[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 189 (Thursday, September 30, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Page 52781]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-25389]
[[Page 52781]]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Maine Project Nos. 2364 and 2365]
Madison Paper Industries; Notice of Scoping Meetings and Site
Visit and Soliciting Scoping Comments
September 24, 1999.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's (Commission) regulations
provide applicants with the option of preparing their own Environmental
Assessment (EA) for hydropower projects, and filing this applicant-
prepared EA (APEA) with their application as part of an alternative
licensing procedure.\1\ On July 1, 1999, Madison Paper Industries (MPI)
requested, approval to use the alternative relicensing procedure in
preparation of the license applications for the Anson (FERC No. 2365)
and the Abenaki (FERC No. 2364) Hydroelectric Projects. The Commission
approved MPI's request on September 10, 1999. The current licenses for
the projects expire on May 1, 2004.
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\1\ 81 FERC para. 61,103 (1997).
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In February 1999, MPI initiated a collaborative consultation
process with state and federal agencies, local interests, and non-
governmental organizations (NGOs), which have formed an APEA Team for
the alternative licensing procedures. MPI obtained support from the
participants involved in the collaborative process to pursue the APEA
process for the Anson and Abenaki Projects.
Based on APEA Team meetings and comments received from February
through August 1999, the MPI APEA Team has prepared Scoping Document I
(SDI), which provides information on the scoping process, APEA
schedule, background information, environmental issues, and proposed
project alternatives. In conjunction with the APEA Team, MPI has
prepared, and is distributing with SDI, a comprehensive Initial
Information Package (IIP) which describes in detail the alternative
process that MPI intends to use, the projects and their operations,
environmental resources potentially affected by the project, and
proposed studies.
Scoping Process
The purpose of the scoping process is to identify issues related to
the proposed Madison Paper Industries action and to determine what
issues should be addressed in the APEA. SDI is being circulated to
enable appropriate federal, state, and local resource agencies, Indian
tribes, NGOs, and other interested individuals and entities to
participate in the scoping process. SDI provides a brief description of
the proposed action, alternatives to the proposed action, and a list of
preliminary issues identified by the APEA Team.
Scoping Meeting and Site Visit
MPI will conduct two publics scoping meetings on October 21, 1999.
The times and locations of the scoping meeting are:
Afternoon Scoping Meeting
October 21, 1999, 1:00 PM, Madison Paper Industries Mill, Main
Street, Madison, Maine.
Evening Scoping Meeting
October 21, 1999, 6:00 PM, Madison Paper Industries Mill, Main
Street, Madison, Maine.
All interested individuals, organizations, and agencies are invited
and encouraged to attend either or both meetings to assist in
identifying and clarifying the scope of environmental issues that
should be analyzed in the APEA. For more details or a copy of SDI,
please contact David Lovley, MPI, (207) 696-1225. Copies of SDII and
the IIP will be available at both meetings.
A site tour, conducted by MPI, will begin at 9:00 AM, on October
21, 1999, and is expected to last about three hours. The site tour will
include the Anson and Abenaki Project works, including generating
facilities, the Abenaki bypassed reach, and project recreation
facilities (The Pines and Madison boat launch). Site tour participants
will meet at the security building at the Madison Paper Industries
Mill, Main Street, Madison, Maine. Transportation will be provided.
Those who wish to attend should contact David Lovley at (207) 696-1225,
before October 14, 1999.
Objectives
At the scoping meetings, MIP 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 Madison Paper
Industries 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 APEA.
Meeting Procedures
The meeting will be conducted consistent with the procedures used
at Commission scoping meetings. Because this meeting will be conducted
pursuant to a National Environmental Policy Act scoping meeting, the
Commission will not conduct another scoping meeting when the
application and APEA are filed with the Commission in early 2002.
Both meetings will be recorded by a stenographer and become a part
of the record of the Commission's relicensing proceedings on the Anson
and Abenaki Projects. Individuals presenting statements at the meetings
will be asked to identify themselves for the record. Speaking time
allowed for individuals will be determined before each meeting, based
on the number of persons wishing to speak and the approximate amount of
time available for the session. Persons choosing not to speak but
wishing to express an opinion, as well as speakers unable to summarize
their positions within their allotted time, may submit written
statements for inclusion in the record no later than December 21, 1999.
All comments should be submitted to: Mr. David Lovley, Madison
Paper Industries, P.O. Box 129, Madison, ME 04950.
A copy of all comments should also be sent to MPI's agent: Ms.
Maureen Winters, Kleinschmidt Associates, P.O. Box 576, Pittsfield, ME
04967.
Based on all written comments, a Scoping Document II (SDII) may be
issued. SDII will include a revised list of issues, based on the
scoping comments.
For further information regarding the APEA scoping process, please
contact David Lovley of MPI at (207) 696-1225, or Nan Allen of the
Commission at (202) 219-2938.
Linwood A. Watson, Jr.,
Acting Secretary.
[FR Doc. 99-25389 Filed 9-29-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M