KNOXVILLE, Tenn.­­ – The Tennessee Valley Authority asks the public to provide input on a draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Sugar Camp Mine No. 1 Expansion in Franklin and Hamilton Counties in Illinois. Details of the review are available in the draft EIS at tva.com/nepa.

TVA prepared this EIS to evaluate the potential environmental impacts of a proposed expansion of mining operations by Sugar Camp to extract TVA-owned coal from a 21,868-acre area in southern Illinois as proposed in Significant Boundary Revision (SBR) Number 8 of its Underground Coal Mine Permit No. 382. Four alternatives are evaluated in this EIS, consisting of a No Action Alternative and three action alternatives. The EIS considered those impacts, as well as safety concerns, and potential socioeconomic and environmental justice issues. TVA does not list a preferred alternative in the document.

Comments on the EIS must be received by Oct. 14, 2024. To submit comments electronically, please visit the project webpage at tva.com/nepa. Comments can also be mailed to Elizabeth Smith, NEPA Specialist, Tennessee Valley Authority, 400 W. Summit Hill Drive, WT 11B-L, Knoxville, TN 37902.  All comments received, including names and addresses, will become part of the project administrative record and will be available for public inspection.