[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 228 (Wednesday, November 26, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Page 63143]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-31003]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Project No. 2674-003, Vermont]
Green Mountain Power Company; Notice of Intent To Conduct Public
Scoping Meetings and Site Visit
November 20, 1997.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission or FERC)
received an application from the Green Mountain Power Company (Green
Mountain or Applicant) to relicense the Vergennes Hydroelectric Project
No. 2674-003.The 2.4-megawatt project is located on Otter Creek in the
city of Vergennes, Addison County, Vermont. The Commission will hold
public and agency scoping meetings on December 11, 1997, for
preparation of an Environmental Assessment (EA) under the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for the issuance of a major license for
the project.
Scoping Meetings
FERC staff will conduct one agency scoping meeting and one public
meeting. The agency scoping meeting will focus on resource agency and
non-governmental organization (NGO) concerns, while the public scoping
meeting is primarily for public input. All interested individuals,
organizations, and agencies are invited to attend one or both of the
meetings, and to assist the staff in identifying the scope of the
environmental issues that should be analyzed in the EA. The times and
locations of these meetings are as follows:
Agency Scoping Meeting
Date: Thursday, December 11, 1997.
Time: From 9:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m.
Place: Vergennes Fire Station Meeting Room.
Address: Green Street, Vergennes, Vermont.
Public Scoping Meeting
Date: Thursday, December 11, 1997.
Time: From 7:00 p.m. until 10:00 p.m.
Place: Vergennes Fire Station Meeting Room.
Address: Green Street, Vergennes, Vermont.
To help focus discussions, we will distribute a Scoping Document
(SD1) outlining the subject areas to be addressed at the meeting to the
parties on the Commission's mailing list. Copies of the SD1 also will
be available at the scoping meetings.
Site Visits
The applicant and FERC staff will conduct a project site visit
beginning at 1:00 p.m. on December 10, 1997. All interested
individuals, organizations, and agencies are invited to attend. All
participants should meet at the Green Mountain Power Service Center,
adjacent to the #9 Power House on Mechanic Street in Vergennes,
Vermont. All participants are responsible for their own transportation
to the side. Anyone with questions about the site visit should contact
Mr. Michael Scarzello of Green Mountain at 802-660-5835.
Objectives
At the scoping meetings, the staff will: (1) summarize the
environmental issues tentatively identified for analysis in the EA; (2)
solicit from the meeting participants all available information,
especially quantifiable data, on the resources at issue; (3) encourage
statements from experts and the public on issues that should be
analyzed in the EA, including viewpoints in opposition to, or in
support of, the staff's preliminary views; (4) determine the relative
depth of analysis for issues to be addressed in the EA; and (5)
identify resource issues that are of lesser importance, and, therefore,
do not require detailed analysis.
Procedures
The meetings will be recorded by a stenographer and will become
part of the formal record of the Commission proceeding on the project.
Individuals presenting statements at the meetings will be asked to sign
in before the meeting starts and to clearly identify themselves for the
record. Speaking time for attendees at the meetings will be determined
before the meeting, based on the number of persons wishing to speak and
the approximate amount of time available for the session. All speakers
will be provided at least 5 minutes to present their views.
Individuals, organizations, and agencies with environmental
expertise and concerns are encouraged to attend the meetings and to
assist the staff in defining and clarifying the issues to be addressed
in the EA.
Persons choosing not to speak at the meetings, but who have views
on the issues, may submit written statements for inclusion in the
public record at the meeting. In addition, written scoping comments may
be filed with the Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888
First Street, NE, Washington, DC 20426, until January 12, 1998. All
filings should contain an original and eight copies, and must clearly
show at the top of the first page ``Vergennes Hydroelectric Project,
FERC No. 2674-003.''
For further information, please contact Lee Emery at (202) 219-
2779.
Lois D. Cashell,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 97-31003 Filed 11-25-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M
