[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 8 (Wednesday, January 12, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1912-1913]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-686]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Reclamation
Battle Creek Salmon and Steelhead Restoration Project, Tehama and
Shasta Counties, CA
AGENCY: Bureau of Reclamation, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement
(EIS)/ Environmental Impact Report (EIR), and notice of public scoping
meeting.
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SUMMARY: Pursuant to Section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental
Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) and Public Resources Code, Sections 21000-
21178.1 of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), the Bureau
of Reclamation (Reclamation), the lead Federal agency, the Federal
Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), a cooperating Federal agency, and
the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB), the lead State agency,
propose to prepare a joint EIS/EIR for the proposed Battle Creek Salmon
and Steelhead Restoration Project (Restoration Project).
The proposed Restoration Project is described as modification of
the Battle Creek Hydroelectric Project, FERC Project 1121
(Hydroelectric Project), owned and operated by Pacific Gas and Electric
Company (PG&E) and licensed by FERC, to restore 42 miles of salmon and
steelhead habitat within and adjacent to reaches of Battle Creek and
its tributaries. Project alternatives range from ``No Action'' (no
change to the Hydroelectric Project) to decommissioning and removal of
all hydropower diversion dams, water conveyance facilities,
powerhouses, transmission lines, and related support installations
within the restoration area. Action alternatives within the range
consist of various combinations of dam decommissioning and removals,
fish screen improvements, fish ladder improvements and increased
streamflows below dams. To ensure biological effectiveness of the
proposed Restoration Project, monitoring and adaptive management are
included in all ``action'' alternatives.
DATES: A scoping meeting will be held to solicit comments from
interested parties to assist in determining the scope of the
environmental analysis and to identify the significant issues related
to the proposed Restoration Project. The meeting will be held on
January 31, 2000 at the Manton Joint Union Elementary School located at
31345 Forward Road in Manton, California. A display session and
informal discussion will occur from 5-6 p.m., and the public scoping
meeting will occur from 6-8 p.m.
ADDRESSES: Send written comments on the scope of the project to Mary
Marshall, Environmental Specialist, Bureau of Reclamation, 2800 Cottage
Way, Sacramento, California 95825 by February 14, 2000.
Our practice is to make comments, including names and home
addresses of respondents, available for public review. Individual
respondents may request that we withhold their home address from public
disclosure, which we will honor to the extent allowable by law. There
also may be circumstances in which we would withhold a respondent's
identity from public disclosure, as allowable by law. If you wish us to
withhold your name and/or address, you must state this prominently at
the beginning of your comment. We will make all submissions from
organizations or businesses, and from individuals identifying
themselves as representatives or officials of organizations or
businesses, available for public disclosure in their entirety.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Mary Marshall, Reclamation
Environmental Specialist at telephone number: (916) 978-5248 or e-mail
address: [email protected]. Additional information regarding the
proposed Restoration Project can also be accessed on the Reclamation
Web Site: http://www.mp.usbr.gov/regional/battlecreek/index.html.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Battle Creek is a tributary of the
Sacramento River entering at river mile 271, between Red Bluff and
Redding in California. Battle Creek lies on the volcanic slopes of
Mount Lassen in Shasta and Tehama Counties, contains cold, spring-fed
water, maintains relatively high flows throughout the year, and
stretches through remote, deep, shaded canyons and riparian corridors.
Prior to human-influenced alterations to the Battle Creek watershed
beginning around the turn of the 20th century, Battle Creek
historically provided a contiguous stretch of prime habitat for
anadromous fish, specifically the salmon and steelhead species.
In June, 1999, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation entered into a
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) along with the National Marine
Fisheries Service (NMFS), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS),
the California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG) and PG&E which
signaled the intent of these agencies to pursue a restoration effort on
Battle Creek in relation to modification of the Hydroelectric Project.
Consequently, the California-Federal interagency program known as
``CALFED'' provided $28 million in directed funding to Reclamation for
the planning and implementation of the proposed Restoration Project. As
lead Federal agency, Reclamation is responsible for ensuring NEPA
compliance for the proposed Restoration Project.
The Federal Power Act establishes with FERC the exclusive authority
to license nonfederal water power projects on navigable waterways and
Federal lands. PG&E will be required to file an application with FERC
for an amendment to PG&E's existing license to operate the hydropower
facilities on Battle Creek that would be affected by implementation of
the proposed Restoration Project. FERC will ensure that proposed
changes in the Hydroelectric Project comply with NEPA prior to issuing
the license amendment.
All FERC licensing actions in California, including new licenses,
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license amendments, and relicensing, require Clean Water Act Section
401 water quality certification from the SWRCB. SWRCB involvement in
Clean Water Act Section 401 certification requires CEQA compliance, and
the SWRCB will act as the CEQA lead agency.
The proposed Restoration Project supports the restoration
directives of the Central Valley Improvement Act (CVPIA) Anadromous
Fish Restoration Program; the CALFED Restoration Program; the State
Salmon, Steelhead Trout, and Anadromous Fisheries Program Act
(California Senate Bill 2261, 1990); Central Valley Salmon and
Steelhead Restoration and Enhancement Plan; the Upper Sacramento River
Fisheries and Riparian Habitat Management Plan (California Senate Bill
1086, 1989); National Marine Fisheries Service Proposed Recovery Plan
for Sacramento River Winter-run Chinook Salmon; Restoring Central
Valley Streams--A Plan for Action and the Steelhead Restoration Plan
and Management Plan for California.
Dated: January 5, 2000.
Frank Michny,
Chief, Division of Environmental Affairs.
[FR Doc. 00-686 Filed 1-11-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-94-P