Tennessee Valley Authority June 7, 2018 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This notice is provided in accordance with the Council on Environmental Quality's regulations and Tennessee Valley Authority's (TVA) procedures for implementing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). TVA has decided to construct and operate a bottom ash dewatering facility, process water basins, and an onsite landfill at the Cumberland Fossil Plant (CUF). The notice of availability (NOA) of the Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Cumberland Fossil Plant Coal Combustion Residuals Managment Operations was published in the Federal Register on April 20, 2018. The Final EIS identified TVA's preferred alternative as Alternative C, which includes the Construction and Operation of a Bottom Ash Dewatering Facility, Closure-In-Place of the Bottom Ash Impoundment, and a combination of Closure-in-Place and Closure-by-Removal of the Main Ash Impoundment and Stilling Impoundment. The portion of the Main Ash Impoundment and the Stilling Impoundment that would be Closed-by-Removal would be repurposed as Process Water Basin 1 and Process Water Basin 2, with coal combustion residuals (CCR) that are removed from the impoundment transported to an existing onsite landfill. In addition, under Alternative C, TVA would construct an onsite landfill to manage future CCR produced at CUF. TVA's current decision pertains only to the construction and operation of a Bottom Ash Dewatering Facility, construction and operation of the new onsite CCR Landfill, and construction of the Processs Water Basins, which includes removal of CCR from a portion of the Main Ash Impoundment and the Stilling Impoundment. TVA is electing to further consider the location for permanent disposal of the ash excavated from the Main Ash Impoundment and the Stilling Impoundment. CCR removed for construction of the basins would be staged temporarily within the Main Ash Impoundment footprint until a final decision is made (following any necessary supplemental environmental review) on a location for permanent disposal of the material. The preferred alternative would achieve the project purpose and need of converting the wet storage of CCR to a dry system and promoting the future management of dry CCR at CUF by converting to dry bottom ash handling and providing additional long-term disposal for dry CCR materials produced at CUF. In addition to state and federal water and waste regulations, TVA's CCR disposal areas at CUF, including the impoundments, are subject to the 2015 Commissioner's Order entered by the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC). Investigations at CUF under that Order are ongoing. Therefore, TVA is electing to further consider the proposed in-place closure of the Bottom Ash Impoundment and a portion of the Main Ash Impoundment before making a decision on closure of these facilities. In addition, TVA is electing to further consider the location for permanent disposal of the ash excavated from the Main Ash Impoundment and the Stilling Impoundment.