Artesia-West Columbus Power System Improvements

Clay, Lowndes, and Oktibbeha Counties, Mississippi

On August 31, 2020, TVA issued a Final Environmental Assessment (EA) and Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for the proposal to improve the existing power supply in Clay, Lowndes, and Oktibbeha Counties, Mississippi (MS). This EA addressed the proposed actions taken by TVA to construct, operate and maintain a 12-mile 161-kV Transmission Line (TL) from TVA’s existing West Columbus Switching Station, in central Lowndes County, to the Artesia Switching Station in western Lowndes County. Related project actions include conductor replacement on two existing TVA lines, the CMF–Carbonic 161-kV TL, also in Lowndes County, and the Starkville – West Point 161-kV TL in adjacent Clay and Oktibbeha counties.

Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) and the Act’s implementing regulations promulgated by the Council on Environmental Quality ([CEQ]; 40 Code of Federal Regulations [CFR] 1500-1508), federal agencies are required to evaluate the potential environmental impacts of their proposed actions. This EA was prepared to assess the potential impacts of TVA’s Proposed Action on the environment in accordance with CEQ’s and TVA’s procedures for implementing NEPA (TVA 1983).

The EA studied two alternatives: (1) the No Action alternative which TVA would not provide a new power supply to in Clay, Lowndes, and Oktibbeha Counties MS, and (2) the Action Alternative which TVA would provide a new power supply to in Clay, Lowndes, and Oktibbeha Counties, MS.

The EA and FONSI are available through the links below.