[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 206 (Monday, October 26, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Page 57116]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-28575]
[[Page 57116]]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Project No. 637]
Public Utility District No. 1 of Chelan County, Washington;
Notice of Scoping Meetings and Project Facilities Tour Pursuant to the
National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 for an Applicant Prepared
Environmental Assessment
October 20, 1998.
The Commission's regulations allow applicants the option of
preparing their own Environmental Assessment (EA) for hydropower
projects, and filing the EA with their application as part of an
alternative licensing procedure.\1\ On July 6, 1998 the Commission
approved the use of an alternative licensing procedure in the
preparation of a new license application for Public Utility District
No. 1 of Chelan County's (Chelan PUD), Lake Chelan Project, No. 637.
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\1\ 81 FERC para. 61,103 (1997).
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The alternative procedures include provisions for the distribution
of an initial information package, and for the cooperative scoping of
environmental issues and needed studies. On October 5, 1998, Chelan PUD
distributed their initial information package which included an initial
consultation document (ICD) and Scoping Document 1 (SD1).\2\ Three
public meetings will be held to discuss these documents.
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\2\ Copies of these documents can be obtained by calling Rosana
Sokolowski at 509-663-8121 or via the Chelan PUD web site located at
http://www.chelanpud.org/relicense.
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ICD Meeting and Project Tour
Chelan PUD will hold a public meeting to discuss their ICD on
November 18, 1998. In this meeting, Chelan PUD will give an overview of
the existing project facilities and operation, discuss what is
currently known about environmental resources at the project, and
discuss how those resources are currently being managed. A project
facilities tour will also be conducted on the same day. The tour will
include stops at the dam, powerhouse, and the lower end of the project
bypassed reach.
The times and locations of the ICD meeting and project facilities
tour are:
Initial Information Meeting
November 18, 1998, 10:00 am to 1:00 pm, Carvel Resort, 322 West Woodin
Avenue, Chelan, WA 98816, (509) 682-2582
Project Facilities Tour
November 18, 1998, 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm, Meet at north side of the
project dam (for more information call Gregg Carrington at (509) 663-
8121)
Scoping Meetings
Chelan PUD will hold public scoping meetings on November 18 and 19,
1998, pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969.
At the scoping meetings, Chelan PUD will: (1) summarize the
environmental issues tentatively identified for analysis in the EA; (2)
outline any resources they believe would not require a detailed
analysis; (3) identify reasonable alternatives to be addressed in the
EA; (4) solicit from the meeting participants all available
information, especially quantitative data, on the resources at issue;
and (5) encourage statements from experts and the public on issues that
should be analyzed in the EA.
Although Chelan PUD's intent is to prepare an EA, there is the
possibility that an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) will be
required. Nevertheless, this meeting will satisfy the NEPA scoping
requirements, irrespective of whether an EA or EIS is issued by the
Commission.
The times and locations of the scoping meetings are:
Evening Scoping Meeting
November 18, 1998, 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm, Caravel Resort, 322 West Woodin
Avenue, Chelan, WA 98816, (509) 682-2582
Morning Scoping Meeting
November 19, 1998, 10:00 am to 1:00 pm, Caravel Resort, 322 West Woodin
Avenue, Chelan, WA 98816, (509) 682-2582
All interested individuals, organizations, and agencies are invited
and encouraged to attend any or all of the meetings to assist in
identifying and clarifying the scope of environmental issues that
should be analyzed in the EA.
Scoping Meeting Procedures
The meetings will be conducted according to the procedures used at
Commission scoping meetings. Because this meeting will be a NEPA
scoping meeting under the APEA process, the Commission does not intend
to conduct a NEPA scoping meeting after Chelan PUD's application and EA
are filed with the Commission. Instead, Commission staff will attend
the meetings on November 18 and 19, 1998.
Commenting Deadline
Both scoping meetings will be recorded by a stenographer, and the
transcripts will become part of the formal record of the proceedings
for this project. Those who choose not to speak during the scoping
meetings may instead submit written comments on the project. Written
comments should be mailed or e-mailed to: Mr. Gregg Carrington, Public
Utility District No. 1 of Chelan County, Washington, P.O. Box 1231,
Wenatchee, WA 98807-1231, gregg@chelanpud.org.
All correspondence should be postmarked no later than January 19,
1999. Comments should show the following caption on the first page:
Scoping Comments, Lake Chelan Hydroelectric Project, Project No. 637.
For further information please contact Gregg Carrington of Chelan
PUD at (509) 663-8121 or Vince Yearick of the Commission at (202) 291-
3073.
Linwood A. Watson, Jr.,
Acting Secretary.
[FR Doc. 98-28575 Filed 10-23-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M
