[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