98-14064. Public Utility District No. 1 of Chelan County, Washington; Notice of Public Utility District No. 1 of Chelan County's Request to Use Alternative Procedures in Filing a License Application

[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 102 (Thursday, May 28, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 29198-29199]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-14064]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Project No. 637]


Public Utility District No. 1 of Chelan County, Washington; 
Notice of Public Utility District No. 1 of Chelan County's Request to 
Use Alternative Procedures in Filing a License Application

May 21, 1998.
    By letter dated May 1, 1998, Public Utility District No. 1 of 
Chelan County (Chelan PUD) asked to use an alternative procedure in 
filing an application for a new major license for its Lake Chelan 
Project No. 637.\1\ Chelan PUD has demonstrated that they made a 
reasonable effort to contact the resource agencies, Indian tribes, non-
governmental organizations (NGOs), and others who may be affected by 
their proposal, and have submitted a communication protocol governing 
how participants in the proposed process may communicate with each 
other. Chelan PUD has also submitted several letters of support for 
their proposal, and it appears that a consensus exists that the use of 
an alternative procedure is appropriate in this case.
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    \1\ The 48-megawatt project consists of a 40-foot high dam on 
the Chelan River at the lower end of Lake Chelan, a 2-mile long 
steel and concrete tunnel, and a powerhouse located near the 
confluence of the Chelan and Columbia Rivers.
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    The purpose of this notice is to invite any additional comments on 
Chelan PUD's request to use the alternative procedure, as required 
under the final rule for Regulations for the Licensing of Hydroelectric 
Projects.\2\ Additional notices seeking comments on the specific 
project proposal, interventions and protests, and recommended terms and 
conditions will be issued at a later date.
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    \2\ 81 FERC 61,103 (1997).
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    The alternative procedure being requested here combines the 
prefiling consultation process with the environmental review process, 
allowing the applicant to file an Applicant-Prepared Environmental 
Assessment (APEA) in lieu of Exhibit E of the license application. This 
differs from the traditional process, in which the 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 review after the application is filed. 
The alternative procedure is 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. The alternative procedure can be tailored to 
the particular project under consideration.

APEA Process and the Lake Chelan Project Schedule

    Chelan PUD has begun working collaboratively with the various 
interested entities to identify issues that will need to be addressed 
and studies that will need to be conducted in relicensing the project. 
Several meetings are scheduled for May and June of this year with 
initial studies to be conducted during the 1998 summer season. Public 
scoping meetings are tentatively planned for November 1998. Notice of 
the scoping meetings will be published at least 30 days prior to the 
meetings.
    Additional studies may be conducted during the summers of 1999 and 
2000. Opportunities for requesting additional

[[Page 29199]]

studies will be noticed at least 30 days prior to any study request 
deadline. A draft license application with preliminary APEA would be 
distributed for comment in January 2001. The final license application 
and APEA must be filed with the Commission on March 31, 2004, two years 
before the expiration date on the existing license. A more detailed 
schedule and project description may be found at Chelan PUD's web site, 
located at hhtp://www.chelanpud.org/relicense/.

Comments

    Interested parties have 30 days from the date of this notice to 
file with the Commission, any comments on Chelan PUD's proposal to use 
the alternative procedures to file an application for the Lake Chelan 
Hydroelectric Project.

Filing Requirements

    Any comments must be filed by providing an original and 8 copies as 
required by the Commission's 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 Procedure,'' and include the project name and number (Lake 
Chelan Hydroelectric Project, No. 637). For further information, please 
contact Vince Yearick at [phone] or e-mail at 
[e-mail].
David P. Boergers,
Acting Secretary.
[FR Doc. 98-14064 Filed 5-27-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M