TVA Extends Public Comment Period on Draft Land Policy

November 16, 2006

TVA has extended the public comment period on TVA’s draft land policy through Nov. 28 in response to requests from local and federal elected officials, including Congressman Bud Cramer of Alabama and the Tennessee Association of County Mayors.

The policy can be found online at www.tva.gov. Comments may be submitted by email only at landpolicyhearing@tva.gov during the extended comment period. After reviewing all comments, the Community Relations Committee will make a recommendation on a final policy to the full TVA Board.

The committee presented the draft land policy to the TVA Board Sept. 29 and announced a 30-day comment period that ended Nov. 3. During that period, TVA received about 4,000 comments from throughout the Tennessee Valley and the country.

The Community Relations Committee developed the draft land policy after holding a public hearing and receiving extensive public input. The proposed policy was developed to ensure that the use of TVA reservoir land provides the overall greatest public value. Key points of the proposed policy include:

• TVA will continue to develop reservoir land management plans with substantial public input and approval from the Board.
• Public lands managed by TVA will not be allocated or sold for residential, retail or other non-industrial commercial uses.
• In keeping with TVA’s economic development mission, public lands managed by TVA will be sold for industrial purposes only if the property is located in an existing industrial park, or the land is designated for industrial purposes in a reservoir land management plan and the manufacturing businesses require water access.
• TVA will continue to lease and grant easements for commercial recreation or public recreation purposes if the property is allocated for that use in the reservoir land management plan.
• TVA will modify deed restrictions pertaining to flowage rights only where the rights are no longer needed for river operation purposes. No other deed restriction modifications will be considered.
• TVA’s non-reservoir property--primarily power and commercial properties and mineral holdings--will continue to be managed as power assets, and decisions regarding disposal will be based on business considerations.

TVA is the nation’s largest public power provider and is completely self financed. TVA provides power to large industries and 158 power distributors that serve approximately 8.6 million consumers in seven southeastern states. TVA also manages the Tennessee River and its tributaries to provide multiple benefits, including flood damage reduction, navigation, water quality and recreation.

Media Contact

John Moulton, (865) 632-8048
TVA News Bureau, Knoxville, (865) 632-6000

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