Regional Resource Stewardship Council Holds Public Review of TVA Natural Resource Plan

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Apr 22, 2011, 01:45 ET

KNOXVILLE, Tenn., April 22, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Tennessee Valley Authority's Regional Resource Stewardship Council will review TVA's draft Natural Resource Plan on Wednesday and Thursday, April 27 and 28, in TVA's West Tower auditorium in downtown Knoxville.

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This review will incorporate suggestions made by the council at a meeting in January as well as public comments.

The council advises TVA on the operation of its dams and reservoirs; including responsibility for navigation, flood control, reservoir water quality, cultural resources and wildlife protection, and management of public lands and recreation. The 20-member council was created in 2000 and is the key stakeholder review group for the Natural Resource Plan.

"We are getting policy guidance from the council on how TVA should manage the numerous natural and cultural resources for which we are responsible," said Anda Ray, senior vice president of Environment & Technology and TVA sustainability officer.

"TVA manages the highest concentration of archeological resources on any federal lands in the nation, in addition to many threatened and endangered species," Ray said.

The plan will help the agency implement its formal Environmental Policy, approved by the TVA board of directors in 2008, and reaffirmed in 2010. By establishing the Environmental Policy, TVA created expectations for a more systematic and integrated approach to managing power production and environmental stewardship.

Council meetings are open to the public and will be in session from 8:30 a.m. to

4:30 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, April 27, and 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Thursday, April 28. Both sessions will take place at TVA's headquarters, 400 W. Summit Hill Drive, Knoxville.

A public comment period is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. on April 28. Anyone interested in making comments should register at the door by 9 a.m. Speakers are asked to limit remarks to five minutes. Up to an hour will be allotted for public comments, with participation on a first-come basis. Printed materials brought for the council's review should be limited to one printed page.

Written comments may be mailed to the Regional Resource Stewardship Council, TVA, 400 West Summit Hill Drive, WT 11B, Knoxville, Tenn. 37902-1499, or faxed to (865) 632-2345. Comments may be made directly to council members through the council website at http://www.tva.com/rrsc. For more information, call the council records officer at (865) 632-6113.

The Tennessee Valley Authority, a corporation owned by the U.S. government, provides electricity for utility and business customers in most of Tennessee and parts of Alabama, Mississippi, Kentucky, Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia – an area of 80,000 square miles with a population of 9 million. TVA operates 29 hydroelectric dams, 11 coal-fired power plants, three nuclear plants and 11 natural gas-fired power facilities that can produce about 34,000 megawatts of electricity, delivered over 16,000 miles of high-voltage power lines. TVA also provides flood control, navigation, land management and recreation for the Tennessee River system and works with local utilities and state and local governments to promote economic development across the region. TVA, which makes no profits and receives no taxpayer money, is funded by sales of electricity to its customers. Electricity prices in TVA's service territory are below the national average.

SOURCE Tennessee Valley Authority