Subject: Notice of Scoping Meeting and Soliciting Scoping Comments
  
[Federal Register: October 2, 2001 (Volume 66, Number 191)]
[Notices]
[Page 50181-50182]
>From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr02oc01-35]

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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

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

September 26, 2001.
    a. Type of Application: Alternative Licensing Process.
    b. Project No.: 2100.
    c. Applicant: Department of Water Resources (DWR).
    d. Name of Project: Oroville Hydroelectric Project (also known as 
the Feather River Project).
    e. Location: On the Feather River, in Butte County, California. The 
project occupies federal lands within the Plumas and Lassen National 
Forests.
    f. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act, 16 U.S.C. 791(a)-825(r).
    g. Applicant Contact: Rick Ramirez, State Water Project Analysis 
Office at (916) 653-6408.
    h. FERC Contact: Jim Fargo, at (202) 219-2848 or 
<A HREF="mailto:james.fargo@ferc.fed.us">james.fargo@ferc.fed.us</A>.
    j. Deadline for filing scoping comments: November 29, 2001.
    All documents (original and eight copies) should be filed with: 
David P. Boergers, 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. See 18 CFR 
385.2001(a)(1)(iii) and the instructions on the Commission's web site 
(<A HREF="http://www.ferc.gov">http://www.ferc.gov</A>) 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 Oroville facilities consist of the existing Oroville Dam and 
Reservoir, the Edward Hyatt Powerplant, Thermalito Powerplant, 
Thermalito Diversion Dam Powerplant, Thermalito Forebay and Afterbay, 
and associated recreational and fish and wildlife facilities. The 
project has a total installed capacity of 762,000 kilowatts.

1. Scoping Process

    DWR is using the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's 
(Commission) alternative licensing process (ALP). Under the ALP, DWR 
will prepare an Applicant Prepared Environmental Assessment (APEA) and 
license application for the Oroville Hydroelectric Project.
    DWR expects to file with the Commission the APEA and the license 
application for the Oroville Hydroelectric Project by January 2005.
    The purpose of this notice is to inform you of the opportunity to 
participate in the upcoming scoping meetings identified below, and to 
ask for your scoping comments.

Scoping Meetings

    DWR and the Commission staff will hold two scoping meetings, one in 
the evening and one in the afternoon, to help us identify the scope of 
issues to be addressed in the APEA.
    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:

[[Page 50182]]

Evening Meeting

Monday, October 29, 2001, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., State Theater, 1498 Myers 
Street Oroville, California

Afternoon Meeting

Tuesday, October 30, 2001, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., Secretary of State 
Building auditorium, 1500 11th Street Sacramento, California

    To help focus discussions, Scoping Document 1 was mailed in 
September 2001, 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 may also be viewed on the web at 
<A HREF="http://www.ferc.gov">http://www.ferc.gov</A> using the ``RIMS'' link--select ``Docket #'' and 
follow the instructions (call 202-208-2222 for assistance).
    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, the DWR and staff 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 collaborative'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 DWR in defining and clarifying the issues to be addressed in the 
APEA.

Linwood A. Watson, Jr.,
Acting Secretary.
[FR Doc. 01-24548 Filed 10-1-01; 8:45 am]
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