94-4706. Arizona Public Service Company; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment and Conduct Public Scoping Meetings and Site Visit

[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 41 (Wednesday, March 2, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-4706]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: March 2, 1994]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Project No. 2069-003]

 

Arizona Public Service Company; Notice of Intent To Prepare an 
Environmental Assessment and Conduct Public Scoping Meetings and Site 
Visit

February 24, 1994.
    The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has received an 
application for relicense of the existing Childs Irving Hydroelectric 
Project, Project No. 2069-003. The project is located on Fossil Creek, 
a tributary of the Verde River, in Yavapai and Gila counties, Arizona. 
The project is entirely within the Coconino and Tonto National Forests, 
administered by the U.S. Forest Service (Forest Service).
    The FERC staff, in cooperation with the 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.
    The FERC staff will issue and circulate a draft EA for review by 
all interested parties. The staff will analyze and consider all 
comments filed on the draft EA in a final EA. The staff will then 
present its conclusions and recommendations to the Commission for 
consideration in reaching its final licensing decision.

Scoping Meetings

    The FERC staff will conduct two scoping meetings on March 15, 1994. 
A scoping meeting oriented toward the agencies will be held at 9:30 
a.m. at the Cliff Castle Best Western, 333 Middle Verde Road, Camp 
Verde, Arizona. A scoping meeting oriented toward the public will be 
held at 7 p.m. at the Cliff Castle Best Western.
    Interested individuals, organizations, and agencies are invited to 
attend either or both meetings and help the staff identify the scope of 
environmental issues that should be analyzed in the EA.
    To help focus discussions at the meetings, the staff will mail a 
Scoping Document 1, outlining subject areas to be addressed in the EA 
to agencies and interested individuals on the FERC mailing list. Copies 
of Scoping Document 1 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 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 preliminary views.

Procedures

    A court reporter will record the meetings and all statements (oral 
and written) thereby become a part of the formal record of the 
Commission proceedings on the Childs Irving Project. Individuals 
representing 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 define 
and clarify 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 April 15, 1994.
    All written correspondence should clearly show the following 
caption on the first page: Childs Irving Project, FERC Project No. 
2069-003.
    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 Childs Irving Hydro Project is planned for 
March 16, 1994. Those who wish to attend should plan to meet at the 
Cliff Castle Best Western at 8 a.m. or contact Ken Anderson at the 
Beaver Creek Ranger District, Coconino National Forest, [phone] 
for details.
    Any questions regarding this notice may be directed to Dianne 
Rodman at [phone].
Linwood A. Watson,
Acting Secretary.
[FR Doc. 94-4706 Filed 3-1-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M