US Army of Corps of Engineers awaiting TEPPCO permit application

December 22, 2008 |

US Army Corps of Engineers logo

Although announced earlier this year as a project ready to get under way, the proposed Clarksville TEPPCO Refined Products Storage Terminal has yet to begin site construction. The project has not yet applied for a US Army Corps of Engineers Permit. This delay is unexplainable from the USACOE standpoint. While they have yet to receive the application, they do expect it to be submitted by year’s end (ten days from now).

According the USACOE, the permit process will be the same for the TEPPCO terminal as the Clarksville Marina Fairgrounds Redevelopment Project. Upon receipt of a complete application, an application review will be conducted, a public notice will be issued and public comment period would be declared where public questions, objections and concerns will be studied. Following the resolution of the public comment and issues, an environmental assessment will have to be conducted and any issues and concerns resulting from that analysis would have to be resolved. The USACOE would then consider issuing a permit.

In May, TEPPCO announced selecting Clarksville as the location for its West Tennessee distribution terminal. The terminal is to be a one of two such facilities TEPPCO Partners plans in Tennessee, along with a third site that present a $75 million dollar investment. TEPPCO’s press release stated that the Clarksville facility, along with another to be constructed in Clifton and a third to be located at a site yet to be determined, “represent the continued successful implementation of our strategy to develop a network of refined products distribution facilities along inland waterways in the southeastern United States.” All three sites, only two will be here in Tennessee, are touted as ventures “that will supply markets in Western Tennessee.” Also, “Combined the three new terminals are expected to have 800,000 barrels of storage capacity for gasoline, diesel, and biofuels and offer improved trucking logistics with supply provided by barge transportation.” And, “The initiative is projected to be completed during the first quarter of 2010.”

Clarksville City Water Intake Facility

At the outset, announcement of the TEPPCO terminal did raise citizens concern about its proximity to the city’s water intake point on the Cumberland River, the sole source of our drinking water supply. Citizens and residents of Beacon Hills had formed an opposition group to the terminal, questioning the site’s suitability and TEPPCO’s record of spills and contamination incidents and EPA fines. Prior to announcing its Clarksville selection, TEPPCO had paid six years of outstanding EPA penalties and fines in February. There was also concern about the capability of the 41-A Bypass to handle the increased heavy trucking traffic which would result from the terminal trucking operations. TDOT has declared that there are no plans to upgrade or otherwise fortify the roadway. TEPPCO did state that the terminal would not bring a large number of jobs to the community.

With the Marina Project and its newly added amenities, the acquisition of Hemlock Semiconductor and the vast investment they have committed to our community, the TEPPCO terminal could add to economic growth of the city. With the citizen objections raised at the outset, the status of this project stands as uncertain. As more information becomes available, Clarksville Online will endeavor to present it to our reading public.

See: “Location! Location! Location! Fuel storage on the Cumberland”

Sections

Topics

Comments

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Connect with:

Enter your WordPress.com blog URL

http://.wordpress.com

Proceed

© 2006-2010 Clarksville, TN Online is owned and operated by residents of Clarksville Tennessee.
» We are Hosted by Compu-Net Enterprises; In Partnership with Discover Clarksville and Discover Paris