94-194. Public Service Company of Colorado; Intent To Prepare a Joint Environmental Assessment and Conduct Public Scoping Meetings and Site Visit

[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 4 (Thursday, January 6, 1994)]
[Notices]
[Pages 745-746]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-194]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: January 6, 1994]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Project No. 2275-001]

 

Public Service Company of Colorado; Intent To Prepare a Joint 
Environmental Assessment and Conduct Public Scoping Meetings and Site 
Visit

December 30, 1993.
    The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has received an 
application for relicense of the existing Salida Hydroelectric Project, 
FERC No. 2275-001. The project is located on the South Arkansas River 
and on Fooses Creek in Chaffee County, Colorado, and occupies lands 
within the San Isabel National Forest.
    The FERC staff, in cooperation with the U.S. Forest Service, 
intends to prepare an Environmental Assessment (EA) on this 
hydroelectric project in accordance with the National Environmental 
Policy Act.
    The EA will objectively consider both site-specific and cumulative 
environmental impacts of the project and reasonable alternatives, and 
will include an economic, financial and engineering analysis.
    A draft EA will be issued and circulated for review by all 
interested parties. All comments filed on the draft EA will be analyzed 
by the staff and considered in a final EA. The staff's conclusions and 
recommendations will then be presented for the consideration of the 
Commission in reaching its final licensing decision.

Scoping Meetings

    Two scoping meetings will be conducted on January 27, 1994. A 
scoping meeting oriented towards the agencies will be conducted at 10 
a.m. at the Salida Ranger District office, 325 West Rainbow Boulevard, 
Salida, Colorado. A scoping meeting oriented towards the public will be 
conducted at 7 p.m. at the Chaffee County Courthouse, Commissioners 
Meeting Room, 142 Crestone Street, Salida, Colorado.
    Interested individuals, organizations, and agencies are invited to 
attend either or both meetings and assist the staff in identifying the 
scope of environmental issues that should be analyzed in the EA.
    To help focus discussions at the meetings, a scoping document 
outlining subject areas to be addressed in the EA will be mailed to 
agencies and interested individuals on the FERC mailing list. Copies of 
the scoping document will also be available at the scoping meetings.

Objectives

    At the scoping meetings the FERC staff will: (1) Identify 
preliminary environmental issues related to the proposed project; (2) 
identify preliminary resource issues that are not important and do not 
require detailed analysis; (3) identify reasonable alternatives to be 
addressed in the EA; (4) solicit from the meeting participants all 
available information, especially quantified data, on the resource 
issues; and (5) encourage statements from experts and the public on 
issues that should be analyzed in the EA, including points of view in 
opposition to, or in support of, the staff's preliminary views.

Procedures

    The meetings will be recorded by a court reporter and all 
statements (oral and written) thereby become a part of the formal 
record of the Commission proceedings on the Salida Hydroelectric 
Project. Individuals presenting statements at the meetings will be 
asked to clearly identify themselves for the record.
    Individuals, organizations, and agencies with environmental 
expertise and concerns are encouraged to attend the meetings and assist 
the staff in defining and clarifying and issues to be addressed in the 
EA.
    Persons choosing not to speak at the meetings, but who have views 
on the issues or information relevant to the issues, may submit written 
statements for inclusion in the public record at the meetings. In 
addition, written scoping comments may be filed with Secretary, Federal 
Energy Regulatory Commission, 825 North Capitol Street, NE., 
Washington, DC 20426, until February 28, 1994.
    All written correspondence should clearly show the following 
caption on the first page: Salida Hydroelectric Project, FERC Project 
No. 2275-001.
    Intervenors--those on the Commission's service list for this 
proceeding (parties)--are reminded of the Commission's Rules of 
Practice and Procedure, requiring parties filing documents with the 
Commission, to serve a copy of the document on each person whose name 
appears on the official service list. Further, if a party or interceder 
files comments or documents with the Commission relating to the merits 
of an issue that may affect the responsibilities of a particular 
resource agency, they must also serve a copy of the document on that 
resource agency.

Site Visit

    A site visit to the Salida Project is planned for January 26, 1994. 
Those who wish to attend should plan to meet at the Salida No. 2 
powerhouse at 9 a.m. or contact Charlie Medina, District Ranger, at 
[phone] for details.
    Any questions regarding this notice may be directed to Vince 
Yearick, at [phone].
Lois D. Cashell,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 94-194 Filed 1-5-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P