Cheatham County Generation Site Environmental Impact Statement, 32267-32269 [2023-10651]
Download as PDF
Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 97 / Friday, May 19, 2023 / Notices
ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1
generating capacity additions, and coalfired generation. The alternative
strategies were analyzed in the context
of six different scenarios that described
plausible future economic, financial,
regulatory, and legislated conditions, as
well as social trends and adoption of
technological innovations. TVA then
developed a preferred alternative, the
Target Power Supply Mix, based on
guideline ranges for key energy
resources. In developing the Target
Power Supply Mix, TVA conducted
least-cost planning taking into account
customer priorities of power cost and
reliability, as well as other comments it
received during the public comment
periods regarding demand for
electricity, energy resource diversity,
energy conservation and efficiency,
renewable energy resources, flexibility,
dispatchability, reliability,
environmental impacts, and risks. The
Target Power Supply Mix established
ranges, in MW, for coal plant
retirements and additions of nuclear,
hydroelectric, demand response, energy
efficiency, solar, wind, and natural gas
capacity. TVA anticipates using an
analytical approach similar to that of the
2019 IRP/EIS described above. The
number of alternative energy resource
strategies and scenarios to be evaluated
may differ from the 2019 IRP/EIS and
will be determined after the completion
of scoping.
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.
With the help of the public, TVA will
identify the most effective energy
resource strategy that will meet TVA’s
mission and serve the people of the
region between now and 2050. To
ensure that the full range of issues and
a comprehensive portfolio of energy
resources are addressed, TVA invites
members of the public as well as
Federal, state, and local agencies and
Indian tribes to comment on the scope
of the IRP EIS, including potential
alternative energy resource strategies. In
addition, TVA invites the public to
identify information and analyses
relevant to the IRP EIS. As part of the
IRP process and in addition to other
public engagement opportunities, TVA
is assembling representatives from key
stakeholders to participate in an IRP
Working Group that will discuss
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tradeoffs associated with different
resource options and assist TVA in
developing an optimal energy resource
strategy.
Comments on the scope of this IRP
EIS should be submitted no later than
the date given under the DATES section
of this notice. Written requests by
agencies or Indian tribes to participate
as a cooperating agency or consulting
party must also be received by this date.
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 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 IRP and
EIS and also hold public meetings for
this purpose. TVA expects to release the
draft IRP and EIS in early 2024. TVA
anticipates issuing the final IRP and EIS
in 2024.
Authority: 40 CFR 1501.9.
Susan Jacks,
General Manager, Environmental Resource
Compliance.
[FR Doc. 2023–10652 Filed 5–18–23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8120–08–P
TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY
Cheatham County Generation Site
Environmental Impact Statement
Tennessee Valley Authority.
Notice of intent.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
The Tennessee Valley
Authority (TVA) intends to prepare an
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)
to address the potential environmental
impacts associated with the proposed
construction and operation of a simple
cycle Combustion Turbine (CT) plant
and Battery Energy Storage System
(BESS) on a parcel of TVA-owned land
in Cheatham County, Tennessee. The
Cheatham County Generation Site
(CHG) would generate approximately
900 Megawatts (MW) and replace
generation capacity for a portion of the
Cumberland Fossil Plant (CUF) second
unit retirement planned by the end of
2028. The CHG CTs would be composed
of multiple natural gas-fired frame CTs
and natural gas-fired and oil-fired (i.e.,
SUMMARY:
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32267
dual-fuel) Aeroderivative CTs. CHG
would provide flexible and dispatchable
transmission grid support and facilitate
the integration of renewable generation
onto the TVA bulk transmission system,
consistent with the 2019 Integrated
Resource Plan (IRP). TVA is inviting
public comment concerning the scope of
the EIS, alternatives being considered,
and environmental issues that should be
addressed as a part of this EIS.
DATES: The public scoping period begins
with the publication of this notice of
intent in the Federal Register. To ensure
consideration, comments must be
postmarked, submitted online, or
emailed no later than June 20, 2023. To
facilitate the scoping process, TVA will
hold an in-person public open house;
see https://www.tva.gov/NEPA for more
information on the meeting.
ADDRESSES: Written comments should
be sent to J. Taylor Johnson, NEPA
Compliance Specialist, 1101 Market
Street, BR 2C–C, Chattanooga,
Tennessee 37402. Comments may also
be submitted online at: https://
www.tva.gov/NEPA or by email at
nepa@tva.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For
general information about the project,
please contact J. Taylor Johnson, NEPA
Compliance Specialist, by mail at 1101
Market Street, BR 2C–C, Chattanooga,
Tennessee 37402, by email at nepa@
tva.gov, or by phone at 423–751–2732.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This
notice is provided in accordance with
the Council on Environmental Quality’s
Regulations (40 CFR parts 1500 to 1508)
and TVA’s procedures for implementing
the National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA). 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.
TVA Transmission System
TVA provides electricity for local
power companies serving 10 million
people in Tennessee and parts of six
surrounding states, as well as directly to
large industrial customers and Federal
installations. TVA is fully self-financed
without Federal appropriations and
funds virtually all operations through
electricity sales and power system bond
financing. Dependable electrical
capacity on the TVA power system is
approximately 38,000 MW. TVA
transmits electricity from generating
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Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 97 / Friday, May 19, 2023 / Notices
facilities over 16,000 miles of
transmission lines.
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Generation Asset Planning
In June 2019, TVA published an IRP,
which was developed with input from
stakeholder groups and the public. The
2019 IRP evaluated six scenarios
(plausible futures) and five strategies
(potential TVA responses to those
plausible futures) and identified a range
of potential resource additions and
retirements throughout the TVA power
service area, which encompasses
approximately 80,000 square miles.
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. Consistent with aging coal
fleet evaluation, TVA made a decision
to retire the first CUF unit by the end
of 2026 and the second unit by the end
of 2028. Generation from the proposed
project would replace a portion of the
capacity of the second CUF unit to be
retired by 2028. Generation from the
proposed project would also be
consistent with the target supply mix in
the 2019 IRP that aims the addition of
up to 5,200 MW of simple cycle
capacity by 2028 to facilitate the
integration of solar onto the TVA bulk
power system.
Project Purpose and Need
The TVA-owned land for TVA’s
proposed project is in Ashland City,
Cheatham County, Tennessee, which is
approximately 22 miles northwest of
Nashville. The total property is
approximately 285 acres with the
proposed project footprint covering a
footprint of approximately 75 acres.
TVA’s EIS would evaluate the proposed
action to replace a portion of the 1,450
MW generation capacity of the second
CUF unit planned for retirement in 2028
with up to 900 MW of generation
capacity from CHG.
The purpose of the proposed action is
to help provide generation to support
continued load growth in the Tennessee
Valley and TVA’s decarbonization goals.
TVA needs flexible, dispatchable power
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that can successfully integrate
increasing amounts of renewable energy
sources while ensuring reliability. One
of the purposes of the proposed action
is to facilitate the integration of solar
onto the electric grid and thereby
advance TVA’s decarbonation goals.
The need for the Proposed Action is
to ensure that TVA can meet required
year-round generation and maximum
capacity system demands and planning
reserve margin targets. By constructing
and operating a CT with a BESS
interconnected to the transmission
system at the same location, TVA would
continue providing dispatchable and
reliable energy to the people of the
Tennessee Valley at the lowest feasible
cost with fewer environmental impacts
than the current generating capacity that
is being replaced. The addition of the
proposed 400 MW-hour BESS could
also help TVA maintain grid stability
and reliability as generating assets with
greater minute-by-minute variability are
integrated into TVA’s transmission
system (e.g. wind and solar generating
assets).
Preliminary Proposed Action and
Alternatives
TVA anticipates that the scope of the
EIS will evaluate a No Action
Alternative and an Action Alternative.
The No Action alternative provides a
baseline for comparing against the
Action Alternative. Under the No
Action Alternative, TVA would not
develop the TVA-owned property in
Cheatham County for energy generation.
The Action Alternative would evaluate
the development of the CHG property
for construction and operation of a CT
interconnected with a BESS. The CHG
property would also include an
approximately 13-acre pollinator habitat
along Sycamore Creek. Whether these or
other alternatives are reasonable
warranting further consideration under
NEPA would be determined in the
course of preparing the EIS. Related
actions, such as the construction of an
approximately 12-mile natural gas
pipeline lateral and off-site transmission
lines, will also be assessed in this EIS.
The pipeline facilities to bring gas
supply to the CHG property would, to
the extent practicable, be located within
or adjacent to an existing pipeline right
of way.
Anticipated Environmental Impacts
The EIS will include a detailed
evaluation of the environmental, social,
and economic impacts associated with
implementation of the proposed action.
Resource areas to be addressed in the
EIS include, but are not limited to: air
quality; aquatics; botany; climate
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change; cultural resources; emergency
planning; floodplains; geology and
groundwater; land use; noise and
vibration; soil erosion and surface
water; socioeconomics and
environmental justice; threatened and
endangered species; transportation;
visual; waste; wetlands; and wildlife.
Measures to avoid, minimize, and
mitigate adverse effects will be
identified and evaluated in the EIS.
Anticipated Permits and Other
Authorizations
TVA anticipates seeking required
permits or authorizations, as
appropriate. The construction of the
natural gas pipeline(s) would be subject
to Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission (FERC) jurisdiction and
additional review will be undertaken by
FERC in accordance with its own NEPA
procedures. TVA’s proposed action to
construct a CT and BESS may also
require issuance of an air permit under
the Clean Air Act, 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.
Public Participation and Scoping
Process
Scoping, which is integral to the
process for implementing NEPA,
provides an early and open process to
ensure that issues are identified early
and properly studied; issues of little
significance do not consume substantial
time and effort; the draft EIS is thorough
and balanced; and delays caused by an
inadequate EIS are avoided. TVA seeks
comment and participation from all
interested parties for identification of
potential alternatives, information, and
analyses relevant to the proposed action
in this EIS. Information about this
project is available at https://
www.tva.gov/NEPA, which includes a
link to an online public comment page.
Comments must be received or
postmarked no later than June 20, 2023.
Federal, State, local agencies, and
Native American Tribes are also invited
to provide comments. Please note that
any comments received, including
names and addresses, will become part
of the project administrative record and
will be available for public inspection.
TVA plans to have an open house on
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Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 97 / Friday, May 19, 2023 / Notices
May 24, 2023. Visit https://
www.tva.gov/NEPA to obtain more
information about the open house.
EIS Preparation and Schedule
TVA will consider comments received
during the scoping period and develop
a scoping report which will be
published at https://www.tva.gov/NEPA.
The scoping report will summarize
public and agency comments that were
received and identify the projected
schedule for completing the EIS process.
Subsequently, following completion of
the environmental analysis, TVA will
post a Draft EIS for public review and
comment on the project web page. TVA
anticipates holding a public open house
after releasing the Draft EIS. Open house
details will be posted on TVA’s website
in conjunction with the Draft EIS. TVA
expects to release the Draft EIS in 2024,
a Final EIS in 2025, and a Record of
Decision at least 30-days after the
release of the Final EIS.
Authority: 40 CFR 1501.9.
Susan Jacks,
General Manager, Environmental Resource
Compliance.
[FR Doc. 2023–10651 Filed 5–18–23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8120–08–P
TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY
Pumped Storage Hydro Programmatic
Environmental Impact Statement
Tennessee Valley Authority.
Notice of intent.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
The Tennessee Valley
Authority (TVA) is conducting a study
to evaluate increasing pumped storage
hydropower (PSH) capacity within its
power service area. To meet its
obligations under the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), TVA
is preparing a Programmatic
Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS)
to evaluate potential new PSH facilities
at two locations in Jackson County,
Alabama and expansion of the existing
Raccoon Mountain PSH Plant in Marion
County, Tennessee. Based on the
findings of the PEIS, TVA may
potentially select one or more sites as
the need for long-duration energy
storage increases. The PEIS will
consider potential environmental and
economic impacts from the construction
and operation at each site.
DATES: To ensure consideration,
comments on the scope and
environmental issues must be
postmarked, emailed, or submitted
online no later than July 5, 2023. To
facilitate the scoping process, TVA will
hold a virtual public scoping meeting;
ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1
SUMMARY:
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18:30 May 18, 2023
Jkt 259001
see https://www.tva.gov/nepa for more
information on the meeting.
ADDRESSES: Written comments should
be sent to Elizabeth Smith, NEPA
Compliance Specialist, 400 West
Summit Hill Dr., WT 11D, Knoxville,
TN 37902–1499. Comments may also be
submitted online at: https://
www.tva.gov/nepa or by email at
pumpedstorageNEPA@tva.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For
general information about the NEPA
process and/or general project
information, please email
pumpedstorageNEPA@tva.gov, or NEPA
Specialist, Elizabeth Smith, at (865)
632–3053.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This
notice is provided in accordance with
the Council on Environmental Quality’s
Regulations (40 CFR parts 1500 to 1508)
and TVA’s procedures for implementing
the NEPA. 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.
The analyses in a programmatic NEPA
review are valuable in setting out the
broad view of environmental impacts
and benefits for a proposed decision
such as a rulemaking, or establishing a
policy, program, or plan. That
programmatic NEPA review can then be
relied upon when agencies make
decisions based on the programmatic
EIS, as well as decisions based on a
subsequent (also known as tiered) NEPA
review.
Background
PSH is a type of hydroelectric energy
storage that consists of two water
reservoirs at different elevations in
which water can be pumped to the
higher elevation reservoir during
periods in which energy storage is
needed and then can be released during
periods when energy is needed on the
electrical grid. PSH is utilized for long
term storage to provide for reserves on
the grid, use excess energy to store
water in the higher reservoir when
demand drops below the base load
generation, and to support intermittent
generation for renewables such as wind
and solar.
TVA is planning a substantial
decarbonization effort and aspires to be
carbon neutral by 2050. As part of these
efforts, long-duration storage (8 to 12
hours) will be needed to balance the
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32269
daily energy cycle. This long-duration
storage will enable additional
generation from solar, new nuclear, and
carbon capture technologies.
Long duration energy storage, like
pumped storage, supports nuclear
generation and carbon capture
technologies by assisting with load
balancing and allowing these
technologies to run nearly full time,
which is important as these
technologies are generally not
conducive to following the demand
curve and work best when running fully
loaded. PSH is a reliable and proven
technology. The addition of pumped
storage hydro facilities could also help
TVA maintain grid stability and
reliability in the future grid with less
dispatchable generation and greater
minute-by-minute variability due to
fluctuations in output from renewables
such as solar and wind.
Project Purpose and Need
TVA is planning a substantial
decarbonization effort with aspirations
of being carbon neutral by 2050. To
meet these goals, long-duration storage
(8 to 12 hours) will be needed to balance
the daily energy cycle. This longduration storage will enable additional
generation from solar, new nuclear, and
carbon capture technologies.
Long duration energy storage, like
pumped storage, supports nuclear
generation and carbon capture
technologies by assisting with load
balancing and allowing these
technologies to run nearly full time,
which is important as these
technologies are generally not
conducive to following the demand
curve and work best when running fully
loaded. PSH is a reliable and proven
technology. The addition of pumped
storage hydro facilities could also help
TVA maintain grid stability and
reliability in the future grid with less
dispatchable generation and greater
minute-by-minute variability due to
fluctuations in output from renewables
such as solar and wind.
The purpose of this PEIS is to
evaluate the potential for pumped
storage facilities in two areas in Jackson
County, Alabama, and an expansion of
the existing facility at Raccoon
Mountain and to consider potential
environmental and economic impacts
from the construction and operation of
pumped storage facilities at each site.
After the PEIS, one or more sites will be
further evaluated, and transmission line
siting performed. The impacts of that
evaluation and transmission options for
the preferred site(s) will be considered
in a future supplement to this PEIS.
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Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 97 (Friday, May 19, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32267-32269]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-10651]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY
Cheatham County Generation Site Environmental Impact Statement
AGENCY: Tennessee Valley Authority.
ACTION: Notice of intent.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) intends to prepare an
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to address the potential
environmental impacts associated with the proposed construction and
operation of a simple cycle Combustion Turbine (CT) plant and Battery
Energy Storage System (BESS) on a parcel of TVA-owned land in Cheatham
County, Tennessee. The Cheatham County Generation Site (CHG) would
generate approximately 900 Megawatts (MW) and replace generation
capacity for a portion of the Cumberland Fossil Plant (CUF) second unit
retirement planned by the end of 2028. The CHG CTs would be composed of
multiple natural gas-fired frame CTs and natural gas-fired and oil-
fired (i.e., dual-fuel) Aeroderivative CTs. CHG would provide flexible
and dispatchable transmission grid support and facilitate the
integration of renewable generation onto the TVA bulk transmission
system, consistent with the 2019 Integrated Resource Plan (IRP). TVA is
inviting public comment concerning the scope of the EIS, alternatives
being considered, and environmental issues that should be addressed as
a part of this EIS.
DATES: The public scoping period begins with the publication of this
notice of intent in the Federal Register. To ensure consideration,
comments must be postmarked, submitted online, or emailed no later than
June 20, 2023. To facilitate the scoping process, TVA will hold an in-
person public open house; see https://www.tva.gov/NEPA for more
information on the meeting.
ADDRESSES: Written comments should be sent to J. Taylor Johnson, NEPA
Compliance Specialist, 1101 Market Street, BR 2C-C, Chattanooga,
Tennessee 37402. Comments may also be submitted online at: https://www.tva.gov/NEPA or by email at [email protected].
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For general information about the
project, please contact J. Taylor Johnson, NEPA Compliance Specialist,
by mail at 1101 Market Street, BR 2C-C, Chattanooga, Tennessee 37402,
by email at [email protected], or by phone at 423-751-2732.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This notice is provided in accordance with
the Council on Environmental Quality's Regulations (40 CFR parts 1500
to 1508) and TVA's procedures for implementing the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). 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.
TVA Transmission System
TVA provides electricity for local power companies serving 10
million people in Tennessee and parts of six surrounding states, as
well as directly to large industrial customers and Federal
installations. TVA is fully self-financed without Federal
appropriations and funds virtually all operations through electricity
sales and power system bond financing. Dependable electrical capacity
on the TVA power system is approximately 38,000 MW. TVA transmits
electricity from generating
[[Page 32268]]
facilities over 16,000 miles of transmission lines.
Generation Asset Planning
In June 2019, TVA published an IRP, which was developed with input
from stakeholder groups and the public. The 2019 IRP evaluated six
scenarios (plausible futures) and five strategies (potential TVA
responses to those plausible futures) and identified a range of
potential resource additions and retirements throughout the TVA power
service area, which encompasses approximately 80,000 square miles.
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. Consistent with aging
coal fleet evaluation, TVA made a decision to retire the first CUF unit
by the end of 2026 and the second unit by the end of 2028. Generation
from the proposed project would replace a portion of the capacity of
the second CUF unit to be retired by 2028. Generation from the proposed
project would also be consistent with the target supply mix in the 2019
IRP that aims the addition of up to 5,200 MW of simple cycle capacity
by 2028 to facilitate the integration of solar onto the TVA bulk power
system.
Project Purpose and Need
The TVA-owned land for TVA's proposed project is in Ashland City,
Cheatham County, Tennessee, which is approximately 22 miles northwest
of Nashville. The total property is approximately 285 acres with the
proposed project footprint covering a footprint of approximately 75
acres. TVA's EIS would evaluate the proposed action to replace a
portion of the 1,450 MW generation capacity of the second CUF unit
planned for retirement in 2028 with up to 900 MW of generation capacity
from CHG.
The purpose of the proposed action is to help provide generation to
support continued load growth in the Tennessee Valley and TVA's
decarbonization goals. TVA needs flexible, dispatchable power that can
successfully integrate increasing amounts of renewable energy sources
while ensuring reliability. One of the purposes of the proposed action
is to facilitate the integration of solar onto the electric grid and
thereby advance TVA's decarbonation goals.
The need for the Proposed Action is to ensure that TVA can meet
required year-round generation and maximum capacity system demands and
planning reserve margin targets. By constructing and operating a CT
with a BESS interconnected to the transmission system at the same
location, TVA would continue providing dispatchable and reliable energy
to the people of the Tennessee Valley at the lowest feasible cost with
fewer environmental impacts than the current generating capacity that
is being replaced. The addition of the proposed 400 MW-hour BESS could
also help TVA maintain grid stability and reliability as generating
assets with greater minute-by-minute variability are integrated into
TVA's transmission system (e.g. wind and solar generating assets).
Preliminary Proposed Action and Alternatives
TVA anticipates that the scope of the EIS will evaluate a No Action
Alternative and an Action Alternative. The No Action alternative
provides a baseline for comparing against the Action Alternative. Under
the No Action Alternative, TVA would not develop the TVA-owned property
in Cheatham County for energy generation. The Action Alternative would
evaluate the development of the CHG property for construction and
operation of a CT interconnected with a BESS. The CHG property would
also include an approximately 13-acre pollinator habitat along Sycamore
Creek. Whether these or other alternatives are reasonable warranting
further consideration under NEPA would be determined in the course of
preparing the EIS. Related actions, such as the construction of an
approximately 12-mile natural gas pipeline lateral and off-site
transmission lines, will also be assessed in this EIS. The pipeline
facilities to bring gas supply to the CHG property would, to the extent
practicable, be located within or adjacent to an existing pipeline
right of way.
Anticipated Environmental Impacts
The EIS will include a detailed evaluation of the environmental,
social, and economic impacts associated with implementation of the
proposed action. Resource areas to be addressed in the EIS include, but
are not limited to: air quality; aquatics; botany; climate change;
cultural resources; emergency planning; floodplains; geology and
groundwater; land use; noise and vibration; soil erosion and surface
water; socioeconomics and environmental justice; threatened and
endangered species; transportation; visual; waste; wetlands; and
wildlife. Measures to avoid, minimize, and mitigate adverse effects
will be identified and evaluated in the EIS.
Anticipated Permits and Other Authorizations
TVA anticipates seeking required permits or authorizations, as
appropriate. The construction of the natural gas pipeline(s) would be
subject to Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) jurisdiction and
additional review will be undertaken by FERC in accordance with its own
NEPA procedures. TVA's proposed action to construct a CT and BESS may
also require issuance of an air permit under the Clean Air Act, 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.
Public Participation and Scoping Process
Scoping, which is integral to the process for implementing NEPA,
provides an early and open process to ensure that issues are identified
early and properly studied; issues of little significance do not
consume substantial time and effort; the draft EIS is thorough and
balanced; and delays caused by an inadequate EIS are avoided. TVA seeks
comment and participation from all interested parties for
identification of potential alternatives, information, and analyses
relevant to the proposed action in this EIS. Information about this
project is available at https://www.tva.gov/NEPA, which includes a link
to an online public comment page. Comments must be received or
postmarked no later than June 20, 2023. Federal, State, local agencies,
and Native American Tribes are also invited to provide comments. Please
note that any comments received, including names and addresses, will
become part of the project administrative record and will be available
for public inspection. TVA plans to have an open house on
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May 24, 2023. Visit https://www.tva.gov/NEPA to obtain more information
about the open house.
EIS Preparation and Schedule
TVA will consider comments received during the scoping period and
develop a scoping report which will be published at https://www.tva.gov/NEPA. The scoping report will summarize public and agency
comments that were received and identify the projected schedule for
completing the EIS process. Subsequently, following completion of the
environmental analysis, TVA will post a Draft EIS for public review and
comment on the project web page. TVA anticipates holding a public open
house after releasing the Draft EIS. Open house details will be posted
on TVA's website in conjunction with the Draft EIS. TVA expects to
release the Draft EIS in 2024, a Final EIS in 2025, and a Record of
Decision at least 30-days after the release of the Final EIS.
Authority: 40 CFR 1501.9.
Susan Jacks,
General Manager, Environmental Resource Compliance.
[FR Doc. 2023-10651 Filed 5-18-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8120-08-P