42872 Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 175 / Tuesday, September 12, 2017 / Notices 

March 27, 1978, the Foreign Affairs 

Reform and Restructuring Act of 1998 

(112 Stat. 2681, et seq.; 22 U.S.C. 6501 

note, et seq.), Delegation of Authority 

No. 234 of October 1, 1999, Delegation 

of Authority No. 236–3 of August 28, 

2000 (and, as appropriate, Delegation of 

Authority No. 257–1 of December 11, 

2015). I have ordered that Public Notice 

of these determinations be published in 

the Federal Register. 

Alyson Grunder, 

Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy, Bureau 

of Educational and Cultural Affairs, 

Department of State. 

[FR Doc. 2017–19256 Filed 9–11–17; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4710–05–P 

TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY 

Multiple Reservoir Land Management 

Plans 

AGENCY: Tennessee Valley Authority. 

ACTION: Issuance of Record of Decision. 

SUMMARY: The Tennessee Valley 

Authority (TVA) has decided to adopt 

proposed reservoir land management 

plans (RLMPs) for the 138,321.4 acres of 

TVA-managed public land on eight 

reservoirs in Alabama, Kentucky, and 

Tennessee: Chickamauga, Fort Loudoun, 

Great Falls, Kentucky, Nickajack, 

Normandy, Wheeler and Wilson. TVA is 

also revising its Comprehensive 

Valleywide Land Plan (CVLP) to 

incorporate the information included in 

the eight RLMPs. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Kelly Baxter, Land Planning Specialist, 

Natural Resources, Tennessee Valley 

Authority, 400 West Summit Hill Drive, 

WT–11D, Knoxville, Tennessee 37902– 

1499; telephone (865) 632–2444; or 

email krbaxter@tva.gov. 

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 National Environmental Policy Act. 

TVA manages public lands to protect 

the integrated operation of TVA 

reservoir and power systems, to provide 

for appropriate public use and 

enjoyment of the reservoir system, and 

to provide for continuing economic 

growth in the Tennessee Valley region. 

Shortly after its creation in 1933, TVA 

began a dam and reservoir construction 

program that required the purchase of 

approximately 1.3 million acres of land 

for the creation of 46 reservoirs within 

the Tennessee Valley region. Most of 

these lands are now located underneath 

the water of the reservoir system or have 

since been sold by TVA or transferred 

to other state or federal agencies. Today, 

approximately 293,000 acres of land 

along TVA reservoirs are managed by 

TVA for the benefit of the public. 

Reservoir land planning is a 

systematic method of identifying and 

evaluating the most suitable uses of 

reservoir lands under TVA stewardship 

and RLMPs guide future decisionmaking and the management of 

reservoir lands in a manner consistent 

with TVA policies. The updated RLMPs 

are needed to consider changes to land 

uses over time, to make land planning 

decisions on these eight reservoirs 

consistent with the TVA Land Policy 

and the CVLP, and to incorporate TVA’s 

goals for managing natural resources on 

public lands. 

On July 21, 2017, TVA issued a Final 

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) 

that considered the eight proposed 

RLMPs and the associated changes to 

the CVLP land use allocation target 

ranges. The eight RLMPs reviewed in 

the Final EIS address management of 

approximately 138,221 acres of TVAmanaged public lands surrounding 

Chickamauga, Fort Loudoun, Great 

Falls, Kentucky, Nickajack, Normandy, 

Wheeler, and Wilson Reservoirs. 

On August 23, 2017, the TVA Board 

of Directors (TVA Board) approved the 

Multiple RLMPs and updates to the 

CVLP, implementing the preferred 

alternative (Proposed Land Use 

Alternative) identified in the Final EIS. 

Under the RLMPs adopted by the TVA 

Board, TVA-managed land on the eight 

reservoirs has been allocated into broad 

land use categories or ‘‘zones’’, 

including Project Operations (Zone 2), 

Sensitive Resource Management (Zone 

3), Natural Resource Conservation (Zone 

4), Industrial (Zone 5), Developed 

Recreation (Zone 6) and Shoreline 

Access (Zone 7). These allocations guide 

the types of activities that will be 

considered on each parcel of land in the 

future. Non-TVA Shoreland (Zone 1) is 

applied to reservoir lands where TVA 

has land rights such as flowage 

easements. In the Final EIS, TVA 

considered potential environmental 

impacts of the eight RLMPs and the land 

use allocations of reservoir parcels. 

In proposing the land use zones, TVA 

considered previous land use 

allocations and current land uses, 

existing land rights (easements, leases, 

etc.), public needs, the presence of 

sensitive environmental resources, and 

TVA policies and guidelines, including 

the TVA Land Policy and Shoreline 

Management Policy. Of the eight 

reservoirs, seven have land use plans 

that were developed using different 

methodology and land use categories. 

Two reservoirs (Fort Loudoun and 

Normandy) were planned using TVA’s 

Forecast System in the 1960s or 1970s; 

four reservoirs (Chickamauga, Kentucky, 

Nickajack, and Wheeler) were planned 

in the 1980s and 1990s under the 

Multiple Use Tract Allocation 

methodology. A land plan has never 

been developed for Great Falls 

Reservoir, and only a portion of Wilson 

Reservoir has been planned previously. 

Further, previous land planning 

methodologies did not assign land use 

designations to all TVA-managed land 

on the reservoir. In developing the eight 

RLMPs, TVA applied the Single Use 

Parcel Allocation methodology which 

allocates all TVA reservoir land to the 

seven allocation land use zones 

identified above. With the approval of 

these RLMPs, all TVA land plans are 

now based on the same allocation 

methodology, ensuring that future 

management policies can be 

consistently applied across the 

Tennessee Valley region, as intended 

under TVA’s 2011 Natural Resource 

Plan. 

In its Natural Resource Plan, TVA 

established the CVLP to guide allowable 

uses of TVA-managed properties on 46 

reservoirs. The CVLP identifies target 

ranges for the different types of land use 

zone allocations for TVA reservoir lands 

in the Tennessee Valley region and 

helps TVA to balance competing land 

use demands. When establishing the 

CVLP target ranges for the land use 

zones in 2011, TVA based the ranges on 

parcel allocation conversions from 

existing plans as well as ‘‘rapid lands 

assessments,’’ which were initial 

allocation designations of reservoir 

parcels conducted in order to establish 

an initial CVLP target range. Since 2011, 

TVA has conducted thorough, 

systematic assessments of parcels on the 

eight reservoirs and found in many 

cases that the initial allocation estimates 

did not accurately reflect actual land 

uses on parcels, the presence of 

sensitive resources, or existing land 

rights or restrictions for parcels. TVA 

incorporated these allocation 

corrections into the proposed RLMPs, 

which resulted in the need to make 

minor revisions to the CVLP target 

ranges. Thus, as part of this planning 

effort, TVA considered changes to the 

CVLP target ranges according to the 

zone allocations identified in the 

RLMPs. No other decisions in the 

Natural Resource Plan were revised 

during this planning effort. 

Alternatives Considered 

In the Final EIS, TVA considered the 

Proposed Land Use Plan Alternative and 

the No Action Alternative for managing 


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Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 175 / Tuesday, September 12, 2017 / Notices 42873 

1,396 parcels of public land, comprising 

138,221.4 acres, under its management 

around the eight reservoirs. Under both 

alternatives, TVA would continue to 

conduct environmental reviews to 

consider potential site- and projectspecific impacts prior to the approval of 

any proposed development or activity 

on any parcel. About 56 percent of 

reservoir lands (76,880 acres) had 

previous commitments specified in land 

use agreements (e.g., easements, leases, 

etc.) or existing plans. No changes to 

committed lands were proposed under 

either alternative. 

Because of the differences with past 

and present land planning 

methodologies, it was necessary to 

convert the land use designations to one 

of the seven land use zones to represent 

the No Action Alternative to facilitate 

the comparison of the two alternatives. 

Designations from existing RLMPs and 

the Forecast System and the committed 

land that was not assigned a land use 

designation on all reservoirs were 

converted to the equivalent land use 

zone. The conversions are estimates of 

the appropriate zone allocation based on 

best available information at that time. 

Under the No Action Alternative, 

TVA would not implement new RLMPs 

for the eight reservoirs and would 

continue to rely on previous land 

planning decisions or current 

management of parcels. TVA would 

continue to manage TVA land on Fort 

Loudoun and Normandy reservoirs as 

designated under the Forecast System 

and would continue to manage lands on 

Chickamauga, Kentucky, Nickajack, and 

Wheeler reservoirs in accordance with 

existing RLMPs for those reservoirs. 

Lands on Great Falls and portions of 

Wilson were not previously planned 

and, therefore, would be subject to 

management in accordance with 

existing commitments and land use 

agreements as well as applicable TVA 

policies. Reservoir lands would not be 

managed according to TVA’s current 

land use planning zones and would not 

be in complete alignment with current 

TVA policies. The target allocation 

ranges of the CVLP identified in TVA’s 

Natural Resource Plan would not be 

revised. 

Under the Proposed Land Use Plan 

Alternative, TVA would implement the 

eight RLMPs detailed in the Final EIS to 

guide future management on these 

reservoirs. The TVA managed land 

would be allocated to land use zones 

according to current land usage, existing 

land rights, existing land use 

agreements, existing and newly 

collected data, public needs, the 

presence of sensitive resources, and 

TVA policies. Generally, land 

allocations in the eight RLMPs reflect 

actual uses of parcels, the presence of 

known sensitive resources, or existing 

land rights or restrictions for parcels. As 

such, the changes in allocations are 

minor. 

The approved RLMPs result in 

changes of zone allocations to 25,558 

acres of land, roughly 18 percent of the 

138,321.4 acres of TVA-managed 

reservoir lands (approximately 7 percent 

of the allocations were made to reflect 

existing land use agreements and 

commitments and approximately 11 

percent were made for other reasons). 

Under the eight RLMPs, the total 

number of acres of TVA lands allocated 

to Sensitive Resource Management 

(Zone 3) and Natural Resource 

Conservation (Zone 4) is slightly lower 

than previous allocations; the RLMPs 

reduce Zone 3 lands by 2,289.8 acres 

and Zone 4 lands by 3,300.3 acres. In 

turn, the amount of land allocated for 

Project Operations (Zone 2), Industrial 

(Zone 5), Developed Recreation (Zone 

6), and Shoreline Access (Zone 7) is 

slightly higher under the RLMPs; an 

additional 1,622.1 acres are allocated for 

Zone 2, 1,303.3 acres for Zone 5, 1,644.0 

acres for Zone 6, and 1,090.1 acres for 

Zone 7. 

Because of new allocations in the 

RLMPs, the target allocation ranges of 

the CVLP are revised under the 

Proposed Land Use Plan Alternative as 

follows: The range for Project 

Operations (Zone 2) is raised from 5 to 

7 percent (current) to 7 to 10 percent; 

Sensitive Resource Management (Zone 

3) is adjusted from 16 to 18 percent to 

14 to 18 percent; Natural Resource 

Conservation (Zone 4) is reduced from 

58 to 65 percent to 56 to 63 percent; 

Industrial (Zone 5), is adjusted from 1 

to 2 percent to 1 to 3 percent; and 

Shoreline Access (Zone 7) is adjusted 

from 5 percent to 5 to 6 percent. There 

are no changes to the allocation range 

for Developed Recreation (Zone 6). 

Environmental Consequences 

In the Final EIS, TVA found that 

under the No Action Alternative, the 

total number of acres of TVA land on 

the eight reservoirs that would be 

equivalently designated to Project 

Operations (Zone 2), Industrial (Zone 5) 

and Developed Recreation (Zone 6) is 

less than under the Proposed Land Use 

Alternative. However, proposed land 

use allocations under the Proposed 

Land Use Alternative primarily reflect 

the existing conditions and suitable uses 

of land and as such, the actual on-theground difference between the two 

alternatives is minor. No significant 

direct, indirect, or cumulative effects are 

expected to occur to any resource under 

either alternative. Under both 

alternatives, TVA would conduct sitespecific environmental reviews of 

proposed projects on reservoir lands to 

identify potential impacts to resources, 

including sensitive resources such as 

species federally listed as endangered or 

threatened, cultural resources and 

wetlands. 

In contrast to the No Action 

Alternative, the Proposed Land Use 

Alternative was developed using a 

systematic and comprehensive planning 

approach to the management, retention, 

and disposal of reservoir lands managed 

by TVA. It brings consistency to the 

land planning process across the eight 

reservoirs that enables TVA to identify 

the most suitable use of TVA public 

lands in furtherance of TVA’s 

responsibilities under the TVA Act. The 

Proposed Land Use Plan Alternative, 

then, would result in the benefits of 

comprehensive land planning across the 

entire range of lands associated with the 

eight reservoirs. 

Environmentally Preferable Alternative 

The Proposed Land Use Plan 

Alternative, approved by the TVA 

Board, is the environmentally preferable 

alternative because the land use 

allocations under this alternative are the 

result of thorough research and 

implementation of TVA’s land planning 

process. This alternative best reflects 

existing uses and conditions of TVAmanaged land and the proposed land 

use allocations would result in the 

widest range of beneficial uses without 

degrading the environment or other 

undesirable and unintended 

consequences. 

Public Involvement 

TVA published a Notice of Intent to 

prepare the EIS in the Federal Register 

on March 3, 2016. TVA sought input 

from Federal and state agencies, 

Federally recognized Indian tribes, local 

organizations and individuals during a 

30-day public scoping period. The most 

common concerns raised during the 

scoping period were related to 

recreation use on Normandy Reservoir 

parcels (e.g., horseback riding, 

campground management). Numerous 

individuals requested information 

regarding TVA parcels, provided 

recommendations to TVA on how 

specific parcels should be managed, or 

raised general concerns regarding how 

TVA should manage the public lands. In 

July 2016, TVA published a Scoping 

Report that detailed the outreach and 

input during this period. 

The Notice of Availability of the Draft 

EIS was published in the Federal 

Register on December 2, 2016. TVA 


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42874 Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 175 / Tuesday, September 12, 2017 / Notices 

held public meetings on the Draft EIS in 

January 2017 in Knoxville, Chattanooga, 

Manchester, and Paris, Tennessee, and 

in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, and 

accepted comments until January 31, 

2017. 

TVA received 44 comment 

submissions on the Draft EIS and 

provided responses in the Final EIS. 

Most comments pertained to the 

proposed land use allocations of 

specific parcels of TVA land. In 

response to numerous substantive 

comments, TVA made revisions and 

corrections to the EIS. After considering 

the public’s feedback on the Draft EIS 

and further internal deliberation, TVA 

made minor modifications to its 

Proposed Land Use Plan Alternative. 

The land use allocations were changed 

for 4 parcels and parcel boundaries were 

changed for 41 parcels. Allocation and/ 

or acreage changes were made to reflect 

new information or changes in land use 

agreements or changes in back-lying 

property ownership, to correct errors or 

omissions, or in response to public 

comments. 

The NOA for the Final EIS was 

published in the Federal Register on 

July 21, 2017. In the Final EIS, TVA 

identified the Proposed Land Use Plan 

Alternative as its preference. Prior to its 

August 23, 2017 meeting, the TVA 

Board provided opportunity to the 

public to comment on the RLMPs and 

CVLP revision. No comments were 

received. 

Decision 

On August 23, 2017, the TVA Board 

approved the eight RLMPs and the 

revision of the CVLP, thereby adopting 

the Proposed Land Use Plan Alternative 

of the Final EIS. TVA believes the 

implementation of this plan provides 

suitable opportunities for balancing 

competing land use demands for natural 

and sensitive resource conservation 

while providing public lands for 

recreational enjoyment as well as 

supporting recreation and economic 

development goals. This decision 

incorporates mitigation measures that 

would minimize the potential for 

adverse impacts to the environment. 

Mitigation Measures 

Because this is a programmatic 

review, specific measures to reduce 

potential environmental impacts on a 

site-specific level were not identified. 

Prior to approving any use of land on 

the eight reservoirs, TVA would 

conduct an appropriate level of sitespecific environmental review to 

determine the potential environmental 

effects of the proposed use. TVA’s 

review process for potential actions on 

these lands is designed to identify ways 

to avoid and/or minimize potential 

adverse environmental impacts. Based 

on the findings of any site-specific 

environmental review, TVA may require 

the implementation of appropriate 

mitigation measures, including best 

management practices, as conditions of 

approval for land use on the TVAmanaged lands. 

When considering future 

development of reservoir lands, TVA 

would also comply with other 

applicable environmental requirements, 

including the Endangered Species Act, 

Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act, and 

applicable Executive Orders, and ensure 

that proper agency coordination and 

permitting requirements are met. In 

addition, all activities will be conducted 

in accordance with the stipulations 

defined in the programmatic agreement 

(PA) between TVA and the State 

Historic Preservation Officers (SHPO) of 

Alabama, Kentucky, and Tennessee, the 

Advisory Council of Historic 

Preservation, and federally recognized 

Indian tribes, that was established for 

implementation of the Natural 

Resources Plan in 2011. Under the 

agreement, TVA will consult with the 

appropriate SHPO and consulting 

parties when reviewing plans submitted 

to TVA. 

David Bowling, 

Vice President, Land and River Management. 

[FR Doc. 2017–19310 Filed 9–11–17; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 8120–08–P 

OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES 

TRADE REPRESENTATIVE 

Notice of Continuation and Request for 

Nominations for the Trade and 

Environment Policy Advisory 

Committee 

AGENCY: Office of the United States 

Trade Representative. 

ACTION: Notice and request for 

applications. 

SUMMARY: The Office of the United 

States Trade Representative (USTR) is 

establishing a new two-year charter term 

and accepting applications from 

qualified individuals interested in 

serving as a member of the Trade and 

Environment Policy Advisory 

Committee (TEPAC). The TEPAC is a 

trade advisory committee that provides 

general policy advice to the United 

States Trade Representative on trade 

policy matters that have a significant 

impact on the environment. 

DATES: USTR will accept nominations 

on a rolling basis for membership on the 

TEPAC for the two-year charter term 

beginning on September 30, 2017, and 

expiring on September 29, 2019. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Stewart Young, Deputy Assistant Trade 

Representative for Intergovernmental 

Affairs and Public Engagement, 

Stewart.B.Young@ustr.eop.gov or 202– 

395–2864, or Sarah Stewart, Deputy 

Assistant Trade Representative for 

Environment and Natural Resources, 

Sarah_Stewart@ustr.eop.gov or 202– 

395–3858. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

1. Background 

Section 135(c)(1) of the Trade Act of 

1974, as amended (19 U.S.C. 2155(c)(1)), 

authorizes the President to establish 

individual general trade policy advisory 

committees for industry, labor, 

agriculture, services, investment, 

defense, small business, and other 

interests, as appropriate, to provide 

general policy advice. The President 

delegated that authority to the United 

States Trade Representative in 

Executive Order 11846, section 4(d), 

issued on March 27, 1975. In addition, 

we anticipate that the President will 

issue an Executive Order specifically 

concerning the TEPAC, which will 

continue its charter for two years. 

Advisory committees established by the 

Trade Representative are subject to the 

provisions of the Federal Advisory 

Committee Act. See 19 U.S.C. 2155(f); 5 

U.S.C. App. II. 

Pursuant to these authorities, the 

United States Trade Representative 

intends to establish a new two-year 

charter term for the TEPAC, which will 

begin on September 30, 2017 and end 

on September 29, 2019. The TEPAC is 

a trade advisory committee established 

to provide general policy advice to the 

United States Trade Representative on 

trade policy matters that have a 

significant impact on the environment. 

More specifically, the TEPAC provides 

general policy advice on issues 

including: (1) Negotiating objectives and 

bargaining positions before entering into 

trade agreements; (2) the environmental 

impact of the implementation of trade 

agreements; (3) matters concerning the 

operation of any trade agreement once 

entered into; and (4) other matters 

arising in connection with the 

development, implementation, and 

administration of the trade policy of the 

United States. 

The TEPAC meets as needed, at the 

call of the United States Trade 

Representative or his/her designee, or 

two-thirds of the TEPAC members, 

depending on various factors such as 

the level of activity of trade negotiations 


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