[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 2 (Tuesday, January 4, 1994)]
[Notices]
[Pages 302-303]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-33]
[[Page Unknown]]
[Federal Register: January 4, 1994]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Project Nos. 2315, 2331, 2332]
South Carolina Electric & Gas Co. and Duke Power Co.; Notice of
Intent to Prepare an Environmental Assessment and Conduct Public
Scoping Meetings and Site Visit
December 28, 1993.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has received
applications for relicensing of the existing Gaston Shoals Project,
Project No. 2332, Ninety-nine Islands Project, Project No. 2331, and
Neal Shoals Project, Project No. 2315. All the projects are located on
the Broad River. Gaston Shoals and Ninety-nine Islands are located near
Gaffney, South Carolina. Neal Shoals is located near Carlisle, South
Carolina.
The FERC staff intends to prepare a Multiple Environmental
Assessment (MEA) on the hydroelectric projects in accordance with the
National Environmental Policy Act.
The MEA will consider both site-specific and cumulative
environmental impacts of the projects and reasonable alternatives, and
will include an economic and engineering analysis.
A draft MEA will be issued and circulated for review by all
interested parties. All comments filed on the draft MEA will be
analyzed by the staff and considered in the final MEA. The staff's
conclusions and recommendations will then be presented for the
consideration of the Commission in reaching its final licensing
decision.
Scoping Meetings
Two scoping meetings will be conducted:
February 2, 1994, 10 a.m., U.S. Forest Service, 3557 Whitmire Highway
Union, South Carolina
February 2, 1994, 7 p.m., the theater at Chester Park Elementary,
School Complex Highway Number 9, Chester, South Carolina.
Interested individuals, organizations, and agencies are invited to
attend either or both meetings and assist the staff in identifying the
scope of environmental issues that should be analyzed in the MEA. The
morning meeting is oriented toward the resource agencies and the
evening meeting toward the public.
To help focus discussions at the meetings, a scoping document
outlining subject areas to be addressed in the MEA will be mailed to
agencies, organizations, and interested individuals on the FERC mailing
list. Copies of the scoping document will also be available at the
scoping meetings.
Objectives
At the scoping meeting, the FERC staff will: (1) identify
preliminary environmental issues related to the proposed projects; (2)
identify preliminary resource issues that are not important and do not
require detailed analysis; (3) identify reasonable alternatives to be
addressed in the MEA; (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 MEA, including points of view in
opposition to, or in support of, the staff's preliminary views.
Procedures
Individuals, organizations, and agencies with environmental
expertise and concerns are encouraged to attend the meetings and assist
the staff in defining and clarifying the issues to be addressed in the
MEA.
Persons choosing not to speak at the meetings but who have views on
issues or information relevant to the issues may submit written
statements for inclusion in the public record at the meeting. In
addition, written comments may be filed with the Secretary, Federal
Energy Regulatory Commission, 825 North Capitol Street, NE.,
Washington, DC 20426, until March 4, 1994.
All written correspondence should clearly show the following
caption on the first page: Gaston Shoals Project, FERC No. 2332,
Ninety-nine Islands Project, FERC No. 2331, and Neal Shoals Project,
FERC No. 2315.
Intervenors--those on the Commission's service list for this
proceeding (parties)--are reminded of the Commission's Rules of
Practice and Procedure, requiring parties filing documents with the
Commission to serve a copy of the document on each person whose name
appears on the official service list. Further, if a party or interceder
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.
Site Visit
A site visit to the Gaston Shoals, Ninety-nine Islands and Neal
Shoals Projects is planned for February 1, 1994. Those who wish to
attend should plan to meet at the Gaston Shoals Powerhouse at 9:30 A.M.
Any questions regarding the site visit or this notice should be
directed to Tim Looney at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission,
Office of Hydropower Licensing, 825 North Capitol Street, NE.,
Washington, DC 20426, (202) 219-2852.
Lois D. Cashell,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 94-33 Filed 1-3-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P