[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 211 (Wednesday, November 2, 1994)]
[Notices]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-27095]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: November 2, 1994]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
[Project Nos. 2323-012; 2334-001; Deerfield River, VT, MA]

 

New England Power Co. Western Massachusetts Electric Co.; Notice 
of Intention To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement and Conduct 
Public Scoping Meetings

October 27, 1994.
    The Federal Regulatory Commission (FERC) has received applications 
for two new licenses for the continued operation of the Deerfield River 
Project No. 2323, and the Gardners Falls Project No. 2334. The projects 
are located on the Deerfield River, in Windham and Bennington Counties, 
Vermont, and Franklin and Berkshire Counties, Massachusetts.
    The FERC staff has determined that licensing these projects would 
constitute a major federal action significantly affecting the quality 
of the human environment. Therefore, the staff intends to prepare an 
environmental impact statement (EIS) on the hydroelectric projects in 
accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act. The staff's EIS 
will objectively consider both site specific and cumulative 
environmental effects of the projects and reasonable alternatives, and 
will include an economic, financial and engineering analysis.
    A draft EIS will be issued and circulated for review by all 
interested parties. All comments filed on the draft EIS will be 
analyzed by the staff and considered in a final EIS. The staff's 
conclusions and recommendations will then be presented for the 
consideration of the Commission in reaching its final licensing 
decisions.

Scoping Meetings

    FERC staff will conduct three scoping meetings. The two evening 
scoping meetings, one each in Massachusetts and Vermont, are primarily 
for public input while the day-time meeting will focus on resource 
agency and non-governmental organization (NGO) concerns. All interested 
individuals, organizations, and agencies are invited to attend and 
assist the staff in identifying the scope of environmental issues that 
should be analyzed in the EIS.
    To help focus discussions, a preliminary scoping document outlining 
subject areas to be addressed at the meeting will be distributed by 
mail to interested parties on the FERC mailing list. Copies of the 
preliminary scoping document will also be available at the scoping 
meetings.
    The times and locations of the scoping meetings are as follows:

Massachusetts Public Scoping Meeting

Tuesday, November 15, 1994, 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., Mohawk Trail 
Regional High School, Buckland, Massachusetts

Vermont Public Scoping Meeting

Wednesday, November 16, 1994, 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., Wilmington High 
School, Wilmington, Vermont

Agency Scoping Meeting

Thursday, November 17, 1994, 9:00 a.m. to 12 noon, New England Power 
Company, Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts

Objectives

    At the scoping meetings, the staff will: (1) Summarize the 
environmental issues tentatively identified for analysis in the planned 
EIS; (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 EIS, 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 EIS, and 
(5) identify resource issues that are not important and 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 proceeding on the Deerfield 
River projects under consideration. Individuals presenting statements 
at the meetings will be asked to sign in before the meeting starts and 
to clearly identify themselves for the record.
    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 EIS.
    Participants wishing to make oral comments in the public meeting 
are asked to keep them to five minutes to allow everyone the 
opportunity to speak.
    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, 825 
North Capitol Street, NE, Washington, D.C. 20426. All correspondence 
should clearly show one or more of the following captions on the first 
page: Deerfield River Project No. 2323-012; and, Gardners Falls Project 
No. 2334-001.
    All those that are formally recognized by the Commission as 
intervenors in the Deerfield and Gardners Falls projects' proceedings 
are asked to refrain from engaging the staff in discussions of the 
merits of the projects outside of any announced meetings.
    Further, parties are reminded of the Commission's Rules of Practice 
and Procedure, which require parties filing documents with the 
Commission, to serve a copy of the document on each person whose name 
is on the official service list, including agents of the applicants.
    For further information, please contact Michael Dees at (202) 219-
2807.
Lois D. Cashell,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 94-27095 Filed 11-1-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M