94-31272. Warm Creek Hydro, Inc. and Nooksack River Hydro, Inc.; Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement

[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 244 (Wednesday, December 21, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-31272]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: December 21, 1994]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
[FERC Project No. 10865-001 and FERC Project No. 11495-000]

 

Warm Creek Hydro, Inc. and Nooksack River Hydro, Inc.; Intent To 
Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement

December 15, 1994.
    The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or Commission) has 
received the applications for the construction and operation of (1) 
Warm Creek Project, and (2) Clearwater Creek Project. The Warm Creek 
Project would be located on the Warm Creek, and the Clearwater Creek 
Project on the Clearwater Creek, both in Whatcom County, Washington. 
The projects would have an installed capacity of 3,700 and 6,000 
kilowatts, respectively.
    Following scoping for the Warm Creek Project, the FERC staff has 
determined that licensing of the Warm Creek Project could constitute a 
major federal action significantly affecting the quality of the human 
environment. Therefore, the staff intends to prepare an Environmental 
Impact Statement (EIS) for the Warm Creek Project in accordance with 
the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Because the Clearwater 
Creek Project has the potential to affect some of the same resources as 
the Warm Creek Project, we will analyze them together, and prepare a 
multiple project EIS for the Warm Creek Project and the Clearwater 
Creek Project in accordance with NEPA.
    The staff's EIS will objectively consider both site-specific and 
cumulative environmental impacts of the projects and reasonable 
alternatives, and will include economic and engineering 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 staff and considered in the final EIS. The staff's 
conclusions and recommendations will then be presented for the 
consideration of the Commission in reaching its final licensing 
decision.
    This notice informs all interested individuals, organizations, and 
agencies with environmental expertise and concerns, that: (1) The 
Commission staff has decided to prepare an EIS; (2) the scoping 
conducted on the Warm Creek Project for the Environmental Assessment--
scoping meetings held April 6, 1994, at Hampton Inn, Bellingham, 
Washington, and comments filed with the Commission by May 6, 1994--
still apply; (3) additional comments for the Warm Creek Project that 
may result from the change from an Environmental Assessment to an EIS 
may be filed with the Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 
825 North Capitol Street, NE., Washington, DC 20426, within 30 days 
from the date of this notice; and (4) a public scoping for the 
Clearwater Creek Project will be conducted early in 1995.
    All written correspondence should clearly show the following 
caption on the first page:

Warm Creek Hydroelectric Project, (FERC Project No. 10865-001)

Or

Clearwater Creek Hydroelectric Project, (FERC Project No. 11495-000)

    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.1 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.
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    \1\The official service list can be obtained by calling the 
Office of the Secretary, Dockets Branch, at [phone].
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    Any questions regarding this notice may be directed to Sergiu 
Serban, Environmental Coordinator, at [phone].
Linwood A. Watson, Jr.,
Acting Secretary.
[FR Doc. 94-31272 Filed 12-20-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M