[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 67 (Wednesday, April 8, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17166-17167]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-9159]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Project No. 469-MN]
Minnesota Power & Light Company; Notice of Minnesota Power &
Light Company's Request for Waiver and to Use Alternative Procedures in
Filing a License Application
April 2, 1998.
On March 30, 1998, the existing licensee, Minnesota Power & Light
Company (Minnesota Power), filed a request to waive certain Commission
regulations and to use alternative procedures for submitting an
application for new license for the existing Winton Hydroelectric
Project No. 469. The project is located on the Kawishiwi River, in Lake
and St. Louis Counties, Minnesota, and consists of the Winton Dam and a
4.0-MW powerhouse, Garden Lake Reservoir, Birch Lake Dam, and Birch
Lake Reservoir. The project occupies lands of the United States within
the Superior National Forest.
Minnesota Power has demonstrated that it has made an effort to
contact all resource agencies, Indian tribes, nongovernmental
organizations (NGOs), and others affected by the proposal, and that a
consensus exists that the use of alternative procedures is appropriate
in this case. Further, waiving the Commission's regulations will be
automatic upon approval of the alternative procedures stipulated in
Order No. 596.\1\
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\1\ Order No. 596, Regulations for the Licensing of
Hydroelectric Projects, 81 FERC para. 61,103 (1997).
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Minnesota Power has submitted a communications protocol that is
supported by the interested entities.
The purpose of this notice is to invite any additional comments on
Minnesota Power's request to use the alternative procedures, pursuant
to Section 4.34(i) of the Commission's regulations. Additional notices
seeking comments on the specific project proposal, interventions and
protests, and recommended terms and conditions will be issued at a
later date.
The alternative procedures being requested here combine the
prefiling consultation process with the environmental review process,
allowing Minnesota Power to complete and file an Environmental
Assessment (EA) in lieu of Exhibit E of the license application. This
differs from the traditional process, in which an applicant consults
with agencies, Indian tribes, and NGOs during preparation of the
application for the license and before filing it, but the Commission
staff performs the environmental Project No. 469 review after the
application is filed. The alternative procedures are intended to
simplify and expedite the licensing process by combining the prefiling
consultation and environmental review processes into a single process,
to facilitate greater participation, and to improve communication and
cooperation among the participants.
Applicant Prepared EA Process and Winton Project Schedule
Minnesota Power has distributed an Initial Consultation Packet for
the proposed project to state and federal resource agencies and NGOs.
Minnesota Power has submitted a proposed schedule for the alternative
procedures that leads to the filing of a license application by October
2001.
Comments
Interested parties have 30 days from the date of this notice to
file with the Commission, any comments on Minnesota Power's proposal to
use the alternative procedures to file an application for the Winton
Hydroelectric Project.
Filing Requirements
The comments must be filed by providing an original and 8 copies as
required by the Commission's
[[Page 17167]]
regulations to: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Office of the
Secretary, Dockets--Room 1A, 888 First Street, NE, Washington, DC
20426.
All comment filings must bear the heading ``Comments on the
Alternative Procedures,'' and include the project name and number
(Winton Hydroelectric Project No. 469).
For further information on this process, please call Tom Dean of
the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission at 202-219-2778.
Linwood A. Watson, Jr.,
Acting Secretary.
[FR Doc. 98-9159 Filed 4-7-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M
