[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