[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 100 (Tuesday, May 23, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 33315-33316]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-12859]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 935, Project No. 2071, Project No. 2111, and Project No. 
2213]


PacifiCorp; Public Utility District No. 1 of Cowlitz County; 
Notice of Scoping Meetings and Tour of Projects Pursuant to the 
National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 for an Applicant Prepared 
Environmental Assessment

May 17, 2000.
    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 April 1, 1999, the Commission 
approved the use of an alternative licensing procedure in the 
preparation of a new license application for PacificCorp's Merwin, 
Yale, and Swift No. 1 Projects, and Public Utility District No. 1 of 
Cowlitz County's (Cowlitz PUD) Swift No. 2 Project; project numbers. 
935, 2071, 2111, and 2213, respectively. The Commission has also 
accelerated the Merwin license expiration and is delaying action on the 
Yale application (filed May 5, 1999) so all four projects can be 
relicensed at the same time.
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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 (IIP), and for the cooperative 
scoping of environmental issues and needed studies. PacifiCorp and 
Cowlitz PUD (licensees) distributed the IIP on March, 8 2000. During 
the week of May 15, 1999, the licensees will distribute a Scoping 
Document (SD1). \2\ Two public meetings will be held to discuss these 
documents.
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    \2\ Copies of these documents can be obtained by calling Frank 
Shrier of PacifiCorp at 503-813-6622 or Diana Macdonald of Cowlitz 
PUD at 360-577-7578.
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Scoping Meetings

    The licensees will hold public scoping meetings on June 21, 2000, 
pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969. At 
the scoping meetings, the licensees will: (1) Briefly summarize the 
material presented in the scoping document and the environmental issues 
tentatively identified in the scoping document for analysis in the EA; 
(s) 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 the licensees 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:

Daytime Scoping Meeting

    June 21, 2000, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Oak Tree Restaurant, Woodland, 
Washington.

Evening Scoping Meeting

    June 21, 2000, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., Oak Tree Restaurant, Woodland, 
Washington.
    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.

Project Tour

    A public tour of the projects is scheduled for June 22, 2000. The 
tour will begin at the Merwin Project headquarters in Ariel, 
Washington. Those interested in the project tour

[[Page 33316]]

should contact Frank Shrier at 503-813-6622.

Scoping Meeting Procedures

    The meetings will be conducted according to the procedures used at 
Commission scoping meetings in that the meetings will be recorded. 
Because these will be NEPA scoping meetings under the ALP, the 
Commission does not intend to conduct further NEPA scoping meetings 
after the applications and EA are filed with the Commission. Instead, 
Commission staff will participate in the meetings on June 21, 2000.
    Both scoping meetings will be recorded, and the transcripts will 
become part of the formal record 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:

Frank Shrier, PacifiCorp, 825 NE Multnomah, Suite 1500, Portland, OR 
97232; [email protected]
Diana MacDonald, Cowlitz County PUD, Box No. 3007, 961 12th Avenue, 
Longview, WA 98632; [email protected]

Commenting Deadline

    All correspondence should be postmarked no later than July 17, 
2000. Comments should show the following caption on the first page: 
Scoping Comments, Lewis River Projects, Project Nos. 935, 2071, 2111, 
2213.
    For further information please contact Vince Yearick of the 
Commission at (202) 219-3073 or [email protected]

Linwood A. Watson, Jr.,
Acting Secretary.
[FR Doc. 00-12859 Filed 5-22-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M