Are these studies, or plans in the making?

28 October 2004: NASA mulls early retirement for space shuttle, MSNBC

“The senior space policy expert said he had also been told of the studies by a current NASA official and that the studies were showing that NASA could get “a good final configuration with twelve more [space shuttle] flights.” In this scenario, according to the expert’s source, the shuttle would be used to install all planned pressurized modules but leave off the long trusses and most of the additional solar arrays. Items such as the Centrifuge Accommodation Facility and the much-vaunted Cupola viewing module would get left permanently back on Earth.”