Natural Resource Plan, 57100-57102 [2011-23610]
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57100
Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 179 / Thursday, September 15, 2011 / Notices
SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
Electronic Comments
• Use the Commission’s Internet
comment form (https://www.sec.gov/
rules/sro.shtml); or
• Send an e-mail to rule-comments@
sec.gov. Please include File Number SR–
CBOE–2011–082 on the subject line.
(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance
Numbers 59002 and 59008)
[Disaster Declaration #12809 and #12810]
James E. Rivera,
Associate Administrator for Disaster
Assistance.
New Hampshire Disaster #NH–00020
[FR Doc. 2011–23565 Filed 9–14–11; 8:45 am]
U.S. Small Business
Administration.
AGENCY:
BILLING CODE 8025–01–P
Notice.
Paper Comments
ACTION:
• Send paper comments in triplicate
to Elizabeth M. Murphy, Secretary,
Securities and Exchange Commission,
100 F Street, NE., Washington, DC
20549–1090.
SUMMARY:
TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY
wreier-aviles on DSKGBLS3C1PROD with NOTICES
This is a Notice of the
Presidential declaration of a major
disaster for Public Assistance Only for
the State of New Hampshire (FEMA–
4026–DR), dated 09/03/2011.
Incident: Tropical Storm Irene.
All submissions should refer to File
Incident Period: 08/26/2011 and
Number SR–CBOE–2011–082. This file
continuing.
number should be included on the
Effective Date: 09/03/2011.
subject line if e-mail is used. To help the
Commission process and review your
Physical Loan Application Deadline
comments more efficiently, please use
Date: 11/02/2011.
only one method. The Commission will
Economic Injury (EIDL) Loan
post all comments on the Commission’s Application Deadline Date: 06/05/2012.
Internet Web site (https://www.sec.gov/
ADDRESSES: Submit completed loan
rules/sro.shtml). Copies of the
applications to: U.S. Small Business
submission, all subsequent
Administration, Processing and
amendments, all written statements
Disbursement Center, 14925 Kingsport
with respect to the proposed rule
Road, Fort Worth, TX 76155.
change that are filed with the
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: A.
Commission, and all written
Escobar, Office of Disaster Assistance,
communications relating to the
U.S. Small Business Administration,
proposed rule change between the
Commission and any person, other than 409 3rd Street, SW., Suite 6050,
Washington, DC 20416.
those that may be withheld from the
public in accordance with the
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Notice is
provisions of 5 U.S.C. 552, will be
hereby given that as a result of the
available for Web site viewing and
President’s major disaster declaration on
printing in the Commission’s Public
09/03/2011, Private Non-Profit
organizations that provide essential
Reference Room, 100 F Street, NE.,
services of governmental nature may file
Washington, DC 20549, on official
disaster loan applications at the address
business days between the hours of 10
listed above or other locally announced
a.m. and 3 p.m. Copies of such filing
also will be available for inspection and locations.
copying at the principal office of the
The following areas have been
determined to be adversely affected by
Exchange. All comments received will
the disaster:
be posted without change; the
Commission does not edit personal
Primary Counties: Carroll, Coos,
identifying information from
Grafton, Merrimack.
submissions. You should submit only
The Interest Rates are:
information that you wish to make
available publicly. All submissions
Percent
should refer to File Number SR–CBOE–
2011–082 and should be submitted on
For Physical Damage:
or before October 6, 2011.
Non-profit organizations with
For the Commission, by the Division of
Trading and Markets, pursuant to delegated
authority.19
Elizabeth M. Murphy,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2011–23602 Filed 9–14–11; 8:45 am]
credit available elsewhere
Non-profit organizations without credit available elsewhere .................................
For Economic Injury:
Non-profit organizations without credit available elsewhere .................................
3.250
3.000
3.000
BILLING CODE 8011–01–P
19 17
The number assigned to this disaster
for physical damage is 128098 and for
economic injury is 128108.
CFR 200.30–3(a)(12).
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Natural Resource Plan
Tennessee Valley Authority
(TVA).
ACTION: Issuance of Record of Decision.
AGENCY:
This notice is provided in
accordance with the Council on
Environmental Quality’s regulations (40
CFR parts1500 to 1508) and TVA’s
procedures for implementing the
National Environmental Policy Act.
TVA has decided to adopt the preferred
alternative in its final environmental
impact statement (EIS) for the Natural
Resource Plan (NRP). The notice of
availability of the Final Environmental
Impact Statement for the Natural
Resource Plan was published in the
Federal Register on July 15, 2011. The
TVA Board of Directors accepted the
NRP and authorized TVA’s Chief
Executive Officer to implement the
preferred alternative at its August 18,
2011, meeting. This alternative, Blended
Management, will guide TVA’s natural
resource management over the next 20
years.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Charles P. Nicholson, NEPA
Compliance Manager, Tennessee Valley
Authority, 400 West Summit Hill Drive,
WT 11D, Knoxville, Tennessee 37902–
1499, telephone 865–632–3582 or e-mail
cpnicholson@tva.gov ; Helen G. Rucker,
Senior Manager, Land and Shoreline
Management, Tennessee Valley
Authority, 400 West Summit Hill Drive,
WT 11B, Knoxville, Tennessee 37902–
1499, telephone 865–632–3325 or email
hgrucker@tva.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: TVA is an
agency and instrumentality of the
United States, established by an act of
Congress in 1933, 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. TVA’s threefold mission is to
provide affordable and reliable power,
promote sustainable economic
development, and act as the steward of
the Valley’s natural resources. The lands
managed by TVA in the name of the
United States of America are some of
the most important resources of the
SUMMARY:
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Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 179 / Thursday, September 15, 2011 / Notices
wreier-aviles on DSKGBLS3C1PROD with NOTICES
region. These lands include
approximately 293,000 acres associated
with the TVA reservoir system and
approximately 9,100 acres associated
with TVA electrical generating facilities.
From its inception through 1998, TVA
received federal appropriations for its
natural resource management activities.
Since then, the Energy and Water
Development Act of 1998 has required
TVA to fund its ‘‘essential stewardship
activities,’’ including natural resource
management, with its revenues from the
sale of power and other funds. The TVA
Act requires the TVA power system to
be self-supporting and operating on a
nonprofit basis and directs TVA to sell
power at rates as low as are feasible.
The TVA Environmental Policy
adopted in 2008 established six strategic
objectives and associated critical
success factors. Three of these strategic
objectives, Water Resource Protection
and Improvement, Sustainable Land
Use, and Natural Resource Management,
are the focus of the NRP. The goals of
the NRP are to: (1) Align TVA’s natural
resource stewardship programs and
plans with the Environmental Policy; (2)
provide a strategic plan that guides
TVA’s resource management decisions
and actions, integrates stewardship
objectives for optimum public benefits
while developing efficiencies for natural
resources, and strikes a balance between
the competing and sometimes
conflicting resource uses on TVAmanaged lands; (3) increase the
efficiency of environmental reviews of
TVA actions; (4) provide TVA staff with
a reference manual to guide
implementation activities; and (5)
provide clarity and transparency to the
public. The NRP addresses current and
proposed TVA programs and activities
for the management of biological,
cultural, and water resources,
recreation, reservoir lands planning, and
public engagement.
Alternatives Considered
Four alternatives for TVA’s
management of natural resources were
evaluated in the NRP EIS. These
alternatives consist of different
combinations and levels of
implementation of resource
management programs and activities
and approaches to planning the use of
TVA reservoir lands.
Alternative A—No Action Alternative:
Under this alternative, TVA would
continue to implement the existing
programs and activities and would
continue to use the current reservoir
land planning methods.
Alternative B—Custodial
Management: Under this alternative,
TVA would implement the programs
VerDate Mar<15>2010
15:07 Sep 14, 2011
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and activities necessary for compliance
with TVA’s mission and applicable
laws, regulations, executive orders, and
TVA policies. In those areas in which
TVA would discontinue programs or
activities, existing contractual
agreements relating to those programs
and activities would be honored. In
addition, TVA would transfer the
management of some recreational
facilities to other parties or would close
the facilities. Relative to Alternative A,
this alternative would reduce TVA’s
level of effort in some areas and increase
it in others. TVA would continue to use
the current reservoir land planning
methods.
Alternative C—Flagship Management:
Under this alternative, TVA would
aggressively explore, pilot test, and
implement existing and new programs
and activities to increase its resource
management to the ‘‘gold standard.’’
TVA’s proactive management of
biological, cultural, and water resources
would be greatly enhanced. Recreation
management activities would focus on
enhancements of existing facilities
while emphasizing sustainable
technologies, development of trails,
greenways, and access areas, and repair
of heavily impacted areas. Reservoir
lands planning would be based on a
Comprehensive Valleywide Land Plan
that sets systemwide ranges for the
proportion of TVA lands allocated to
various uses.
Alternative D—Blended Management:
Under this alternative, TVA would
emphasize key programs that are
integral toward enhancing future
implementation efforts while
maintaining activities and projects that
address safety and comply with TVA’s
mission and applicable laws,
regulations, executive orders, and TVA
policies. The level of effort in many
program areas would be greater than
that of Alternatives A and B, and some
program and activities would be
implemented at the same level as
Alternative C. Reservoir lands planning
would be the same as under Alternative
C. Alternative D was identified as the
preferred alternative in the final EIS.
Public Involvement
On June 15, 2009, TVA published a
notice of intent to prepare an EIS and to
conduct a comprehensive study of its
future energy and environmental
stewardship needs known as the
Integrated Resource Plan (IRP; Federal
Register 76:39470–39472). The IRP had
two major objectives—to develop a plan
for meeting the energy needs of the TVA
region over the next 20 years and to
develop implementation plans for
achieving the objectives of the
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57101
Environmental Policy, including those
focusing on management of natural
resources. TVA accepted public
comments on the scope of the IRP
during a 60-day scoping period. Shortly
after the public scoping period began,
TVA decided it would be better to
address natural resource management
activities in a separate process and
therefore decided to separate the IRP
and NRP. TVA held an additional 30day public scoping period for the NRP
beginning October 2, 2009.
In addition to the public scoping,
TVA directly solicited input from 11
federal and state natural resource
agencies. TVA also used its Regional
Resource Stewardship Council
throughout the development of the NRP
as an advisory and review group. TVA
established the Council in 1999 under
the Federal Advisory Committee Act to
provide advice to TVA on its
stewardship activities.
The notice of availability of the draft
NRP and EIS was published in the
Federal Register by the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency
(USEPA) on April 1, 2011. TVA
accepted comments on the draft NRP
and EIS until May 16, 2011. During the
comment period, TVA held three public
meetings to describe the project and
accept comments. TVA received 151
comment submissions on the draft NRP
and EIS. After careful consideration of
and response to all substantive
comments, refinement of the programs
and activities and their levels of
intensity in the various alternatives, and
additional review by the Council, TVA
issued the final NRP and EIS. The notice
of availability for the final NRP and EIS
was published in the Federal Register
on July 15, 2011.
Environmentally Preferred Alternative
Alternative C—Flagship Management
is the environmentally preferred
alternative. This alternative is
comprised of the broadest range and
highest levels of implementation of
natural resource management programs
and activities. Although this alternative
would result in the greatest level of
short-term adverse impacts caused by
the various management activities, it
would result in the greatest beneficial
impacts and improved conditions for
numerous resource areas.
Comments on the Final EIS
The U.S. Department of Interior
(USDOI) and USEPA commented on the
final NRP and EIS. The USDOI
continued to support Alternative C—
Flagship Management for providing
greater opportunities for natural
resource management, recovery, and
E:\FR\FM\15SEN1.SGM
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57102
Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 179 / Thursday, September 15, 2011 / Notices
protection. USDOI also encouraged TVA
to provide greater transparency on
future resource stewardship funding.
USEPA continued to support
Alternative C, but accepted TVA’s
preference for Alternative D. USEPA
also requested that TVA better engage
minority and low-income communities
during the implementation of the NRP.
Decision
On August 18, 2011, the TVA Board
of Directors determined that the
preferred Alternative D—Blended
Management was in the best interest of
TVA and approved its implementation.
This decision was based on that
alternative’s alignment with TVA’s
Environmental Policy, its focus on
certain key programs that establish a
baseline for future enhanced
implementation efforts, and the
flexibility it provides for the use of
partnerships, volunteers, and other
sources of funding to leverage programs
to their full potential while working
within resource and staff constraints.
wreier-aviles on DSKGBLS3C1PROD with NOTICES
Mitigation Measures
The natural resource management
programs and activities associated with
Alternative D have been designed to
result in minimal adverse
environmental impacts during their
implementation and to result in longterm beneficial impacts. TVA will
conduct site and/or activity-specific
environmental reviews of its actions to
implement the NRP and incorporate
appropriate measures to avoid,
minimize, or mitigate adverse impacts.
TVA has developed a programmatic
agreement (PA) for the management of
historic properties affected by the NRP.
This PA was signed by TVA on July 29,
2011, and by the Advisory Council on
Historic Preservation on August 5, 2011.
The PA requires that TVA develop and
implement a Cultural Resources
Management Plan within three years.
This plan will address both TVA’s
compliance with Section 106 of the
National Historic Preservation Act when
implementing the various NRP activities
and TVA’s implementation of the
cultural resource management programs
and activities included in NRP
Alternative D—Blended Management.
Dated: September 6, 2011.
Anda A. Ray,
Senior Vice President, Environment and
Technology.
[FR Doc. 2011–23610 Filed 9–14–11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8120–08–P
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OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES
TRADE REPRESENTATIVE
[Docket No. USTR–2011–0011]
Notice and Request for Comments:
Two-Year Extension of Softwood
Lumber Agreement
Office of the United States
Trade Representative.
ACTION: Notice and request for public
comment.
AGENCY:
The U.S.-Canada Softwood
Lumber Agreement (‘‘SLA’’ or ‘‘the
Agreement’’) entered into force on
October 12, 2006 and is currently
scheduled to expire on October 12,
2013. The SLA includes a provision for
extension of the Agreement for an
additional two years. The United States
is considering extending the SLA
through October 12, 2015. Interested
persons are invited to submit comments
on the possible extension of the
Agreement.
DATES: To ensure consideration,
comments should be submitted no later
than 30 days after publication of the
notice.
ADDRESSES: Comments should be
submitted electronically via the Internet
at https://www.regulations.gov, docket
number USTR–2011–0011. If you are
unable to provide submissions by
https://www.regulations.gov, please
contact Mary Sullivan Smith at (202)
395–9404 to arrange for an alternative
method of transmission.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Mary Sullivan Smith, Director for
Canada, (202) 395–9404, for questions
concerning procedures for filing
submissions in response to this notice.
Background: The entry into force of
the 2006 U.S.-Canada Softwood Lumber
Agreement settled litigation in U.S. and
international venues and resulted in the
revocation of antidumping and
countervailing duty orders on softwood
lumber from Canada. The SLA is
designed to constrain softwood lumber
exports from Canada into the United
States when demand in the United
States is low. In favorable market
conditions, the SLA provides for
unrestricted trade in softwood lumber.
As part of the SLA, the United States
agreed to cease the collection of
antidumping and countervailing duties
upon softwood lumber from Canada and
to refund US$5 billion in deposits of
duties. In exchange, Canada agreed,
among other things, to apply export
measures—export charges and volume
limitations—to shipments of softwood
lumber from Canada to the United
States when the price of softwood
SUMMARY:
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products falls below a certain level. The
SLA provides for arbitration to resolve
disputes between the United States and
Canada regarding the interpretation and
implementation of the Agreement.
Under the SLA, arbitration is conducted
under the rules of the LCIA.
Pursuant to Article XVIII ‘‘the SLA
2006 shall remain in force for 7 years
after the Effective Date and may be
extended by agreement of the Parties for
an additional 2 years.’’ Without an
extension, the Agreement will expire in
October 12, 2013. USTR is considering
extending the SLA for two years
pursuant to the President’s
constitutional authority to conduct the
foreign relations of the United States, as
delegated to the USTR from the
President through Executive Orders,
including Executive Order 11846
(Administration of the Trade
Agreements Program). Request for
Public Comment: The USTR invites
comments from interested persons with
respect to the possible extension of the
SLA 2006.
To submit comments via https://
www.regulations.gov, enter docket
number USTR–2011–0011 on the home
page and click ‘‘Search’’. The site will
provide a search-results page listing all
documents associated with this docket.
Find a reference to this notice by
selecting ‘‘Notice’’ under ‘‘Document
Type’’ the search-results page, and click
on the link entitled ‘‘Send a Comment’’
(For further information on using the
https://www.regulations.gov Web site,
please consult the resources provided
on the Web site by clicking on ‘‘How to
Use This Site’’ on the left side of the
home page.)
The https://www.regulations.gov site
provides the option of providing
comments by filling in a ‘‘Type
Comment’’ field, or by attaching a
document. All comments should be
provided in an attached document.
Submissions must state clearly the
position taken and describe with
specificity the supporting rationale and
must be written in English. After
attaching the document, it is sufficient
to type ‘‘See attached’’ in the ‘‘Type
Comment’’ field.
Comments will be placed in the
docket and open to public inspection
except confidential business
information. Comments may be viewed
on the https://www.regulations.gov Web
site by entering docket number USTR–
2011–0011 in the search field on the
home page.
Persons wishing to submit business
confidential information must certify in
writing that such information is
confidential and such information must
be clearly marked ‘‘Business
E:\FR\FM\15SEN1.SGM
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 179 (Thursday, September 15, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57100-57102]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-23610]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY
Natural Resource Plan
AGENCY: Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA).
ACTION: Issuance of Record of Decision.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: This notice is provided in accordance with the Council on
Environmental Quality's regulations (40 CFR parts1500 to 1508) and
TVA's procedures for implementing the National Environmental Policy
Act. TVA has decided to adopt the preferred alternative in its final
environmental impact statement (EIS) for the Natural Resource Plan
(NRP). The notice of availability of the Final Environmental Impact
Statement for the Natural Resource Plan was published in the Federal
Register on July 15, 2011. The TVA Board of Directors accepted the NRP
and authorized TVA's Chief Executive Officer to implement the preferred
alternative at its August 18, 2011, meeting. This alternative, Blended
Management, will guide TVA's natural resource management over the next
20 years.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Charles P. Nicholson, NEPA Compliance
Manager, Tennessee Valley Authority, 400 West Summit Hill Drive, WT
11D, Knoxville, Tennessee 37902-1499, telephone 865-632-3582 or e-mail
cpnicholson@tva.gov ; Helen G. Rucker, Senior Manager, Land and
Shoreline Management, Tennessee Valley Authority, 400 West Summit Hill
Drive, WT 11B, Knoxville, Tennessee 37902-1499, telephone 865-632-3325
or email hgrucker@tva.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: TVA is an agency and instrumentality of the
United States, established by an act of Congress in 1933, 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. TVA's threefold mission is to provide affordable and
reliable power, promote sustainable economic development, and act as
the steward of the Valley's natural resources. The lands managed by TVA
in the name of the United States of America are some of the most
important resources of the
[[Page 57101]]
region. These lands include approximately 293,000 acres associated with
the TVA reservoir system and approximately 9,100 acres associated with
TVA electrical generating facilities.
From its inception through 1998, TVA received federal
appropriations for its natural resource management activities. Since
then, the Energy and Water Development Act of 1998 has required TVA to
fund its ``essential stewardship activities,'' including natural
resource management, with its revenues from the sale of power and other
funds. The TVA Act requires the TVA power system to be self-supporting
and operating on a nonprofit basis and directs TVA to sell power at
rates as low as are feasible.
The TVA Environmental Policy adopted in 2008 established six
strategic objectives and associated critical success factors. Three of
these strategic objectives, Water Resource Protection and Improvement,
Sustainable Land Use, and Natural Resource Management, are the focus of
the NRP. The goals of the NRP are to: (1) Align TVA's natural resource
stewardship programs and plans with the Environmental Policy; (2)
provide a strategic plan that guides TVA's resource management
decisions and actions, integrates stewardship objectives for optimum
public benefits while developing efficiencies for natural resources,
and strikes a balance between the competing and sometimes conflicting
resource uses on TVA-managed lands; (3) increase the efficiency of
environmental reviews of TVA actions; (4) provide TVA staff with a
reference manual to guide implementation activities; and (5) provide
clarity and transparency to the public. The NRP addresses current and
proposed TVA programs and activities for the management of biological,
cultural, and water resources, recreation, reservoir lands planning,
and public engagement.
Alternatives Considered
Four alternatives for TVA's management of natural resources were
evaluated in the NRP EIS. These alternatives consist of different
combinations and levels of implementation of resource management
programs and activities and approaches to planning the use of TVA
reservoir lands.
Alternative A--No Action Alternative: Under this alternative, TVA
would continue to implement the existing programs and activities and
would continue to use the current reservoir land planning methods.
Alternative B--Custodial Management: Under this alternative, TVA
would implement the programs and activities necessary for compliance
with TVA's mission and applicable laws, regulations, executive orders,
and TVA policies. In those areas in which TVA would discontinue
programs or activities, existing contractual agreements relating to
those programs and activities would be honored. In addition, TVA would
transfer the management of some recreational facilities to other
parties or would close the facilities. Relative to Alternative A, this
alternative would reduce TVA's level of effort in some areas and
increase it in others. TVA would continue to use the current reservoir
land planning methods.
Alternative C--Flagship Management: Under this alternative, TVA
would aggressively explore, pilot test, and implement existing and new
programs and activities to increase its resource management to the
``gold standard.'' TVA's proactive management of biological, cultural,
and water resources would be greatly enhanced. Recreation management
activities would focus on enhancements of existing facilities while
emphasizing sustainable technologies, development of trails, greenways,
and access areas, and repair of heavily impacted areas. Reservoir lands
planning would be based on a Comprehensive Valleywide Land Plan that
sets systemwide ranges for the proportion of TVA lands allocated to
various uses.
Alternative D--Blended Management: Under this alternative, TVA
would emphasize key programs that are integral toward enhancing future
implementation efforts while maintaining activities and projects that
address safety and comply with TVA's mission and applicable laws,
regulations, executive orders, and TVA policies. The level of effort in
many program areas would be greater than that of Alternatives A and B,
and some program and activities would be implemented at the same level
as Alternative C. Reservoir lands planning would be the same as under
Alternative C. Alternative D was identified as the preferred
alternative in the final EIS.
Public Involvement
On June 15, 2009, TVA published a notice of intent to prepare an
EIS and to conduct a comprehensive study of its future energy and
environmental stewardship needs known as the Integrated Resource Plan
(IRP; Federal Register 76:39470-39472). The IRP had two major
objectives--to develop a plan for meeting the energy needs of the TVA
region over the next 20 years and to develop implementation plans for
achieving the objectives of the Environmental Policy, including those
focusing on management of natural resources. TVA accepted public
comments on the scope of the IRP during a 60-day scoping period.
Shortly after the public scoping period began, TVA decided it would be
better to address natural resource management activities in a separate
process and therefore decided to separate the IRP and NRP. TVA held an
additional 30-day public scoping period for the NRP beginning October
2, 2009.
In addition to the public scoping, TVA directly solicited input
from 11 federal and state natural resource agencies. TVA also used its
Regional Resource Stewardship Council throughout the development of the
NRP as an advisory and review group. TVA established the Council in
1999 under the Federal Advisory Committee Act to provide advice to TVA
on its stewardship activities.
The notice of availability of the draft NRP and EIS was published
in the Federal Register by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(USEPA) on April 1, 2011. TVA accepted comments on the draft NRP and
EIS until May 16, 2011. During the comment period, TVA held three
public meetings to describe the project and accept comments. TVA
received 151 comment submissions on the draft NRP and EIS. After
careful consideration of and response to all substantive comments,
refinement of the programs and activities and their levels of intensity
in the various alternatives, and additional review by the Council, TVA
issued the final NRP and EIS. The notice of availability for the final
NRP and EIS was published in the Federal Register on July 15, 2011.
Environmentally Preferred Alternative
Alternative C--Flagship Management is the environmentally preferred
alternative. This alternative is comprised of the broadest range and
highest levels of implementation of natural resource management
programs and activities. Although this alternative would result in the
greatest level of short-term adverse impacts caused by the various
management activities, it would result in the greatest beneficial
impacts and improved conditions for numerous resource areas.
Comments on the Final EIS
The U.S. Department of Interior (USDOI) and USEPA commented on the
final NRP and EIS. The USDOI continued to support Alternative C--
Flagship Management for providing greater opportunities for natural
resource management, recovery, and
[[Page 57102]]
protection. USDOI also encouraged TVA to provide greater transparency
on future resource stewardship funding. USEPA continued to support
Alternative C, but accepted TVA's preference for Alternative D. USEPA
also requested that TVA better engage minority and low-income
communities during the implementation of the NRP.
Decision
On August 18, 2011, the TVA Board of Directors determined that the
preferred Alternative D--Blended Management was in the best interest of
TVA and approved its implementation. This decision was based on that
alternative's alignment with TVA's Environmental Policy, its focus on
certain key programs that establish a baseline for future enhanced
implementation efforts, and the flexibility it provides for the use of
partnerships, volunteers, and other sources of funding to leverage
programs to their full potential while working within resource and
staff constraints.
Mitigation Measures
The natural resource management programs and activities associated
with Alternative D have been designed to result in minimal adverse
environmental impacts during their implementation and to result in
long-term beneficial impacts. TVA will conduct site and/or activity-
specific environmental reviews of its actions to implement the NRP and
incorporate appropriate measures to avoid, minimize, or mitigate
adverse impacts. TVA has developed a programmatic agreement (PA) for
the management of historic properties affected by the NRP. This PA was
signed by TVA on July 29, 2011, and by the Advisory Council on Historic
Preservation on August 5, 2011. The PA requires that TVA develop and
implement a Cultural Resources Management Plan within three years. This
plan will address both TVA's compliance with Section 106 of the
National Historic Preservation Act when implementing the various NRP
activities and TVA's implementation of the cultural resource management
programs and activities included in NRP Alternative D--Blended
Management.
Dated: September 6, 2011.
Anda A. Ray,
Senior Vice President, Environment and Technology.
[FR Doc. 2011-23610 Filed 9-14-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8120-08-P
