[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 102 (Friday, May 24, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 26174-26175]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-13125]



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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Western Area Power Administration


Sierra Nevada Region 2004 Power Marketing Program Draft 
Environmental Impact Statement

AGENCY: Western Area Power Administration, DOE.

ACTION: Notice of Availability and Notice of Public Hearing.

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SUMMARY: Western Area Power Administration's (Western) Sierra Nevada 
Customer Service Region announces that its 2004 Power Marketing Program 
Draft Environmental Impact Statement (draft EIS) is available for 
public review and comment. The Sierra Nevada Region will hold a public 
hearing to receive formal comments on the draft EIS at its Folsom, 
California office. The Sierra Nevada Region markets approximately 1,480 
megawatts (MW) of power from the Central Valley Project (CVP) in 
California and other sources, and available nonfirm energy from the 
Washoe Project. All existing long-term CVP power sales contracts expire 
on December 31, 2004. The Sierra Nevada Region needs to (1) determine 
the level and character of capacity, energy, and other services that 
will be marketed beyond 2004, and (2) establish eligibility and 
allocation criteria for the allocations of electric power resources to 
be marketed under contracts that will replace those expiring in 2004. 
The draft EIS has been prepared in compliance with the National 
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) (42 U.S.C. 4321, et seq.), the 
Council on Environmental Quality regulations for implementing

[[Page 26175]]

NEPA (40 CFR Parts 1500-1508), and the DOE regulations for compliance 
with NEPA (10 CFR Part 1021) to describe the potential environmental 
consequences of the range of reasonable marketing plan alternatives.
    The Sierra Nevada Region will accept written and oral comments 
during the public hearing, and a court reporter will record the 
proceedings. Those wishing to make oral comments will be asked to 
register at the door prior to the beginning of the hearing. The Sierra 
Nevada Region will respond to comments in the final EIS. There will be 
an informal public information session before the hearing to describe 
the results of the analysis outlined in the draft EIS. Interested 
persons can discuss aspects of the draft EIS with Sierra Nevada Region 
representatives at this session.

DATES AND ADDRESSES: The public information session and hearing will be 
held on June 13, 1996, at the Sierra Nevada Customer Service Region, 
114 Parkshore Drive, Folsom, California. The public information session 
will begin at 9 a.m., and the public hearing will begin an hour later 
at 10 a.m.
    Copies of the draft EIS have been distributed to interested parties 
on the EIS mailing list and to various reading rooms. Copies of the 
draft EIS and supporting documents are available for public review at 
the locations listed below:

Shasta County Public Library, Reference Desk, 1855 Shasta Street, 
Redding, CA 96001
Sacramento Public Library, Central Branch, Reference Desk, 828 ``I'' 
Street, Sacramento, CA 95814
Fresno Public Library, Reference Desk, 2420 Mariposa Street, Fresno, CA 
93721
University of California, Berkeley, General Library, Berkeley, CA 94720
Washoe Public Library, Reference Desk, 301 South Center Street, Reno, 
NV 89501
California State Library, Sacramento Branch, 914 Capital Mall, 
Sacramento, CA 95814
San Francisco Public Library, Civic Center (Main Library), Reference 
Desk, 100 Larkin Street, San Francisco, CA 94102

    Copies of the draft EIS and supporting documents are also available 
for public review at Western's offices at:

Sierra Nevada Region, 114 Parkshore Drive, Folsom, CA 95630
Corporate Services Office, 1627 Cole Boulevard, Building 19, Room 175, 
Golden, CO 80401
U.S. Department of Energy, Forrestal Building, Reading Room 1E-190, 
1000 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20585

    Referenced material is contained in the official project file 
located at the Sierra Nevada Regional Office at the above-listed 
address.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The Sierra Nevada Region maintains a 
mailing list of those interested in the 2004 Power Marketing Program 
EIS. For further information, to submit written comments, or to request 
a copy of the draft EIS, please call or write: Jerry W. Toeynes, 
Project Manager, Western Area Power Administration, Sierra Nevada 
Customer Service Region, 114 Parkshore Drive, Folsom, CA 95630-4710, 
(916) 353-4455.
    Written comments on the draft EIS may be sent to the Project 
Manager by July 31, 1996.
    For general information on DOE's NEPA review process, or for status 
on the review of a specific project, please contact: Carol M. 
Borgstrom, Director, Office of NEPA Policy and Assistance, EH-42, U.S. 
Department of Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue SW. Washington, DC 
20585, (202) 586-4600 or (800) 472-2756.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Sierra Nevada Region currently markets 
about 1,480 MW of long-term power to approximately 80 preference 
customers in northern and central California. Sources for this power 
include CVP powerplants, the Washoe Project powerplant at Stampede Dam, 
and other suppliers. Washoe Project power is sold as nonfirm energy. On 
December 31, 2004, all of the Sierra Nevada Region's long-term CVP 
power sales contracts will expire, along with its current resource 
integration and transmission contract with Pacific Gas and Electric 
Company. The Sierra Nevada Region is developing a 2004 Power Marketing 
Plan to analyze options for replacing the expiring contracts.
    The Sierra Nevada Region's power resources are also subject to 
change. Determination of the electric capacity and energy to be 
marketed will be influenced by expected generation at reservoirs which 
have water storage and releases controlled by the Bureau of 
Reclamation. Pursuant to Title 34 of Public Law 102-575, the CVP 
Improvement Act of 1992, the Department of the Interior is preparing a 
programmatic EIS addressing water facilities and potential changes in 
CVP water operations and allocations.
    On August 10 and 13, 1993, Western announced in the Federal 
Register (58 FR 42536 and 43105) its intent to prepare an EIS on the 
Sierra Nevada Region's electric power marketing activities extending 
beyond the year 2004. Following extensive public involvement and 
analysis, the draft EIS was prepared to analyze and describe the 
environmental consequences of a range of marketing plan alternatives. 
The Sierra Nevada Region developed four alternatives for analysis in 
the draft EIS that are structured around operations of the CVP 
hydroelectric system. The four alternatives are identified as No 
Action, Maximize Hydropower Peaking, Baseload, and Renewable Resource 
Acquisition. Each alternative includes possible power purchase and 
power cost analysis options. Also, an analysis of allocations to 
customer groups was done under each alternative to determine the range 
of impacts that may result from changing the quantity of resources 
available to different customer groups. The draft EIS evaluates the 
potential impacts of these alternatives, including no action, on water 
resources (water quality, temperature, pool fluctuation), biological 
resources, recreation, cultural resources, socioeconomic resources, air 
resources, solid wastes, and land use.
    The Sierra Nevada Region is actively seeking public input on the 
draft EIS in order to make a decision on a preferred alternative. No 
preferred alternative is identified in the draft EIS for this reason. A 
decision on a preferred alternative will be made after considering 
comments on the draft EIS, and that alternative will be recommended in 
the final EIS.

    Issued at Golden, Colorado, May 16, 1996.
J.M. Shafer,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 96-13125 Filed 5-23-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P