The Tennessee Valley Authority released its updated Natural Resource Plan and associated final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement last Friday. The Natural Resource Plan guides how TVA manages public lands and waters in its seven-state service area and the Tennessee River watershed.
TVA hosted public meetings in 2018 and 2019 during the planning process to solicit input from the public and valued stakeholders. Public engagement also included webinars and social media.
The previous plan, published in 2011, organized TVA’s work into six resource areas. In the updated Natural Resource Plan, TVA proposes 10 focus areas that are more encompassing of TVA’s natural resource functions. These focus areas include:
• Reservoir Lands Planning
• Section 26a and Land Use Agreements
• Public Land Protection
• Land and Habitat Stewardship
• Nuisance and Invasive Species Management
• Cultural Resource Management
• Water Resources Stewardship
• Recreation
• Ecotourism
• Public Outreach and Information.
The proposed update features more clearly defined strategies, including objectives and programs for each focus area and a flexible approach for long-term planning, which will help TVA prioritize funding and support its mission of environmental stewardship. The final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement prepared by TVA analyzes the potential effects of these changes.
The Natural Resource Plan and its associated Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement are available to the public at www.tva.com/nrp. Both documents will be presented to the TVA Board of Directors in May.