Regional Resource Stewardship Council to Discuss TVA Natural Resource Plan

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Jan 12, 2011, 05:19 ET

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn., Jan. 12, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Tennessee Valley Authority's Regional Resource Stewardship Council will discuss a draft Natural Resource Plan on Wednesday and Thursday, Jan. 19 and 20, in Chattanooga.

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The council advises TVA on the operation of its dams and reservoirs; responsibility for navigation, flood control, reservoir water quality, cultural resources and wildlife protection; and management of TVA lands and recreation.

"We will provide information to the council on the draft plan and seek input on ways to accomplish our natural resource stewardship mission as called for in the TVA Act," Anda Ray, senior vice president of Environment and Technology, said. "The plan's stewardship will encompass nearly all of the 293,000 acres of TVA-managed reservoir lands across the Tennessee Valley region and certain power plant properties that have a natural resource management role."

This will be the first comprehensive Natural Resource Plan completed by TVA and recommended for TVA board approval. The plan will be used to implement TVA's Environmental Policy, approved by the board in 2008.

The council is the key stakeholder review group for the Natural Resource Plan. Reviews of the draft plan at upcoming public meetings are also an important part of the process.

The 20-member council was established by TVA in 2000 under the Federal Advisory Committee Act to offer advice on TVA's natural resource stewardship activities including water quality, recreation and land management.

Council meetings are open to the public and will be in session from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. EST on Wednesday, Jan. 19, and 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 20 at the Sheraton Read House, 827 Broad St., Chattanooga, Tenn. A public comment period is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. on Jan. 20.

Anyone wanting to make comments at the meeting should register at the door by 8 a.m. on Thursday, Jan. 20. Speakers are asked to limit their remarks to no more than five minutes. Up to an hour will be allotted for public comments with participation available on a first-come, first-served basis. Handout materials 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.gov/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