96-16075. Washington Water Power; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement and Conduct Public Scoping Meetings and a Site Visit  

  • [Federal Register Volume 61, Number 123 (Tuesday, June 25, 1996)]
    [Notices]
    [Page 32795]
    From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
    [FR Doc No: 96-16075]
    
    
    
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    DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
    [Project Nos. 2058 and 2075]
    
    
    Washington Water Power; Notice of Intent To Prepare an 
    Environmental Impact Statement and Conduct Public Scoping Meetings and 
    a Site Visit
    
    June 19, 1996.
        The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is reviewing a 
    proposal to relicense and continue operating the Cabinet Gorge (FERC 
    Project No. 2058) and Noxon Rapids (FERC Project No. 2075) in Bonner 
    County, Idaho and Sanders County, Montana. The projects are partially 
    located on federal lands managed by the Idaho Panhandle, Kootenai, and 
    Lolo National Forest.
        Relicensing these projects could constitute a major federal action 
    significantly affecting the quality of the human environment. 
    Therefore, the FERC intends to prepare an Environmental Impact 
    Statement (EIS) on the projects in accordance with the National 
    Environmental Policy Act of 1969, and the Commission's regulations. The 
    EIS will objectively consider both site-specific and cumulative 
    environmental impacts of the projects and reasonable alternatives, and 
    will include an economic and engineering analysis.
        A Draft EIS will be circulated for review and comment by all 
    interested parties, and FERC staff will hold a public meeting on the 
    Draft EIS. FERC staff will consider and respond to comments received on 
    the Draft EIS in the final EIS. The FERC staff's conclusions and 
    recommendations will then be presented for the consideration of the 
    Commission in reaching its final licensing decision.
        Scoping: Interested citizens, non-governmental organizations, local 
    governments, state and federal agencies, Indian tribes, and any other 
    interested parties are invited to comment on the scope of the 
    environmental issues that should be analyzed in the EIS. Scoping will 
    help ensure that all significant issues related to this proposal are 
    addressed in the EIS.
        FERC staff will conduct three scoping meetings as follows: (1) a 
    scoping meeting oriented towards the public will begin at 7:00 p.m. on 
    July 15 at the Sandpoint High School, 410 South Division Street, 
    Sandpoint, Idaho; (2) a scoping meeting oriented towards the agencies 
    will begin at 1:00 p.m. on July 16 at the Noxon Public School, 25 
    Railroad Road, Noxon, Montana; and (3) a scoping meeting oriented 
    towards the public will begin at 7:00 p.m. on July 16 at the Noxon 
    Public School. The public and agencies may attend any meeting.
        Objectives: At the scoping meetings, FERC staff will (1) identify 
    preliminary environmental issues related to the proposed projects; (2) 
    attempt to identify preliminary resource issues that are not important 
    and do not require detailed analysis; (3) identify reasonable 
    alternatives to be addressed in the EIS; (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 EIS, including points 
    of view in opposition to, or in support of, the staff's preliminary 
    views.
        Procedures: The meetings will be recorded by a court reporter and 
    all statements (oral and written) will become a part of the official 
    record of the Commission proceedings for the relicensing of the Cabinet 
    Gorge and Noxon Rapids Projects. Individuals presenting statements at 
    the meetings will be asked to clearly identify themselves for the 
    record.
        To help focus discussions at the scoping meeting, the FERC will 
    mail a scoping document, outlining subject areas to be addressed in the 
    EIS, to all entities on the projects' mailing lists. Copies of the 
    scoping document will also be available at the scoping meetings.
        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 the Office of the 
    Secretary, Dockets Room 1A, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 
    First Street, NE, Washington, D.C., 20426, until August 19, 1996. All 
    written correspondence should clearly show the following caption on the 
    first page: Cabinet Gorge (No. 2058) and Noxon Rapids (No. 2075) 
    Hydroelectric Projects.
        Site Visit: There will also be a tour of the projects on July 18, 
    1996. Those who wish to attend should contact Ms. Kathy Krueger of 
    Washington Water Power at (406) 847-2729 by July 9th to sign up. 
    Attendees will meet at the Noxon Public School parking lot at 8:00 a.m.
        For Further Information Contact: Joe Davis, FERC, Office of 
    Hydropower Licensing (202) 219-2865.
    Lois D. Cashell,
    Secretary.
    [FR Doc. 96-16075 Filed 6-24-96; 8:45 am]
    BILLING CODE 6717-01-M
    
    

Document Information

Published:
06/25/1996
Department:
Energy Department
Entry Type:
Notice
Document Number:
96-16075
Pages:
32795-32795 (1 pages)
Docket Numbers:
Project Nos. 2058 and 2075
PDF File:
96-16075.pdf