Environmental Impact Statement for Cumberland Fossil Plant Retirement, 25933-25935 [2021-09945]

Download as PDF Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 89 / Tuesday, May 11, 2021 / Notices DEPARTMENT OF STATE [Public Notice: 11423] Notice of Determinations; Culturally Significant Objects Being Imported for Exhibition—Determinations: ‘‘Nikolai Astrup: Visions of Norway’’ Exhibition Notice is hereby given of the following determinations: I hereby determine that certain objects being imported from abroad pursuant to agreements with their foreign owners or custodians for temporary display in the exhibition ‘‘Nikolai Astrup: Visions of Norway’’ at the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, Williamstown, Massachusetts, and at possible additional exhibitions or venues yet to be determined, are of cultural significance, and, further, that their temporary exhibition or display within the United States as aforementioned is in the national interest. I have ordered that Public Notice of these determinations be published in the Federal Register. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Chi D. Tran, Program Administrator, Office of the Legal Adviser, U.S. Department of State (telephone: 202–632–6471; email: section2459@state.gov). The mailing address is U.S. Department of State, L/PD, SA–5, Suite 5H03, Washington, DC 20522–0505. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The foregoing determinations were made pursuant to the authority vested in me by the Act of October 19, 1965 (79 Stat. 985; 22 U.S.C. 2459), Executive Order 12047 of March 27, 1978, the Foreign Affairs Reform and Restructuring Act of 1998 (112 Stat. 2681, et seq.; 22 U.S.C. 6501 note, et seq.), Delegation of Authority No. 234 of October 1, 1999, and Delegation of Authority No. 236–3 of August 28, 2000. SUMMARY: Matthew R. Lussenhop, Acting Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, Department of State. [FR Doc. 2021–09878 Filed 5–10–21; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4710–05–P SURFACE TRANSPORTATION BOARD [Docket No. AB 295 (Sub-No. 10X)] Indiana Rail Road Company— Abandonment Exemption—in Vigo County, Ind. Indiana Rail Road Company (INDR) has filed a verified notice of exemption under 49 CFR part 1152 subpart F— Exempt Abandonments to abandon an approximately 5.92-mile rail line known VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:13 May 10, 2021 Jkt 253001 as the Riley Spur, extending between milepost 6.48 and the end of the track at milepost 12.4 (near Riley) in Vigo County, Ind. (the Line). The Line traverses U.S. Postal Service Zip Code 47802 and has one station, Chinook (FSAC 40956/OPSL 21009), which INRD states can be closed. INDR has certified that: (1) No local traffic has moved over the Line for at least two years; (2) any overhead traffic can be rerouted over other lines; (3) no formal complaint filed by a user of rail service on the Line (or by a state or local government entity acting on behalf of such user) regarding cessation of service over the Line either is pending with the Surface Transportation Board (Board) or with any U.S. District Court or has been decided in favor of a complainant within the two-year period; and (4) the requirements at 49 CFR 1105.7 and 1105.8 (notice of environmental and historic report), 49 CFR 1105.12 (newspaper publication), and 49 CFR 1152.50(d)(1) (notice to governmental agencies) have been met. As a condition to this exemption, any employee adversely affected by the abandonment shall be protected under Oregon Short Line Railroad— Abandonment Portion Goshen Branch Between Firth & Ammon, in Bingham & Bonneville Counties, Idaho, 360 I.C.C. 91 (1979). To address whether this condition adequately protects affected employees, a petition for partial revocation under 49 U.S.C. 10502(d) must be filed. Provided no formal expression of intent to file an offer of financial assistance (OFA) has been received,1 the exemption will be effective on June 10, 2021, unless stayed pending reconsideration. Petitions to stay that do not involve environmental issues,2 formal expressions of intent to file an OFA under 49 CFR 1152.27(c)(2), and interim trail use/rail banking requests under 49 CFR 1152.29 must be filed by May 21, 2021.3 Petitions to reopen or requests for public use conditions under 1 Persons interested in submitting an OFA must first file a formal expression of intent to file an offer, indicating the type of financial assistance they wish to provide (i.e., subsidy or purchase) and demonstrating that they are preliminarily financially responsible. See 49 CFR 1152.27(c)(2)(i). 2 The Board will grant a stay if an informed decision on environmental issues (whether raised by a party or by the Board’s Office of Environmental Analysis (OEA) in its independent investigation) cannot be made before the exemption’s effective date. See Exemption of Out-of-Serv. Rail Lines, 5 I.C.C.2d 377 (1989). Any request for a stay should be filed as soon as possible so that the Board may take appropriate action before the exemption’s effective date. 3 Filing fees for OFAs and trail use requests can be found at 49 CFR 1002.2(f)(25) and (27), respectively. PO 00000 Frm 00097 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 25933 49 CFR 1152.28 must be filed by June 1, 2021. All pleadings, referring to Docket No. AB 295 (Sub-No. 10X), should be filed with the Surface Transportation Board via e-filing on the Board’s website. In addition, a copy of each pleading must be served on INDR’s representative, Louis E. Gitomer, Law Offices of Louis E. Gitomer, LLC, 600 Baltimore Avenue, Suite 301, Towson, MD 21204. If the verified notice contains false or misleading information, the exemption is void ab initio. INDR has filed a combined environmental and historic report that addresses the potential effects, if any, of the abandonment on the environment and historic resources. OEA will issue a Draft Environmental Assessment (Draft EA) by May 14, 2021. The Draft EA will be available to interested persons on the Board’s website, by writing to OEA, or by calling OEA at (202) 245–0305. Assistance for the hearing impaired is available through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877–8339. Comments on environmental and historic preservation matters must be filed within 15 days after the Draft EA becomes available to the public. Environmental, historic preservation, public use, or interim trail use/rail banking conditions will be imposed, where appropriate, in a subsequent decision. Pursuant to the provisions of 49 CFR 1152.29(e)(2), CSXT shall file a notice of consummation with the Board to signify that it has exercised the authority granted and fully abandoned the Line. If consummation has not been effected by INDR’s filing of a notice of consummation by May 11, 2022, and there are no legal or regulatory barriers to consummation, the authority to abandon will automatically expire. Board decisions and notices are available at www.stb.gov. Decided: May 5, 2021. By the Board, Scott M. Zimmerman, Acting Director, Office of Proceedings. Jeffrey Herzig, Clearance Clerk. [FR Doc. 2021–09959 Filed 5–10–21; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4915–01–P TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY Environmental Impact Statement for Cumberland Fossil Plant Retirement Tennessee Valley Authority. Notice of intent. AGENCY: ACTION: The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) intends to prepare an SUMMARY: E:\FR\FM\11MYN1.SGM 11MYN1 25934 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 89 / Tuesday, May 11, 2021 / Notices Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to assess the impacts associated with the proposed retirement of the two coalfired units at the Cumberland Fossil Plant (CUF) and the construction and operation of facilities to replace part of the retired generation. TVA will use the EIS process to elicit and prioritize the values and concerns of stakeholders; formulate, evaluate and compare alternatives; provide opportunities for public review and comment; and ensure that TVA’s evaluation of potential retirement and replacement energy generation reflects a full range of stakeholder input. Public comment is invited concerning the scope of the EIS, alternatives being considered, and environmental issues that should be addressed as a part of this EIS. TVA is also requesting data, information and analysis relevant to the proposed action from the public; affected Federal, State, tribal, and local governments, agencies, and offices; the scientific community; industry; or any other interested party. DATES: To ensure consideration, comments on the scope and environmental issues must be postmarked, emailed or submitted online no later than June 10, 2021. To facilitate the scoping process, TVA will hold a public scoping meeting; see https://www.tva.gov/nepa for more information on the meeting. ADDRESSES: Written comments should be sent to Ashley Pilakowski, NEPA Compliance Specialist, 400 West Summit Hill Dr., WT 11B, Knoxville, TN 37902–1499. Comments may also be submitted online at: www.tva.gov/nepa, or by email at nepa@tva.gov. Please note that, due to current TVA requirements for many employees to work remotely, TVA recommends the public submit comments electronically to ensure their timely review and consideration. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Please contact Ashley Pilakowski at the address above, by phone at (865) 632– 2256 or email at aapilakowski@tva.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This notice is provided in accordance with the regulations promulgated by Council on Environmental Quality at 40 CFR parts 1500 to 1508 (84 FR 43304, July 16, 2020) and TVA’s procedures implementing the National Environmental Policy Act at 18 CFR part 1318. 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. One component of this mission is the generation, VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:13 May 10, 2021 Jkt 253001 transmission, and sale of reliable and affordable electric energy. Background In June 2019, TVA published the 2019 Integrated Resource Plan (IRP), which was developed with input from stakeholder groups and the general public. The 2019 IRP evaluated six scenarios (plausible futures) and five strategies (potential TVA responses to those futures) and identified a range of potential resource additions and retirements throughout the TVA power service area, which encompasses approximately 80,000 square miles covering most of Tennessee and parts of Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, and Virginia. The target supply mix adopted by the TVA Board through the 2019 IRP included the potential retirement of 2,200 MW of coal-fired generation by 2038. The IRP acknowledged continued operational challenges for the aging coal fleet and included a recommendation to conduct end-of-life evaluations during the term of the IRP to determine whether retirements greater than 2,200 MW would be appropriate. Following the publication of the IRP, TVA began conducting these evaluations to inform long-term planning. TVA’s recent evaluation confirms that the aging coal fleet is among the oldest in the nation and is experiencing deterioration of material condition and performance challenges. The performance challenges are projected to increase because of the coal fleet’s advancing age and the difficulty of adapting the fleet’s generation within the changing generation profile; and, in general, because the coal fleet is contributing to environmental, economic, and reliability risks. CUF is located in Cumberland City, Stewart County, Tennessee, approximately 22 miles southwest of Clarksville. The plant is on a large reservation of approximately 2,388 acres located at the confluence of Wells Creek and the south bank of the Cumberland River. Built between 1968 and 1973, CUF is the largest plant in the TVA coal fleet. The two-unit, coal-fired steamgenerating plant has a summer net capability of 2,470 megawatts (MW). CUF is 15 to 20 years younger than TVA’s other coal plants, but frequent cycling of the large super-critical units, a recent change in the method of plant operation for which the plant was not originally designed, presents reliability challenges that are difficult to anticipate and very expensive to mitigate. Based on this analysis, TVA has developed planning assumptions for CUF retirement. TVA proposes to retire one PO 00000 Frm 00098 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 CUF unit as early as 2026 but no later than 2030, and the second unit as early as 2028 but no later than 2033, dependent on internal and external factors that could affect bringing replacement generation online. The Cumberland EIS assesses the impact of retiring both CUF units and of replacing the generation of one of those units, as discussed in the Alternatives section below. To recover the generation capacity lost from retirement of one CUF unit, TVA is proposing the addition of approximately 1,450 MW of replacement generation. To maintain adequate reserves on the TVA system, this 1,450 MW replacement generation would need to be in commercial operation prior to retirement of the first CUF unit. Replacement generation for the second retired CUF unit would likely consist of some combination of gas, solar, and storage, but the planning for that generation can be deferred to allow more time to assess the specific types and locations of that generation. Additional tiered NEPA analysis will be completed as these future generation needs are identified. Alternatives TVA anticipates that the scope of the EIS will include various alternatives in addition to the no action alternative (continuing to operate CUF). TVA plans to consider three action alternatives in the EIS: (A) Retirement of CUF and construction and operation of a Combined Cycle Combustion Turbine (CC) Gas Plant at the same site; (B) Retirement of CUF and construction and operation of Simple Cycle Combustion Turbine (CT) Gas Plants at alternate locations; (C) Retirement of CUF and construction and operation of Solar and Storage Facilities, primarily at alternate locations. Whether these or other alternatives are reasonable warranting further consideration under NEPA would be determined in the course of preparing the EIS. Connected actions, such as the natural gas pipeline and transmission upgrades, will also be considered in this assessment. Proposed Issues To Be Addressed The EIS will address the effects of each alternative on the environment, including • emissions of greenhouse gases, • fuel consumption, • air quality, • water quality and quantity, • waste generation and disposal, • land use, • ecological, • cultural resources, • transportation, • visual and noise, E:\FR\FM\11MYN1.SGM 11MYN1 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 89 / Tuesday, May 11, 2021 / Notices • socioeconomic impacts and environmental justice. The EIS will include discussion and review of any proposed natural gas pipeline(s) that would be a necessary component of a new proposed CC or CT plants under Alternatives A or B. Currently under Alternative A, TVA is considering replacing generation at the CUF location which would require an approximate 30 mile natural gas pipeline to bring gas supply to the CUF reservation. Under Alternative B, since TVA is considering replacement generation at locations with existing transmission infrastructure and an adequate supply of natural gas, no further pipeline construction would be needed other than the lateral lines necessary to make the connection to the facility itself. The construction of the natural gas pipeline(s) would likely be subject to Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) jurisdiction and additional review will be undertaken by FERC in accordance with its own NEPA procedures. The proposed action may also require issuance of an Individual or Nationwide Permit under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act; Section 401 Water Quality Certification; conformance with Executive Orders on Environmental Justice (12898), Wetlands (11990), Floodplain Management (11988), Migratory Birds (13186), and Invasive Species (13112); and compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act, and other applicable Local, Federal and State regulations. Scoping Process Scoping, which is integral to the process for implementing NEPA, provides an early and open 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 invites members of the public as well as Federal, state, and local agencies and federally recognized Indian tribes to comment on the scope of the EIS. Information about this project is available on the TVA web page at www.tva.com/nepa, including a link to a virtual public meeting room and an online public comment page. 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. VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:13 May 10, 2021 Jkt 253001 After consideration of the comments received during this scoping period, TVA will summarize public and agency comments, identify the issues and alternatives to be addressed in the draft EIS, 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. Notice of availability of the draft EIS will be published by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in the Federal Register. TVA will solicit written comments on the draft EIS and also hold a public open house, which may be virtual, for this purpose. TVA expects to release the draft EIS in Spring of 2022. TVA anticipates issuing the final EIS in Fall of 2022 and a record of decision at least 30 days after its release. Rebecca Tolene, Vice President, Environment. [FR Doc. 2021–09945 Filed 5–10–21; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 8120–08–P DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Federal Aviation Administration Notice of Opportunity for Public Comment on Release and Sale of Land Acquired With Airport Improvement Program (AIP) Assistance at Evergreen Municipal Airport, Evergreen, Alabama Federal Aviation Administration, DOT. ACTION: Request for public comments. AGENCY: Notice is being given that the FAA is considering a request from the City of Evergreen, Alabama to sell 1.76± acres of airport property, previously purchased through an AIP grant for the runway protection zone, to be used by the state highway department as rightof-way for the widening of US Highway 84. DATES: Comments must be received on or before June 10, 2021. ADDRESSES: Comments on this notice may be mailed or delivered in triplicate to the FAA to the following address: Jackson Airports District Office Attn: Graham Coffelt, Program Manager, 100 West Cross Street, Suite B Jackson, MS 39208–2307. In addition, one copy of any comments submitted to the FAA must be mailed or delivered to City of Evergreen, Alabama, Attn: Honorable Stanley B. Stallworth, Mayor, City of Evergreen, 355 East Front Street, Evergreen AL 36401. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Graham Coffelt, Program Manager, Jackson Airports District Office, 100 SUMMARY: PO 00000 Frm 00099 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 25935 West Cross Street, Suite B, Jackson, MS 39208–2307, (601) 664–9886. The land release request may be reviewed in person at this same location. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FAA is reviewing a request by the City of Evergreen Alabama to release approximately 1.76 acres, more or less of airport property at Evergreen Municipal Airport (GZH) under the provisions of Title 49, U.S.C. Section 47107(h)(2). The sale of the subject property will result in the land at GZH being released from the conditions of the Airport Improvement Program Grant Agreement Grant Assurances. The FAA determined that the request to release property at GZH submitted by the Sponsor meets the procedural requirements of the Federal Aviation Administration and the release of the property does not and will not impact future aviation needs at the airport. The FAA may approve the request, in whole or in part, no sooner than thirty days after the publication of this notice. The 1.76 acres of property is located within the runway protection zone and the FAA has concurred that the sponsor has done a sufficient level of analysis per guidance on land use in the runway protection zone. A deed restriction or easement for obstruction clearing will remain on the 1.76 acres. In accordance with 49 U.S.C. 47107(c)(2)(B)(i) and (iii), the airport will receive fair market value for the property, which will be subsequently reinvested in another eligible airport improvement project at GZH. Rans D. Black, Manager, Jackson Airports District Office, Southern Region. [FR Doc. 2021–09952 Filed 5–10–21; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4910–13–P DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Federal Highway Administration Environmental Impact Statement; Heber Valley Corridor, Wasatch County, Utah Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT). ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). AGENCY: FHWA, on behalf of the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT), is issuing this notice to advise the public that an EIS will be prepared for proposed transportation improvements in the Heber Valley in Wasatch County, Utah. SUMMARY: E:\FR\FM\11MYN1.SGM 11MYN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 89 (Tuesday, May 11, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 25933-25935]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-09945]


=======================================================================
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TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY


Environmental Impact Statement for Cumberland Fossil Plant 
Retirement

AGENCY: Tennessee Valley Authority.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) intends to prepare an

[[Page 25934]]

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to assess the impacts associated 
with the proposed retirement of the two coal-fired units at the 
Cumberland Fossil Plant (CUF) and the construction and operation of 
facilities to replace part of the retired generation. TVA will use the 
EIS process to elicit and prioritize the values and concerns of 
stakeholders; formulate, evaluate and compare alternatives; provide 
opportunities for public review and comment; and ensure that TVA's 
evaluation of potential retirement and replacement energy generation 
reflects a full range of stakeholder input. Public comment is invited 
concerning the scope of the EIS, alternatives being considered, and 
environmental issues that should be addressed as a part of this EIS. 
TVA is also requesting data, information and analysis relevant to the 
proposed action from the public; affected Federal, State, tribal, and 
local governments, agencies, and offices; the scientific community; 
industry; or any other interested party.

DATES: To ensure consideration, comments on the scope and environmental 
issues must be postmarked, emailed or submitted online no later than 
June 10, 2021. To facilitate the scoping process, TVA will hold a 
public scoping meeting; see https://www.tva.gov/nepa for more 
information on the meeting.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be sent to Ashley Pilakowski, NEPA 
Compliance Specialist, 400 West Summit Hill Dr., WT 11B, Knoxville, TN 
37902-1499. Comments may also be submitted online at: www.tva.gov/nepa, 
or by email at [email protected]. Please note that, due to current TVA 
requirements for many employees to work remotely, TVA recommends the 
public submit comments electronically to ensure their timely review and 
consideration.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Please contact Ashley Pilakowski at 
the address above, by phone at (865) 632-2256 or email at 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This notice is provided in accordance with 
the regulations promulgated by Council on Environmental Quality at 40 
CFR parts 1500 to 1508 (84 FR 43304, July 16, 2020) and TVA's 
procedures implementing the National Environmental Policy Act at 18 CFR 
part 1318. 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. One component of this mission is the generation, 
transmission, and sale of reliable and affordable electric energy.

Background

    In June 2019, TVA published the 2019 Integrated Resource Plan 
(IRP), which was developed with input from stakeholder groups and the 
general public. The 2019 IRP evaluated six scenarios (plausible 
futures) and five strategies (potential TVA responses to those futures) 
and identified a range of potential resource additions and retirements 
throughout the TVA power service area, which encompasses approximately 
80,000 square miles covering most of Tennessee and parts of Alabama, 
Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, and Virginia. The 
target supply mix adopted by the TVA Board through the 2019 IRP 
included the potential retirement of 2,200 MW of coal-fired generation 
by 2038. The IRP acknowledged continued operational challenges for the 
aging coal fleet and included a recommendation to conduct end-of-life 
evaluations during the term of the IRP to determine whether retirements 
greater than 2,200 MW would be appropriate.
    Following the publication of the IRP, TVA began conducting these 
evaluations to inform long-term planning. TVA's recent evaluation 
confirms that the aging coal fleet is among the oldest in the nation 
and is experiencing deterioration of material condition and performance 
challenges. The performance challenges are projected to increase 
because of the coal fleet's advancing age and the difficulty of 
adapting the fleet's generation within the changing generation profile; 
and, in general, because the coal fleet is contributing to 
environmental, economic, and reliability risks.
    CUF is located in Cumberland City, Stewart County, Tennessee, 
approximately 22 miles southwest of Clarksville. The plant is on a 
large reservation of approximately 2,388 acres located at the 
confluence of Wells Creek and the south bank of the Cumberland River. 
Built between 1968 and 1973, CUF is the largest plant in the TVA coal 
fleet. The two-unit, coal-fired steam-generating plant has a summer net 
capability of 2,470 megawatts (MW). CUF is 15 to 20 years younger than 
TVA's other coal plants, but frequent cycling of the large super-
critical units, a recent change in the method of plant operation for 
which the plant was not originally designed, presents reliability 
challenges that are difficult to anticipate and very expensive to 
mitigate. Based on this analysis, TVA has developed planning 
assumptions for CUF retirement. TVA proposes to retire one CUF unit as 
early as 2026 but no later than 2030, and the second unit as early as 
2028 but no later than 2033, dependent on internal and external factors 
that could affect bringing replacement generation online.
    The Cumberland EIS assesses the impact of retiring both CUF units 
and of replacing the generation of one of those units, as discussed in 
the Alternatives section below. To recover the generation capacity lost 
from retirement of one CUF unit, TVA is proposing the addition of 
approximately 1,450 MW of replacement generation. To maintain adequate 
reserves on the TVA system, this 1,450 MW replacement generation would 
need to be in commercial operation prior to retirement of the first CUF 
unit. Replacement generation for the second retired CUF unit would 
likely consist of some combination of gas, solar, and storage, but the 
planning for that generation can be deferred to allow more time to 
assess the specific types and locations of that generation. Additional 
tiered NEPA analysis will be completed as these future generation needs 
are identified.

Alternatives

    TVA anticipates that the scope of the EIS will include various 
alternatives in addition to the no action alternative (continuing to 
operate CUF). TVA plans to consider three action alternatives in the 
EIS: (A) Retirement of CUF and construction and operation of a Combined 
Cycle Combustion Turbine (CC) Gas Plant at the same site; (B) 
Retirement of CUF and construction and operation of Simple Cycle 
Combustion Turbine (CT) Gas Plants at alternate locations; (C) 
Retirement of CUF and construction and operation of Solar and Storage 
Facilities, primarily at alternate locations. Whether these or other 
alternatives are reasonable warranting further consideration under NEPA 
would be determined in the course of preparing the EIS. Connected 
actions, such as the natural gas pipeline and transmission upgrades, 
will also be considered in this assessment.

Proposed Issues To Be Addressed

    The EIS will address the effects of each alternative on the 
environment, including
     emissions of greenhouse gases,
     fuel consumption,
     air quality,
     water quality and quantity,
     waste generation and disposal,
     land use,
     ecological,
     cultural resources,
     transportation,
     visual and noise,

[[Page 25935]]

     socioeconomic impacts and environmental justice.
    The EIS will include discussion and review of any proposed natural 
gas pipeline(s) that would be a necessary component of a new proposed 
CC or CT plants under Alternatives A or B. Currently under Alternative 
A, TVA is considering replacing generation at the CUF location which 
would require an approximate 30 mile natural gas pipeline to bring gas 
supply to the CUF reservation. Under Alternative B, since TVA is 
considering replacement generation at locations with existing 
transmission infrastructure and an adequate supply of natural gas, no 
further pipeline construction would be needed other than the lateral 
lines necessary to make the connection to the facility itself. The 
construction of the natural gas pipeline(s) would likely be subject to 
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) jurisdiction and additional 
review will be undertaken by FERC in accordance with its own NEPA 
procedures. The proposed action may also require issuance of an 
Individual or Nationwide Permit under Section 404 of the Clean Water 
Act; Section 401 Water Quality Certification; conformance with 
Executive Orders on Environmental Justice (12898), Wetlands (11990), 
Floodplain Management (11988), Migratory Birds (13186), and Invasive 
Species (13112); and compliance with Section 106 of the National 
Historic Preservation Act, Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act, and 
other applicable Local, Federal and State regulations.

Scoping Process

    Scoping, which is integral to the process for implementing NEPA, 
provides an early and open 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 invites members of the public as well as Federal, state, and 
local agencies and federally recognized Indian tribes to comment on the 
scope of the EIS. Information about this project is available on the 
TVA web page at www.tva.com/nepa, including a link to a virtual public 
meeting room and an online public comment page. 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.
    After consideration of the comments received during this scoping 
period, TVA will summarize public and agency comments, identify the 
issues and alternatives to be addressed in the draft EIS, 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. 
Notice of availability of the draft EIS will be published by the U.S. 
Environmental Protection Agency in the Federal Register. TVA will 
solicit written comments on the draft EIS and also hold a public open 
house, which may be virtual, for this purpose. TVA expects to release 
the draft EIS in Spring of 2022. TVA anticipates issuing the final EIS 
in Fall of 2022 and a record of decision at least 30 days after its 
release.

Rebecca Tolene,
Vice President, Environment.
[FR Doc. 2021-09945 Filed 5-10-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8120-08-P
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