[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 139 (Monday, July 21, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Page 38989]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-19056]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Project Nos. 11516, 11120-002, and 11300--Michigan]


Commonwealth Power Company; Notice of Intent to Conduct Public 
Scoping Meetings and Site Visits

July 15, 1997.
    The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or the Commission) 
will hold public and agency scoping meetings on July 28, 1997, for 
preparation of a Multiple Project Environmental Assessment (MPEA) under 
the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for the issuance of 
original licenses for the Irving, Middleville, and LaBarge Project Nos. 
11516, 11120-002, and 11300. The three projects are located on the 
Thornapple River in Barry and Kent Counties, Michigan.

Scoping Meetings

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

Agency Scoping Meeting, Tuesday, July 29, 1997, 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 
p.m., Caledonia Township Hall, 250 Maple Street, Caledonia, MI 
49316.
Public Scoping Meeting, Tuesday, July 29, 1997, 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 
p.m., Caledonia Township Hall, 250 Maple Street, Caledonia, MI 
49316.

    To help focus discussions, a scoping document (Revised Scoping 
Document 1--including all three projects) outlining subject areas to be 
addressed at the meeting will be distributed by mail to the parties on 
the FERC mailing list. Copies of the Revised Scoping Document 1 will 
also be available at the scoping meetings.

Site Visits

    Site visits will be held at the three 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                  Projects             Contact     
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Monday, July 28, 1997, 1:00 p.m.  Irving,             Bob Evans,        
                                   Middleville, and    Commonwealth     
                                   LaBarge.            Power (517) 676- 
                                                       0700.            
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    All participants should meet at the Caledonia Township Hall, 250 
Maple Street, Caledonia, Michigan, 49316.

Objectives

    At the scoping meetings, the staff will: (1) Summarize the 
environmental issues tentatively identified for analysis in the planned 
MPEA; (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 MPEA, 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 MPEA; 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 records 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, corporations, 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 MPEA.
    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, 888 
First Street, NE., Washington, DC 20426. All such filings should 
conform with the requirements outlined in detail in Revised Scoping 
Document 1.
    For further information, please contact Sue Cielinski at (202) 219-
2942.
Lois D. Cashell,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 97-19056 Filed 7-18-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M