Assessment and mitigation of social impacts from power plant construction in Tennessee

In response to serious community impacts, the process of impact mitigation has been utilized. Mitigation is the attempt to prevent, reduce, or rectify the impacts of a project. Mitigation is usually provided by the utility constructing the plant, either directly through financial or technical assistance or indirectly through increased local property tax revenues. Some states experiencing significant amounts of energy development have established special means to aid communities through tax and loan programs.

This thesis examined current or proposed mitigation programs for three power plant construction projects in Tennessee. The key areas of concern in this examination were: (1) origin of the program, (2) form of the mitigation agreement, (3) basis of authority for implementation, (4) local organization for mitigation, and (5) the primary program characteristics, such as funding procedures and roles and responsibilities of the participants. By comparing and contrasting these programs, a generalized response for a community to follow in the event of potential impacts was developed. Included in this response are the essential elements a community should consider to ensure adequate participation in the program and adequate mitigation of impacts. This thesis concludes that, based on carefully developed goals and strategies, a community may acquire a significant role in developing and implementing mitigation.