03-11932. Notice of Scoping Meeting and Soliciting Scoping Comments for an Applicant Prepared Environmental Assessment Using the Alternative Licensing Process

May 7, 2003.

a. Type of Application: Alternative Licensing Process.

b. Project No.: 2545-075.

c. Applicant: Avista Corporation.

d. Name of Project: Spokane River Hydroelectric Project.

e. Location: On the Spokane River, in Spokane, Stevens, and Lincoln Counties, Washington and Kootenai and Benewah Counties, Idaho. The project occupies tribal lands of the Coeur d'Alene Indian Reservation. The project does not occupy any federal lands.

f. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act, 16 U.S.C. 791(a)-825(r).

g. Applicant Contact: Bruce Howard, Spokane River License Manager, Avista Corporation, 1411 E. Mission Street, P.O. Box 3727, MSC-1, Spokane, Washington 99220, [phone], or e-mail: [e-mail].

h. FERC Contact: Nan Allen at [phone], or e-mail: [e-mail].

j. Deadline for filing scoping comments: 60 days from the date of this notice.

All documents (original and eight copies) should be filed with: Magalie R. Salas, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street, NE., Washington, DC 20426.

Scoping comments may be filed electronically via the Internet in lieu of paper. The Commission strongly encourages electronic filings. See 18 CFR 385.2001(a)(1)(iii) and the instructions on the Commission's Web site (http://www.ferc.gov) under the “e-Filing” link.

The Commission's rules of practice and procedure require all interveners filing documents with the Commission to serve a copy of that document on each person on the official service list for the project. Further, if an intervener 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.

k. The project consists of five developments and appurtenant facilities. The Post Falls development consists of the 48,000-acre Coeur d'Alene Lake with a useable storage capacity of 223,100 acre-feet; a 431-foot-long and 31-foot-high spillway dam across the north channel, a 127-foot-long and 25-foot-high spillway dam across the south channel, and a 215-foot-long and 64-foot-high dam across the middle channel and forming the east wall of the powerhouse; six 56-foot-long penstocks; and a powerhouse with an installed capacity of 15 megawatts (MW).

The Upper Falls development consists of a 366-foot-long, 39-foot-high dam at 1,871 feet elevation; an 800-acre-foot reservoir; a channel leading to an intake structure; a 350-foot-long penstock, and a powerhouse with an installed capacity of 10 MW.

The Monroe Street development consists of a 240-foot-long, 24-foot-high dam with crest elevation of 1,806 feet; a 30-acre-foot reservoir; a 435-foot-long penstock; and an underground powerhouse with an installed capacity of 14.82 MW.

The Nine Mile development consists of a 464-foot-long, 58-foot-high dam with a crest elevation of 1596.6 feet without flashboards and 1606.6 feet with flashboards; a reservoir with 4,600 acre-feet of storage capacity; and a powerhouse with an installed capacity of 26 MW.

The Long Lake development consists of a 593-foot-long, 247-foot-high dam; a 108,080-acre-foot reservoir with a normal pool elevation of 1,536 feet; four 216-foot-long penstocks, and a powerhouse with an installed capacity of 71 MW.

l. Scoping Process: Avista Corporation (Avista) is using the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's (Commission) alternative licensing process (ALP). Under the ALP, Avista will prepare an Applicant Prepared Environmental Assessment (APEA) and license application for the Spokane River Hydroelectric Project.

Avista expects to file with the Commission, the APEA and the license application for the Spokane River Hydroelectric Project by July 31, 2005. Although Avista's intent is to prepare an EA, there is the possibility that an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) will be required. Nevertheless, this meeting will satisfy the NEPA scoping requirements, irrespective of whether an EA or EIS is issued by the Commission.

The purpose of this notice is to inform you of the opportunity to participate in the upcoming scoping meetings identified below, and to solicit your scoping comments.

Scoping Meetings

Avista will hold two scoping meetings, one in the daytime and one in the evening, to help us identify the scope of issues to be addressed in the APEA.

The daytime scoping meeting will focus on resource agency concerns, while the evening 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 environmental issues that should be analyzed in the APEA. The times and locations of these meetings are as follows:

Daytime meeting	Evening meeting
Tuesday, June 3, 2003, 2 p.m	Tuesday, June 3, 2003, 6:30 p.m.
Avista Corporation, 1411 E. Mission St., Spokane, Washington	Avista Corporation, 1411 E. Mission St., Spokane, Washington.

To help focus discussions, Scoping Document 1 was mailed on about May 6, 2003, outlining the subject areas to be addressed in the APEA to the parties on the mailing list. Copies of the SD1 also will be available at the scoping meetings. SD1 is available for review at the Commission in the Public Reference Room or may be viewed on the Commission's Web site at http://www.ferc.gov using the “FERRIS” link. Enter the docket number excluding the last three digits in the docket number field to access the document. For assistance, contact FERC Online Support at [e-mail] or toll-free at 1-866-208-3676, or for TTY, [phone].

Register online at http://www.ferc.gov /esubscribenow.htm to be notified via email of new filings and issuances related to this or other pending projects. For assistance, contact FERC Online Support.

Based on all written comments received, a Scoping Document 2 (SD2) may be issued. SD2 will include a revised list of issues, based on the scoping sessions.

Objectives

At the scoping meetings, Avista will: (1) Summarize the environmental issues tentatively identified for analysis in the APEA; (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 APEA, including viewpoints in opposition to, or in support of, the staff's preliminary views; (4) determine the resource issues to be addressed in the APEA; and (5) identify those issues that require a detailed analysis, as well as those issues that do not require a 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, organizations, and agencies with environmental expertise and concerns are encouraged to attend the meetings and to assist Avista in defining and clarifying the issues to be addressed in the APEA.

Magalie R. Salas,

Secretary.