Sugar Camp Energy LLC Mine No. 1 Significant Boundary Revision 8 Environmental Impact Statement, 60527-60529 [2023-18756]
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Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 169 / Friday, September 1, 2023 / Notices
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been decided in favor of a complainant
within the two-year period; and (4) the
requirements at 49 CFR 1105.7(b) and
1105.8(c) (notice of environmental and
historic reports), 49 CFR 1105.12
(newspaper publication), and 49 CFR
1152.50(d)(1) (notice to government
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
this exemption will be effective on
October 1, 2023, 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/railbanking requests
under 49 CFR 1152.29 must be filed by
September 11, 2023.3 Petitions to
reopen and requests for public use
conditions under 49 CFR 1152.28 must
be filed by September 21, 2023.
All pleadings, referring to Docket No.
AB 55 (Sub-No. 812X), must be filed
with the Surface Transportation Board
either via e-filing on the Board’s website
or in writing addressed to 395 E Street
SW, Washington, DC 20423–0001. In
addition, a copy of each pleading must
be served on CSXT’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.
CSXT has filed a combined
environmental and historic report that
addresses the potential effects, if any, of
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.
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the abandonment on the environment
and historic resources. OEA will issue a
Draft Environmental Assessment (Draft
EA) by September 8, 2023. 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–
0294. If you require an accommodation
under the Americans with Disabilities
Act, please call (202) 245–0245.
Comments on environmental or historic
preservation matters must be filed
within 15 days after the Draft EA
becomes available to the public.
Environmental, historic preservation,
public use, or trail use/railbanking
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
CSXT’s filing of a notice of
consummation by September 1, 2024,
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: August 29, 2023.
By the Board, Mai T. Dinh, Director, Office
of Proceedings.
Jeffrey Herzig,
Clearance Clerk.
[FR Doc. 2023–18981 Filed 8–31–23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4915–01–P
TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY
Sugar Camp Energy LLC Mine No. 1
Significant Boundary Revision 8
Environmental Impact Statement
Tennessee Valley Authority.
Notice of intent.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
The Tennessee Valley
Authority (TVA) intends to prepare an
Environmental Impact Statement
evaluating the proposed expansion of
mining operations (proposed mine
expansion) by Sugar Camp Energy, LLC
(Sugar Camp) to extract TVA-owned
coal reserves in Franklin, Hamilton, and
Jefferson counties, Illinois. The
proposed 22,414-acre expansion area
contains 21,868 acres of coal reserves
owned by TVA that are under a coal
lease agreement with Sugar Camp. TVA
will consider whether to approve Sugar
Camp’s application to mine TVA-owned
coal reserves within the project area.
Additionally, TVA will evaluate the
divestiture of TVA’s mineral rights and
associated land rights in Franklin,
SUMMARY:
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Hamilton and Jefferson counties,
Illinois.
DATES: To ensure considerations,
comments on the scope, alternatives
being considered, and environmental
issues must be received or postmarked,
emailed, or submitted online no later
than October 2, 2023.
ADDRESSES: Written comments should
be sent to Elizabeth Smith, NEPA
Specialist, TVA, 400 W. Summit Hill
Drive #WT11B, Knoxville, Tennessee
37902. Comments may be sent
submitted online at https://
www.tva.gov/NEPA or by email at
NEPA@tva.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Elizabeth Smith by phone at 865–632–
3053, by email at esmith14@tva.gov, or
by mail at the address above.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This
notice is provided in accordance with
the Council on Environmental Quality
regulations (40 CFR parts 1500 to 1508)
and TVA procedures for implementing
the National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA). TVA is a federal corporation
and instrumentality of the United States
government, created in 1933 by an act
of Congress to foster the social and
economic well-being of the residents of
the Tennessee Valley region. As part of
its diversified energy strategy, TVA
completed a series of land and coal
mineral acquisitions from the 1960s
through the mid-1980s that resulted in
the ownership of approximately 65,000
acres of coal reserves. These reserves
consist of approximately 1.35 billion
tons of Illinois coal, including portions
of the Springfield (also known as
Number [No.] 5) and Herrin (also known
as No. 6) coal seams. TVA executed a
coal lease agreement with Sugar Camp
in July 2002 to mine portions of the
TVA Illinois coal reserves in an
environmentally sound manner, as
subject to environmental reviews in
accordance with NEPA and other
applicable laws and regulations. Based
in part on TVA’s evolving electricity
generation priorities, and TVA’s
diminishing need for coal to supply
TVA’s electricity generating portfolio,
TVA is considering divesting itself of
these same land and mineral
acquisitions.
Background
On January 4, 2023, Sugar Camp
submitted Permit 382 Significant
Boundary Revision (SBR) 8 application
to Illinois Department of Natural
Resources (IDNR) proposing to expand
its underground longwall mining
operations at its Sugar Camp Mine No.
1 in Franklin, Hamilton, and Jefferson
counties, Illinois, by approximately
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Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 169 / Friday, September 1, 2023 / Notices
22,414 acres (the project area). TVAowned coal reserves underlie
approximately 21,868 acres of the
project area. Under the proposal, Sugar
Camp would extract approximately 122
million raw tons of TVA-owned coal
over a 25-year period (this excludes
45M tons currently permitted).
Underground mining would be
performed using room and pillar and
continuous mining techniques during a
development period, followed by
longwall mining and associated planned
subsidence (controlled settlement of the
ground surface). Planned subsidence
would occur within the project area
once the coal has been removed through
longwall mining methods. Sugar Camp
would utilize its existing Sugar Camp
Mine No. 1 facilities to process and ship
the extracted coal, and expansion of
these facilities is not needed to support
the proposed mine expansion. Sugar
Camp would also construct
approximately six bleeder ventilation
shafts (bleeder shafts, which ventilate
the underground mine area) and install
associated utilities needed to operate
the bleeder shafts within the project
area.
Under the terms of the lease
agreement, Sugar Camp cannot
commence mining of TVA-owned coal
reserves until completion of all
environmental reviews required under
applicable laws and regulations have
been finalized. TVA intends to prepare
an Environmental Impact Statement
(EIS) to consider whether to approve
Sugar Camp’s application to mine the
TVA-owned coal reserves underlying
the project area and/or divest all
remaining TVA-owned mineral reserves
in Illinois.
The EIS initiated by TVA will assess
the environmental impact of approving
the mining of TVA-owned coal under
the mine plan and/or divesting all TVAowned mineral reserves in IL. In doing
so, TVA will address the cumulative
impacts from other coal mining
activities and identified federal and
private actions. The cumulative impacts
considered will include approved or
completed activities associated with
Sugar Camp Mine No. 1.
The operations of Sugar Camp Mine
No. 1 have previously been subject to
TVA review and approval. In 2008,
Sugar Camp obtained Underground Coal
Mine (UCM) Permit No. 382 from IDNR
for underground longwall mining
operations within approximately 12,103
acres in Franklin and Hamilton
counties; the original permit did not
include TVA-owned coal reserves. In
2010, Sugar Camp applied to IDNR for
an expansion associated with UCM
Permit No. 382 to mine TVA-owned
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coal under an additional 817-acre area.
The permit was issued in May 2010. In
2011, TVA prepared an Environmental
Assessment (EA) to document the
potential effects of Sugar Camp’s
proposed mining of TVA-owned coal
underlying a 2,600-acre area.
In November 2017, Sugar Camp
obtained approval from IDNR to expand
Sugar Camp Mine No. 1 by 37,972 acres.
This proposal included the expansion of
operations along the northern perimeter
of the original mine perimeter, into a
2,250-acre area referred to as Viking
District No. 2. In November 2018, TVA
completed an EA that addressed
expansion of mining operations into
Viking District No. 2. In May 2019, TVA
supplemented this EA to consider Sugar
Camp’s proposal to expand its mining
into a 155-acre area within the Viking
District No. 3, adjacent to Viking District
No. 2.
In August 2019, TVA issued a Notice
of Intent in the Federal Register to
complete an EIS for the mining of
approximately 12,125 acres of TVAowned coal reserves associated with
SBR No. 6 of UCM Permit No. 382. In
October 2020, TVA issued the Final EIS
outlining the analysis of alternatives
associated with this additional mining
of TVA coal reserves. In November
2020, TVA published a Record of
Decision and approved Sugar Camp’s
application to mine the additional TVAowned coal reserves under the IDNRapproved SBR No. 6.
Alternatives
TVA has initially identified four
alternatives for evaluation in the EIS
associated with the proposed purpose
and need. These include a No Action
Alternative and three Action
Alternatives. Under the No Action
Alternative, TVA would not approve the
requested expansion to mine TVAowned coal within the project area.
Under Action Alternative A, TVA
would implement the terms of the
existing coal lease agreement, evaluate,
and potentially approve the plan to
mine 21,868 acres of TVA-owned coal
as submitted by Sugar Camp in the
current SBR of UCM Permit No. 382.
Under Action Alternative B, TVA would
implement the terms of the existing coal
lease agreement, evaluate, and
potentially allow mining of the 21,868
acres of TVA-owned coal, and consider
divesting the remaining TVA-owned
mineral rights/reserves including coal,
oil, and gas in IL, and all associated
surface rights. Under Action Alternative
C, TVA considers divesting all
remaining TVA-owned mineral rights/
reserves including coal, oil, and gas in
IL, and all associated surface rights, and
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would not approve Sugar Camp’s
expansion request as detailed under
UCM Permit No. 382.
The EIS will evaluate ways to mitigate
impacts that cannot be avoided. The
description and analysis of these
alternatives in the EIS will inform
decision makers, other agencies, and the
public about the potential for
environmental impacts associated with
the proposed mine expansion and/or
divesting TVA-owned mineral rights.
TVA solicits comment on whether there
are other alternatives that should be
assessed in the EIS. TVA also requests
information and analyses that may be
relevant to the project.
Resource Areas and Issues To Be
Considered
Public scoping is integral to the
process for implementing NEPA and
ensures that (1) issues are identified
early and properly studied, (2) issues of
little significance do not consume
substantial time and effort, and (3) the
analysis of identified issues is thorough
and balanced. This EIS will identify the
purpose and need of the Action
Alternatives and will contain
descriptions of the existing
environmental and socioeconomic
resources within the area that could be
affected by the proposed mine
expansion. Evaluation of potential
environmental impacts to these
resources will include, but not be
limited to, air quality and greenhouse
gas emissions, surface water,
groundwater, wetlands, floodplains,
vegetation, wildlife, threatened and
endangered species, land use, natural
areas and parks and recreation, geology,
soils, prime farmland, visual resources,
noise, cultural resources,
socioeconomics and environmental
justice, solid and hazardous waste,
public and occupational health and
safety, utilities, and transportation. The
EIS will analyze measures that would
avoid, minimize, or mitigate
environmental effects.
The final range of issues to be
addressed in the environmental review
will be determined, in part, from
scoping comments received. TVA is
particularly interested in public input
on the scope of the EIS, alternatives
being considered, and environmental
issues that should be addressed as part
of this EIS. The preliminary
identification of reasonable alternatives
and environmental issues in this notice
is not meant to be exhaustive or final.
Public Participation
The public is invited to submit
comments on the scope of the EIS no
later than the date identified in the
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Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 169 / Friday, September 1, 2023 / Notices
DATES section of this notice. Federal,
state, and local agencies and Native
American Tribes are also invited to
provide comments. Information about
this project is available on the TVA web
page at www.tva.gov/nepa, including a
link to an online public comment page.
Any comments received, including
names and addresses, will become part
of the administrative record and will be
available for public inspection.
After consideration of comments
received during the scoping period,
TVA will develop a scoping document
that will summarize public and agency
comments that were received and
identify the schedule for completing the
EIS process. Following analysis of the
resources and issues, TVA will prepare
a draft EIS for public review and
comment tentatively scheduled for fall
2024; the final EIS and decision is
tentatively scheduled for completion in
early 2025. In finalizing the EIS and in
making its final decision, TVA will
consider the comments that it receives
on the draft EIS.
Authority: 40 CFR 1501.9.
Rebecca Tolene,
Vice President, Environment and
Sustainability.
[FR Doc. 2023–18756 Filed 8–31–23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8120–08–P
TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY
Hillsboro III Solar Project
Tennessee Valley Authority.
Notice of intent.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
The Tennessee Valley
Authority (TVA) intends to prepare an
environmental impact statement (EIS)
for the purchase of electricity generated
by the proposed Hillsboro III Solar
Project in Lawrence County, Alabama.
The EIS will assess the potential
environmental effects of constructing,
operating, and maintaining the
proposed 200-megawatt (MW)
alternating current (AC) solar facility.
The proposed 200 MW AC solar facility
would occupy approximately 1,500
acres of the 3,761-acre Project Study
Area. Public comments are 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: The public scoping period begins
with the publication of this Notice of
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SUMMARY:
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Intent in the Federal Register. To ensure
consideration, comments must be
postmarked, emailed, or submitted
online no later than October 2, 2023.
ADDRESSES: Written comments should
be sent to Elizabeth Smith, NEPA
Specialist, Tennessee Valley Authority,
400 West Summit Hill Drive, WT 11B,
Knoxville, Tennessee 37902. Comments
may be submitted online at:
www.tva.gov/nepa, or by email to nepa@
tva.gov. Please note that TVA
encourages comments submitted
electronically.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Elizabeth Smith by email at esmith14@
tva.gov, by phone at (865) 632–3053, or
by mail at the address above.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This
notice is provided in accordance with
the Council on Environmental Quality’s
Regulations (40 CFR parts 1500 to 1508)
and TVA’s procedures for implementing
the NEPA (18 CFR 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 completed the
final 2019 Integrated Resource Plan
(IRP) and associated EIS. The IRP is a
comprehensive study of how TVA will
meet the demand for electricity in its
service territory over the next 20 years.
The 2019 IRP recommends solar
expansion and anticipates growth in all
scenarios analyzed, with most scenarios
anticipating 5,000–8,000 MW and one
anticipating up to 14,000 MW by 2038.
Customer demand for cleaner energy
prompted TVA to release a Request for
Proposal (RFP) for renewable energy
resources (2022 Carbon-Free RFP).
TVA is considering entering into a
Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with
Urban Grid Solar to purchase 200 MW
AC of power generated by the proposed
Hillsboro III Solar Project, hereafter
referred to as the Project. The proposed
200 MW AC solar facility would occupy
approximately 1,500 acres of the 3,761acre Project Study Area which is located
entirely in Lawrence County, Alabama.
The project site is north of Wheeler,
Alabama along US Highway 72
Alternate between Courtland and
Hillsboro, Alabama. The project site is
mostly farmland with areas of woody
wetlands, deciduous forest, and hay/
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60529
pasture. The land surplus is to
accommodate relocating the array if any
areas need to be avoided as a result of
the NEPA review. A map showing the
project site is available at www.tva.gov/
nepa.
Preliminary Proposed Action and
Alternatives
In addition to a No Action
Alternative, TVA will evaluate the
action alternative of purchasing power
from the proposed Hillsboro III Solar
Project under the terms of a PPA. In
evaluating alternatives, TVA considered
other solar proposals, prior to selecting
the Hillsboro III site for further
evaluation. Part of the screening process
included a review of transmission
options, including key connection
points to TVA’s transmission system.
The Hillsboro site stood out as a viable
option for connectivity. Environmental
and cultural considerations are also
included in TVA’s screening. For the
proposed site, the solar developer plans
to consider the establishment of an
alternative footprint so that impacts to
cultural and/or biological resources
could be avoided. The EIS will also
evaluate ways to mitigate impacts that
cannot be avoided. The description and
analysis of these alternatives in the EIS
will inform decision makers, other
agencies, and the public about the
potential for environmental impacts
associated with the proposed solar
facility. TVA solicits comments on
whether there are other alternatives that
should be assessed in the EIS.
Project Purpose and Need
The Hillsboro III Solar Project that
was submitted as a result of TVA’s 2022
Carbon-Free RFP will help TVA meet
immediate needs for additional
renewable generating capacity in
response to customer demands and
fulfill the renewable energy goals
established in the 2019 IRP. To meet
these goals, public scoping is integral to
the process for implementing NEPA and
ensures that (1) issues are identified
early and properly studied, (2) issues of
little significance do not consume
substantial time and effort, and (3) the
analysis of identified issues is thorough
and balanced. This EIS will identify the
purpose and need of the project and will
contain descriptions of the existing
environmental and socioeconomic
resources within the area that could be
affected by the proposed solar facility,
including the documented historical,
cultural, and environmental resources.
Evaluation of potential environmental
impacts to these resources will include,
but not be limited to, air quality and
greenhouse gas emissions, surface
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 169 (Friday, September 1, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60527-60529]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-18756]
=======================================================================
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TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY
Sugar Camp Energy LLC Mine No. 1 Significant Boundary Revision 8
Environmental Impact Statement
AGENCY: Tennessee Valley Authority.
ACTION: Notice of intent.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) intends to prepare an
Environmental Impact Statement evaluating the proposed expansion of
mining operations (proposed mine expansion) by Sugar Camp Energy, LLC
(Sugar Camp) to extract TVA-owned coal reserves in Franklin, Hamilton,
and Jefferson counties, Illinois. The proposed 22,414-acre expansion
area contains 21,868 acres of coal reserves owned by TVA that are under
a coal lease agreement with Sugar Camp. TVA will consider whether to
approve Sugar Camp's application to mine TVA-owned coal reserves within
the project area. Additionally, TVA will evaluate the divestiture of
TVA's mineral rights and associated land rights in Franklin, Hamilton
and Jefferson counties, Illinois.
DATES: To ensure considerations, comments on the scope, alternatives
being considered, and environmental issues must be received or
postmarked, emailed, or submitted online no later than October 2, 2023.
ADDRESSES: Written comments should be sent to Elizabeth Smith, NEPA
Specialist, TVA, 400 W. Summit Hill Drive #WT11B, Knoxville, Tennessee
37902. Comments may be sent submitted online at https://www.tva.gov/NEPA or by email at [email protected].
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Elizabeth Smith by phone at 865-632-
3053, by email at [email protected], or by mail at the address above.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This notice is provided in accordance with
the Council on Environmental Quality regulations (40 CFR parts 1500 to
1508) and TVA procedures for implementing the National Environmental
Policy Act (NEPA). TVA is a federal corporation and instrumentality of
the United States government, created in 1933 by an act of Congress to
foster the social and economic well-being of the residents of the
Tennessee Valley region. As part of its diversified energy strategy,
TVA completed a series of land and coal mineral acquisitions from the
1960s through the mid-1980s that resulted in the ownership of
approximately 65,000 acres of coal reserves. These reserves consist of
approximately 1.35 billion tons of Illinois coal, including portions of
the Springfield (also known as Number [No.] 5) and Herrin (also known
as No. 6) coal seams. TVA executed a coal lease agreement with Sugar
Camp in July 2002 to mine portions of the TVA Illinois coal reserves in
an environmentally sound manner, as subject to environmental reviews in
accordance with NEPA and other applicable laws and regulations. Based
in part on TVA's evolving electricity generation priorities, and TVA's
diminishing need for coal to supply TVA's electricity generating
portfolio, TVA is considering divesting itself of these same land and
mineral acquisitions.
Background
On January 4, 2023, Sugar Camp submitted Permit 382 Significant
Boundary Revision (SBR) 8 application to Illinois Department of Natural
Resources (IDNR) proposing to expand its underground longwall mining
operations at its Sugar Camp Mine No. 1 in Franklin, Hamilton, and
Jefferson counties, Illinois, by approximately
[[Page 60528]]
22,414 acres (the project area). TVA-owned coal reserves underlie
approximately 21,868 acres of the project area. Under the proposal,
Sugar Camp would extract approximately 122 million raw tons of TVA-
owned coal over a 25-year period (this excludes 45M tons currently
permitted). Underground mining would be performed using room and pillar
and continuous mining techniques during a development period, followed
by longwall mining and associated planned subsidence (controlled
settlement of the ground surface). Planned subsidence would occur
within the project area once the coal has been removed through longwall
mining methods. Sugar Camp would utilize its existing Sugar Camp Mine
No. 1 facilities to process and ship the extracted coal, and expansion
of these facilities is not needed to support the proposed mine
expansion. Sugar Camp would also construct approximately six bleeder
ventilation shafts (bleeder shafts, which ventilate the underground
mine area) and install associated utilities needed to operate the
bleeder shafts within the project area.
Under the terms of the lease agreement, Sugar Camp cannot commence
mining of TVA-owned coal reserves until completion of all environmental
reviews required under applicable laws and regulations have been
finalized. TVA intends to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement
(EIS) to consider whether to approve Sugar Camp's application to mine
the TVA-owned coal reserves underlying the project area and/or divest
all remaining TVA-owned mineral reserves in Illinois.
The EIS initiated by TVA will assess the environmental impact of
approving the mining of TVA-owned coal under the mine plan and/or
divesting all TVA-owned mineral reserves in IL. In doing so, TVA will
address the cumulative impacts from other coal mining activities and
identified federal and private actions. The cumulative impacts
considered will include approved or completed activities associated
with Sugar Camp Mine No. 1.
The operations of Sugar Camp Mine No. 1 have previously been
subject to TVA review and approval. In 2008, Sugar Camp obtained
Underground Coal Mine (UCM) Permit No. 382 from IDNR for underground
longwall mining operations within approximately 12,103 acres in
Franklin and Hamilton counties; the original permit did not include
TVA-owned coal reserves. In 2010, Sugar Camp applied to IDNR for an
expansion associated with UCM Permit No. 382 to mine TVA-owned coal
under an additional 817-acre area. The permit was issued in May 2010.
In 2011, TVA prepared an Environmental Assessment (EA) to document the
potential effects of Sugar Camp's proposed mining of TVA-owned coal
underlying a 2,600-acre area.
In November 2017, Sugar Camp obtained approval from IDNR to expand
Sugar Camp Mine No. 1 by 37,972 acres. This proposal included the
expansion of operations along the northern perimeter of the original
mine perimeter, into a 2,250-acre area referred to as Viking District
No. 2. In November 2018, TVA completed an EA that addressed expansion
of mining operations into Viking District No. 2. In May 2019, TVA
supplemented this EA to consider Sugar Camp's proposal to expand its
mining into a 155-acre area within the Viking District No. 3, adjacent
to Viking District No. 2.
In August 2019, TVA issued a Notice of Intent in the Federal
Register to complete an EIS for the mining of approximately 12,125
acres of TVA-owned coal reserves associated with SBR No. 6 of UCM
Permit No. 382. In October 2020, TVA issued the Final EIS outlining the
analysis of alternatives associated with this additional mining of TVA
coal reserves. In November 2020, TVA published a Record of Decision and
approved Sugar Camp's application to mine the additional TVA-owned coal
reserves under the IDNR-approved SBR No. 6.
Alternatives
TVA has initially identified four alternatives for evaluation in
the EIS associated with the proposed purpose and need. These include a
No Action Alternative and three Action Alternatives. Under the No
Action Alternative, TVA would not approve the requested expansion to
mine TVA-owned coal within the project area. Under Action Alternative
A, TVA would implement the terms of the existing coal lease agreement,
evaluate, and potentially approve the plan to mine 21,868 acres of TVA-
owned coal as submitted by Sugar Camp in the current SBR of UCM Permit
No. 382. Under Action Alternative B, TVA would implement the terms of
the existing coal lease agreement, evaluate, and potentially allow
mining of the 21,868 acres of TVA-owned coal, and consider divesting
the remaining TVA-owned mineral rights/reserves including coal, oil,
and gas in IL, and all associated surface rights. Under Action
Alternative C, TVA considers divesting all remaining TVA-owned mineral
rights/reserves including coal, oil, and gas in IL, and all associated
surface rights, and would not approve Sugar Camp's expansion request as
detailed under UCM Permit No. 382.
The EIS will evaluate ways to mitigate impacts that cannot be
avoided. The description and analysis of these alternatives in the EIS
will inform decision makers, other agencies, and the public about the
potential for environmental impacts associated with the proposed mine
expansion and/or divesting TVA-owned mineral rights. TVA solicits
comment on whether there are other alternatives that should be assessed
in the EIS. TVA also requests information and analyses that may be
relevant to the project.
Resource Areas and Issues To Be Considered
Public scoping is integral to the process for implementing NEPA and
ensures that (1) issues are identified early and properly studied, (2)
issues of little significance do not consume substantial time and
effort, and (3) the analysis of identified issues is thorough and
balanced. This EIS will identify the purpose and need of the Action
Alternatives and will contain descriptions of the existing
environmental and socioeconomic resources within the area that could be
affected by the proposed mine expansion. Evaluation of potential
environmental impacts to these resources will include, but not be
limited to, air quality and greenhouse gas emissions, surface water,
groundwater, wetlands, floodplains, vegetation, wildlife, threatened
and endangered species, land use, natural areas and parks and
recreation, geology, soils, prime farmland, visual resources, noise,
cultural resources, socioeconomics and environmental justice, solid and
hazardous waste, public and occupational health and safety, utilities,
and transportation. The EIS will analyze measures that would avoid,
minimize, or mitigate environmental effects.
The final range of issues to be addressed in the environmental
review will be determined, in part, from scoping comments received. TVA
is particularly interested in public input on the scope of the EIS,
alternatives being considered, and environmental issues that should be
addressed as part of this EIS. The preliminary identification of
reasonable alternatives and environmental issues in this notice is not
meant to be exhaustive or final.
Public Participation
The public is invited to submit comments on the scope of the EIS no
later than the date identified in the
[[Page 60529]]
DATES section of this notice. Federal, state, and local agencies and
Native American Tribes are also invited to provide comments.
Information about this project is available on the TVA web page at
www.tva.gov/nepa, including a link to an online public comment page.
Any comments received, including names and addresses, will become part
of the administrative record and will be available for public
inspection.
After consideration of comments received during the scoping period,
TVA will develop a scoping document that will summarize public and
agency comments that were received and identify the schedule for
completing the EIS process. Following analysis of the resources and
issues, TVA will prepare a draft EIS for public review and comment
tentatively scheduled for fall 2024; the final EIS and decision is
tentatively scheduled for completion in early 2025. In finalizing the
EIS and in making its final decision, TVA will consider the comments
that it receives on the draft EIS.
Authority: 40 CFR 1501.9.
Rebecca Tolene,
Vice President, Environment and Sustainability.
[FR Doc. 2023-18756 Filed 8-31-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8120-08-P
