments are 
invited concerning both the scope of the EIS and environmental issues 
that should be addressed as part of this EIS.

DATES: Comments must be received or postmarked by March 2, 2020.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be sent to Elizabeth Smith, NEPA 
Specialist, Tennessee Valley Authority, 400 W Summit Hill Drive #WT11B, 
Knoxville, Tennessee 37902. Comments may be sent electronically to 
[email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Contact Elizabeth Smith by email at 
[email protected], by phone at (865) 632-3053, or by mail at the address 
above.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This notice is provided in accordance with 
the Council on Environmental Quality's regulations (40 CFR parts 1500 
to 1508), 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 proposed North Alabama Utility-Scale Solar facility, hereafter 
referred to as the project, would occupy two sites: Wheeler North and 
Wheeler South. The sites together encompass approximately 3,000 acres, 
and are located entirely in Lawrence County, Alabama. The Wheeler North 
site is within the city limits of Wheeler, Alabama, and is located 
approximately 3.6 miles southeast of Courtland, Alabama. The southern 
edge of the Wheeler North site is paralleled by US Highway 72. The 
Wheeler North site is mostly cultivated crop fields with portions of 
forested areas. The Wheeler South site is the larger of the two sites 
and runs along the eastern portion of State Highway 33 with County Road 
85 running west in the southwest portion of the site. The Wheeler South 
site is located 0.21 miles southwest of Wheeler, Alabama and 2.25 miles 
southeast of Courtland, Alabama. The Wheeler South site is mostly 
forested with portions of cultivated crop fields and wooded private 
residences. Two power line easements run through the Wheeler South 
site.

Background

    TVA is a federal agency and instrumentality of the United States of 
America, created in 1933 by an act of Congress to foster the social and 
economic well-being of the residents of the Tennessee Valley region. As 
part of its diversified energy strategy, TVA produces or obtains 
electricity from a diverse portfolio of energy sources, including 
solar, hydroelectric, wind,

[[Page 5532]]

biomass, fossil fuel, and nuclear. In June 2019, TVA released the final 
2019 Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) and associated Environmental Impact 
Statement, which updated the 2015 IRP. The 2019 IRP is a comprehensive 
study of how TVA will meet the demand for electricity in its service 
territory over the next 20 years. The target supply mix adopted by TVA 
in the 2019 IRP envisions the addition of up to 14 GW of solar by 2038.

Alternatives

    In addition to a No Action Alternative, this EIS will address 
alternatives that meet the purpose and need for the project. In 
evaluating alternatives, TVA will also consider the availability of 
other potential sites where the project could be located. For the 
proposed site, TVA plans to consider the establishment of a reduced 
footprint so that impacts to cultural and/or biological resources could 
be avoided. The EIS will also evaluate ways to mitigate impacts that 
cannot be avoided. The description and analysis of these alternatives 
in the EIS will inform decision makers, other agencies, and the public 
about the potential for environmental impacts associated with the 
proposed solar facility. TVA solicits comment on whether there are 
other alternatives that should be assessed in the EIS.

Proposed Resources and Issues To Be Considered

    Public scoping is integral to the process for implementing NEPA and 
ensures that (1) issues are identified early and properly studied, (2) 
issues of little significance do not consume substantial time and 
effort, and (3) the analysis of identified issues is thorough and 
balanced. This EIS will identify the purpose and need of the project 
and will contain descriptions of the existing environmental and 
socioeconomic resources within the area that could be affected by the 
proposed solar facility, including the documented historical, cultural, 
and environmental resources. Evaluation of potential environmental 
impacts to these resources will include, but not be limited to, water 
quality, air quality, soil erosion, floodplains, aquatic and 
terrestrial ecology, threatened and endangered species, botany, 
wetlands, visual resources, transportation, safety, land use, historic 
and archaeological resources, recreation, geology, solid and hazardous 
waste, and socioeconomic and environmental justice issues. The final 
range of issues to be addressed in the environmental review will be 
determined, in part, from scoping comments received. TVA is 
particularly interested in public input on other reasonable 
alternatives that should be considered in the EIS. The preliminary 
identification of reasonable alternatives and environmental issues in 
this notice is not meant to be exhaustive or final.

Public Participation

    The public is invited to submit comments on the scope of this EIS 
no later than the date identified in the DATES section of this notice. 
Federal, state and local agencies and Native American Tribes are also 
invited to provide comments. After consideration of comments received 
during the scoping period, TVA will develop and distribute a scoping 
document that will summarize public and agency comments that were 
received and identify the schedule for completing the EIS process. 
Following analysis of the issues, TVA will prepare a draft EIS for 
public review and comment; the draft EIS is scheduled for completion in 
2021. In finalizing the EIS and in making its final decision, TVA will 
consider the comments that it receives on the Draft EIS.

    Authority: 40 CFR 1501.7.

M. Susan Smelley,
Director, Environmental Compliance and Operations.
[FR Doc. 2020-01604 Filed 1-29-20; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 8120-08-P