Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 169 / Friday, September 1, 2023 / Notices 60527 

1Persons 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). 

2The 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. 

3Filing fees for OFAs and trail use requests can 

be found at 49 CFR 1002.2(f)(25) and (27), 

respectively. 

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 

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 

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 

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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60528 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 

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 

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 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 

TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY 

Hillsboro III Solar Project 

AGENCY: Tennessee Valley Authority. 

ACTION: Notice of intent. 

SUMMARY: 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 

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 3,761- 

acre 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/ 

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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