94-27577. Niagara Mohawk Power Corp. Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement and To Conduct Site Visits

[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 215 (Tuesday, November 8, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-27577]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: November 8, 1994]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Project No. 2320-005--NY; Project No. 2330-007--NY]

 

Niagara Mohawk Power Corp. Notice of Intent To Prepare an 
Environmental Impact Statement and To Conduct Site Visits

November 2, 1994.
    The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission) has received 
applications for new license (relicense) from the Niagara Mohawk Power 
Corporation (NIMO) for the following two existing hydropower projects 
owned an operated by NIMO on the Raquette River in St. Lawrence County, 
New York: the Middle Raquette River Project, FERC No. 2320, consisting 
of the Higley, Colton, Hannawa, and Sugar Island developments; and the 
Lower Raquette River Project, FERC No. 2330, consisting of the Norwood, 
East Norfolk, Norfolk, and Raymondville developments.
    Upon review of the applications, supplemental filings, and 
intervener submittals, the Commission staff has concluded that 
relicensing these two projects would constitute a major federal action 
significantly affecting the quality of the human environment.
    Moreover, given the location and interaction of the two projects, 
staff will prepare one multiple-project Environmental Impact Statement 
(EIS) that describes and evaluates the probable impacts of the 
applicant's proposed and alternative operating procedures, new 
generating facilities, environmental enhancement measures, and 
additional river access facilities for the eight developments that 
comprise the two hydropower projects.
    The staff's EIS will consider both site specific and cumulative 
environmental impacts of relicensing the two projects and will include 
economic and financial analyses.
    A draft EIS will be issued and circulated for review by all 
interested parties. All comments filed on the draft EIS will be 
analyzed by the FERC staff and considered in a final EIS.
    One element of the EIS process is scoping and site visits. These 
activities are initiated early to:
     identify reasonable alternative operational procedures and 
environmental enhancement measures that should be evaluated in the EIS;
     identify significant environmental issues related to the 
operation of the existing projects;
     determine the depth of analysis for issues that will be 
discussed in the EIS; and
     identify resource issues that are of lessor importance 
and, consequently, do not require detailed analysis in the EIS.

Site Visits

    Site visits to the eight developments that comprise the two 
projects will be held during the three-day period, November 28, 29, and 
30, 1994. The purpose of these visits is for interested persons to 
observe existing area resources and site conditions, learn the 
locations of proposed new facilities, and discuss project operational 
procedures with representatives of NIMO and the Commission.
    For details concerning the site visits, please contact Tom Skutnick 
of NIMO in Syracuse, New York at [phone].

Scoping Meetings

    The FERC staff will conduct two scoping meetings: the evening 
meeting will be designed to obtain input from the general public, while 
the morning meeting will focus on resource agency concerns. These 
meetings will be held in Potsdam, New York, sometime in March, 1995. 
The dates and locations of these meetings will be the subject of a 
future announcement.

    For further information, please contact Jim Haimes in 
Washington, D.C. at [phone].
Lois D. Cashell,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 94-27577 Filed 11-7-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M