Gallatin Fossil Plant Borrow Site

The Tennessee Valley Authority has released a Final Environmental Assessment (EA) and Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for development of a borrow site near Gallatin Fossil Plant (GAF) in Sumner County, Tennessee. The Final EA and FONSI are available below.  The Draft EA was made available for public comment from July 9 until August 7, 2018.  TVA considered all of the substantive comments received on the Draft EA and has responded to them in the Final EA.

TVA studied two actions in the EA: (1) No Action and (2) Alternative B – Develop and Operate a Borrow Site on TVA-Owned Property. TVA’s preferred alternative is Alternative B under which TVA would develop a borrow site on TVA-owned property located 1.5 miles northwest of GAF. Alternative B meets the purpose and need of the project as it would allow TVA to secure soil material to support current and future operations and maintenance activities at GAF. Such activities may include minor erosion repair, site grading, drainage improvements, ash impoundment closure projects, landfill development projects, access road improvements and other general maintenance projects for existing facilities. Implementation of this alternative would minimize the transport of borrow material from offsite sources to GAF along public roads, which reduces the long-term impacts associated with air emissions, increased traffic and associated long-term safety risks, and disruptions to the public that would be associated with the use of public roadways.

Conclusions and Findings

TVA will use this EA to support the decision-making process.  Based on findings in the EA, TVA concludes that implementing Alternative B – Develop & Operate a Borrow Site on TVA-Owned Property would not be a federal action significantly affecting the environment and an environmental impact statement is not required.