[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 34 (Thursday, February 20, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7768-7769]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-4125]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
[Project No. 1984-056-Wisconsin; Project No. 11162-002]


Wisconsin River Power Co. & Wisconsin Power & Light Co.; Notice 
of Intent to Conduct Public Scoping Meetings and Site Visits

February 13, 1997.
    The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or the Commission) 
will hold public and agency scoping meetings on March 4, 6, and 7, 
1997, for the preparation of an Environmental Assessment (EA) under the 
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for the proposed relicensing 
of the Petenwell/Castle Rock Project No. 1984-056, and the issuance of 
an original license for the Prairie du Sac Project No. 11162-002. The 
two projects are located on the lower Wisconsin River in Dane, Sauk, 
Columbia, Adams, Juneau, and Wood Counties, Wisconsin.
    In the December 31, 1996, Federal Register, the Commission 
published a notice of its intent to prepare an EA for the above listed 
projects.

Scoping Meetings

    FERC staff will conduct two public scoping meetings and one agency 
scoping meeting. The public scoping meetings are primarily for public 
input while the agency scoping meeting will focus on resource agency 
and non-governmental organization (NGO) concerns. All interested 
individuals, organizations, and agencies are invited to attend one or 
all of the meetings, and assist the staff in identifying the scope of 
the environmental issues that should be analyzed in the EA. The times 
and locations of these meetings are as follows:

Public Scoping Meeting 1, Tuesday March 4, 1997, 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 
p.m., Prairie du Sac Village Hall, 280

[[Page 7769]]

Washington Street, Prairie du Sac, WI 53578
Public Scoping Meeting 2, Thursday March 6, 1997, 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 
p.m., Adams-Columbia Electric Cooperative, 401 E. Lake Street, 
Friendship, WI
Agency Scoping Meeting, Friday March 7, 1997, 8:30 a.m., Holiday Inn, 
655 Frontage Road--Exit 87, Wisconsin Dells, WI 53965

    To help focus discussions, a preliminary scoping document (Scoping 
Document 1) outlining subject areas to be addressed at the meeting will 
be distributed by mail to the parties on the FERC mailing list for each 
project. Copies of Scoping Document 1 will also be available at the 
scoping meetings.

Site Visits

    Site visits will be held at the two projects; anyone with questions 
regarding the site visits should contact the appropriate contact person 
below. All participants must furnish their own transportation. The date 
and time of the site visits are as follows:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
           Date/Time               Project/Dev.           Contact       
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Monday March 3, 1997, 2:00      Prairie du Sac...  Linda Hinseth, WPLCo,
 p.m..                                              (608) 252-3341.     
Tuesday March 4, 1997, 8:30     Prairie du Sac...  Linda Hinseth, WPLCo,
 a.m..                                              (608) 252-3341.     
Wednesday March 5, 1997, 8:30   Castle Rock        Dick Hilliker, WRPCo,
 a.m..                           Development.       (715) 422-3722.     
Thursday March 6, 1997, 8:30    Petenwell          Dick Hilliker, WRPCo,
 a.m..                           Development.       (715) 422-3722.     
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The location of the site visits will be as follows:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
              Project/Dev.                           Location           
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Prairie du Sac.........................  Wisconsin Power and Light Co.  
                                          Prairie du Sac Dam Site       
                                          Directions: From STH 78, turn 
                                          east on Dam Road, continue    
                                          east to project site.         
Castle Rock............................  Castle Rock Development Dam    
                                          Site Wisconsin River Power Co.
                                          Directions: From CTH Z, travel
                                          west on Edgewood Dr. to dam   
                                          access road, continue west to 
                                          project site.                 
Petenwell..............................  Petenwell Development Dam Site 
                                          Wisconsin River Power Co.     
                                          Directions: From STH 21,      
                                          travel north on 18th Ave., to 
                                          dam access road, continue     
                                          north to project site.        
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Objectives

    At the scoping meetings, the staff will: (1) summarize the 
environmental issues tentatively identified for analysis in the planned 
EA; (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 EA, 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 EA; and 
(5) identify resource issues that are of lesser importance, and, 
therefore, 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 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. Speaking time for attendees at the 
evening meetings will be determined before the meeting, based on the 
number of persons wishing to speak and the approximate amount of time 
available for the session. All speakers will be provided at least 5 
minutes to present their views.
    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 EA.
    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 field with the Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 
First Street, N.E., Washington, DC 20426. All such filings should 
conform with the requirements outlined in detail in Scoping Document 1.
    For further information, please contact Frank Karwoski of (202) 
219-2782.
Linwood A. Watson, Jr.,
Acting Secretary.
[FR Doc. 97-4125 Filed 2-19-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M