03-20003. Notice of Application Tendered for Filing With the Commission, Soliciting Additional Study Requests, and Establishing Procedural Schedule for Relicensing and a Deadline for Submission of Final Amendments

July 31, 2003.

Take notice that the following hydroelectric application has been filed with the Commission and is available for public inspection.

a. Type of Application: New Major License.

b. Project No.: 1971-079.

c. Date Filed: July 21, 2003.

d. Applicant: Idaho Power Company.

e. Name of Project: Hells Canyon Hydropower Project.

f. Location: On the Snake River in Washington and Adams, Counties, Idaho; and Wallowa and Baker Counties, Oregon. About 5,270 acres of federal lands administered by the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management (Payette and Wallowa-Whitman National Forests and Hells Canyon National Recreational Area) are included within the project boundary.

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

h. Applicant Contact: Mr. Robert W. Stahman, Vice President, Secretary, and General Counsel, Idaho Power Company, PO Box 70, Boise, Idaho 83707.

i. FERC Contact: Alan Mitchnick, [phone]; [e-mail].

j. Cooperating agencies: We are asking Federal, state, local, and tribal agencies with jurisdiction and/or special expertise with respect to environmental issues to cooperate with us in the preparation of the environmental document. Agencies who would like to request cooperating status should follow the instructions for filing comments described in item l below.

k. Pursuant to section 4.32(b)(7) of 18 CFR of the Commission's regulations, if any resource agency, Indian Tribe, or person believes that an additional scientific study should be conducted in order to form an adequate factual basis for a complete analysis of the application on its merit, the resource agency, Indian Tribe, or person must file a request for a study with the Commission not later than 60 days from the date of filing of the application, and serve a copy of the request on the applicant.

l. Deadline for filing additional study requests and requests for cooperating agency status: September 19, 2003.

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.

Additional study requests 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. After logging into the e-Filing system, select “Comment on Filing” from the Filing Type Selection screen and continue with the filing process.

The Commission's Rules of Practice require all intervenors 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 intervenor 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.

m. This application is not ready for environmental analysis at this time.

n. The existing Hells Canyon Project consists of three developments: Brownlee Development consists of a 395-foot-high earth and rockfill dam, a 14,621-acre impoundment, and a powerhouse with five generating units producing 585.4 megawatts (MW); Oxbow Development consists of a 209-foot-high earth and rockfill dam, a 1,150-acre impoundment, and a powerhouse with four generating units producing 460 MW; and Hells Canyon Development consists of a 320-foot-high concrete gravity dam, a 2,412-acre impoundment, and a powerhouse with three generating units producing 391.5 MW. Idaho Power also operates four fish hatcheries and four adult fish traps. Idaho Power proposes to exclude 11 of 12 existing transmission lines from the project.

o. A copy of the application 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]. A copy is also available for inspection and reproduction at the address in item h above.

You may also 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.

p. With this notice, we are initiating consultation with the Idaho STATE HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICER (SHPO), as required by “106, National Historic Preservation Act, and the regulations of the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, 36 CFR 800.4.

q. Procedural schedule and final amendments: The application will be processed according to the following Hydro Licensing Schedule. Revisions to the schedule will be made as appropriate.

Issue Acceptance letter: October 2003.

Issue Scoping Document 1 for comments: October 2003.

Request additional information: November 2003.

Issue Scoping Document 2: February 2004.

Notice of application is ready for environmental analysis: March 2004.

Notice of the availability of the draft EIS: September 2004.

Notice of the availability of the final EIS: April 2005.

Ready for Commission's decision on the application: July 2005.

The schedule will be revised based on need for correction of deficiencies and need for additional information.

Final amendments to the application must be filed with the Commission no later than 30 days from the issuance date of the notice of ready for environmental analysis.

Linda Mitry,

Acting Secretary.