[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 206 (Monday, October 26, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Page 57116]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-28575]



[[Page 57116]]

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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Project No. 637]


Public Utility District No. 1 of Chelan County, Washington; 
Notice of Scoping Meetings and Project Facilities Tour Pursuant to the 
National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 for an Applicant Prepared 
Environmental Assessment

October 20, 1998.
    The Commission's regulations allow applicants the option of 
preparing their own Environmental Assessment (EA) for hydropower 
projects, and filing the EA with their application as part of an 
alternative licensing procedure.\1\ On July 6, 1998 the Commission 
approved the use of an alternative licensing procedure in the 
preparation of a new license application for Public Utility District 
No. 1 of Chelan County's (Chelan PUD), Lake Chelan Project, No. 637.
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    \1\ 81 FERC para. 61,103 (1997).
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    The alternative procedures include provisions for the distribution 
of an initial information package, and for the cooperative scoping of 
environmental issues and needed studies. On October 5, 1998, Chelan PUD 
distributed their initial information package which included an initial 
consultation document (ICD) and Scoping Document 1 (SD1).\2\ Three 
public meetings will be held to discuss these documents.
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    \2\ Copies of these documents can be obtained by calling Rosana 
Sokolowski at 509-663-8121 or via the Chelan PUD web site located at 
http://www.chelanpud.org/relicense.
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ICD Meeting and Project Tour

    Chelan PUD will hold a public meeting to discuss their ICD on 
November 18, 1998. In this meeting, Chelan PUD will give an overview of 
the existing project facilities and operation, discuss what is 
currently known about environmental resources at the project, and 
discuss how those resources are currently being managed. A project 
facilities tour will also be conducted on the same day. The tour will 
include stops at the dam, powerhouse, and the lower end of the project 
bypassed reach.
    The times and locations of the ICD meeting and project facilities 
tour are:

Initial Information Meeting

November 18, 1998, 10:00 am to 1:00 pm, Carvel Resort, 322 West Woodin 
Avenue, Chelan, WA 98816, (509) 682-2582

Project Facilities Tour

November 18, 1998, 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm, Meet at north side of the 
project dam (for more information call Gregg Carrington at (509) 663-
8121)

Scoping Meetings

    Chelan PUD will hold public scoping meetings on November 18 and 19, 
1998, pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969. 
At the scoping meetings, Chelan PUD will: (1) summarize the 
environmental issues tentatively identified for analysis in the EA; (2) 
outline any resources they believe would not require a detailed 
analysis; (3) identify reasonable alternatives to be addressed in the 
EA; (4) solicit from the meeting participants all available 
information, especially quantitative data, on the resources at issue; 
and (5) encourage statements from experts and the public on issues that 
should be analyzed in the EA.
    Although Chelan PUD's intent is to prepare an EA, there is the 
possibility that an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) will be 
required. Nevertheless, this meeting will satisfy the NEPA scoping 
requirements, irrespective of whether an EA or EIS is issued by the 
Commission.
    The times and locations of the scoping meetings are:

Evening Scoping Meeting

November 18, 1998, 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm, Caravel Resort, 322 West Woodin 
Avenue, Chelan, WA 98816, (509) 682-2582

Morning Scoping Meeting

November 19, 1998, 10:00 am to 1:00 pm, Caravel Resort, 322 West Woodin 
Avenue, Chelan, WA 98816, (509) 682-2582

    All interested individuals, organizations, and agencies are invited 
and encouraged to attend any or all of the meetings to assist in 
identifying and clarifying the scope of environmental issues that 
should be analyzed in the EA.

Scoping Meeting Procedures

    The meetings will be conducted according to the procedures used at 
Commission scoping meetings. Because this meeting will be a NEPA 
scoping meeting under the APEA process, the Commission does not intend 
to conduct a NEPA scoping meeting after Chelan PUD's application and EA 
are filed with the Commission. Instead, Commission staff will attend 
the meetings on November 18 and 19, 1998.

Commenting Deadline

    Both scoping meetings will be recorded by a stenographer, and the 
transcripts will become part of the formal record of the proceedings 
for this project. Those who choose not to speak during the scoping 
meetings may instead submit written comments on the project. Written 
comments should be mailed or e-mailed to: Mr. Gregg Carrington, Public 
Utility District No. 1 of Chelan County, Washington, P.O. Box 1231, 
Wenatchee, WA 98807-1231, [email protected].
    All correspondence should be postmarked no later than January 19, 
1999. Comments should show the following caption on the first page: 
Scoping Comments, Lake Chelan Hydroelectric Project, Project No. 637.
    For further information please contact Gregg Carrington of Chelan 
PUD at (509) 663-8121 or Vince Yearick of the Commission at (202) 291-
3073.
Linwood A. Watson, Jr.,
Acting Secretary.
[FR Doc. 98-28575 Filed 10-23-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M