[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 89 (Friday, May 8, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 25464-25465]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-12257]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Project Nos. 2927-004 and 2928-004]
Aquamac Corporation and Merrimac Paper Company Inc.; Notice of
Intent To Conduct Public Scoping Meetings and Site Visit
May 4, 1998.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission or FERC),
received an application from the Aquamac Corporation (Aquamac) to
relicense the Aquamac Hydroelectric Project No. 2927-004. This 250
kilowatt project is located on the Merrimack River in the City of
Lawrence in Essex County, Massachusetts. The Commission also received
an application from the Merrimac Paper Company, Inc. (Merrimac), to
relicense the Merrimac Hydroelectric Project No. 2928-004. This 1,250
kilowatt project is also located on the Merrimack River in the City of
Lawrence in Essex County, Massachusetts. The Commission will hold
public and agency scoping meetings on May 18 and 19, 1998,
respectively, for preparation of a Multiple Project Environmental
Assessment (MPEA) under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA),
for the issuance of minor licenses for the projects.
Scoping Meetings
FERC staff will conduct one evening scoping meeting and one day
scoping meeting. The day scoping meeting will focus on resource agency
and non-governmental organization (NGO) 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 scope
of the environmental issues that will be analyzed in the MPEA. The
times and locations of these meetings are as follows:
Evening Scoping Meeting
Date: Monday, May 18, 1998.
Time: From 7:00 p.m. until 10:00 p.m.
Place: Merrimac Paper Company Conference Room.
Address: 9 South Canal Street, Lawrence, Massachusetts.
Day Scoping Meeting
Date: Tuesday, May 19, 1998.
Time: From 10:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m.
Place: Merrimac Paper Company Conference Room.
Address: 9 South Canal Street, Lawrence, Massachusetts.
To help focus discussions, we will distribute a Scoping Document
(SD1) outlining the subject areas to be addressed at the meeting to the
parties on the Commission's mailing list. Copies of the SD1 also will
be available at the scoping meetings.
Site Visits
The Applicant and FERC staff will conduct a project site visit
beginning at 1:00 p.m. on May 18, 1998. All interested individuals,
organizations, and agencies are invited to attend. All participants
should meet at the Merrimac Paper Company office at 9 South Canal
Street in Lawrence. All participants are responsible for their own
transportation to the site. Anyone with questions about the site visit
should contact Mr. Ed Roux of Merrimac Paper at (978) 683-2754.
Objectives
At the scoping meetings, the staff will: (1) summarize the
environmental issues tentatively identified for analysis in the MPEA;
(2) solicit from meeting participants all available information,
especially quantifiable data, on the resources at issue; (3) encourage
[[Page 25465]]
statements from experts and the public on issues that should be
analyzed in the MPEA, including viewpoints in opposition to, or in
support of, the staff's preliminary views; (4) determine the relative
depth of analysis for issues to be addressed in the MPEA; and (5)
identify resource issues that are of lesser importance, and therefore,
do not require detailed analysis.
Procedures
The meetings will be recorded by a stenographer and will become
part of the formal record of the Commission proceedings on the project.
Individuals presenting statements at the meetings will be asked to sign
in before the meeting starts and to clearly identify themselves for the
record. Speaking time for attendees at the meetings may be determined
before the meeting, based on the number of persons wishing to speak and
the approximate amount of time available for the session. All speakers
will be provided at least 5 minutes to present their views.
Individuals, organizations, and agencies with environmental
expertise and concerns are encouraged to attend the meetings and to
assist the staff in defining and clarifying the issues to be addressed
in the MPEA.
Persons choosing not to speak at the meetings, but who have views
on the issues, may submit written statements for inclusion in the
public record at the meeting. In addition, written scoping comments may
be filed with the Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888
First Street, NE, Washington, DC 20426, until June 22, 1998. All
filings should contain an original and eight copies, and must clearly
show at the top of the first page ``Aquamac Hydroelectric Project FERC
No. 2927--004.''; ``Merrimac Hydroelectric Project FERC No. 2928--
004''; or both.
For further information, please contact Tim Berry at (202) 219-2790
or [email protected]
Linwood A. Watson, Jr.,
Acting Secretary.
[FR Doc. 98-12257 Filed 5-7-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M
