[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 50 (Wednesday, March 14, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Page 14897]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-6280]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 11855-000]


JLH Hydro, Inc.; Notice of Public Scoping For The Environmental 
Assessment Evaluating Issuance of an Original Minor License For The 
Idols Hydroelectric Project

March 8, 2001.
    Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act and procedures of 
the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the Commission staff intends 
to prepare an Environmental Assessment (EA) that evaluates the 
environmental impacts of issuing an original minor license for the 
Idols Hydroelectric Project, No. 11855-000 to be located on the Yadkin 
River near the town of Clemmons in Davie and Forsyth counties, North 
Carolina. The project would not utilize federal lands.
    The proposed project would consist of the following existing 
facilities: (1) A 10-foot-high, 660-foot-long, rubble masonry dam 
having an ungated 410-foot-long spillway; (2) a 1-mile-long, reservoir 
with a surface area of 35 acres, and no appreciable storage at normal 
pool elevation, 672.3 feet mean seal level; (3) a 900-foot-long, 100 to 
150-foot-wide tailrace, separated from the main river channel by a 200-
foot-long, concrete retaining wall and a mid-channel island; and (4) a 
60-foot-long by 39-foot-wide brick utility building, which would 
contain the project's transformers.
    The site's 146-foot-long by 36-foot-wide powerhouse, located at the 
northeast end of the dam, was a stone masonry and wood structure, which 
contained 6 vertical Francis-type turbines directly connected to 6 
generators having a total installed capacity of 1,411 kilowatts. On 
February 8, 1998, a major fire destroyed the powerhouse's generators 
and electrical equipment as well as its wooden roof, walls, and floor.
    The applicant proposes: (1) To use the project's existing dam, 
water intake structures, wicket gates, and turbines; (2) to reconstruct 
the powerhouse with a steel roof and red concrete block walls; (3) to 
install 6 generators having a combined capacity of 1,440 kilowatts in 
the restored powerhouse structure; (4) to install 3 dry-type 
transformers in the utility building; (5) to improve the existing canoe 
take-out, portage trail, and put-in area around the dam's west side; 
and (6) to operate the project in a run-of-river mode to produce an 
average of 5,866,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity per year.
    The EA will consider both site-specific and cumulative 
environmental effects, if any, of the proposed action and reasonable 
alternatives, and will include an economic, financial, and engineering 
analysis. Preparation of staff's EA will be supported by a scoping 
process to ensure identification and analysis of all pertinent issues.
    At this time, the Commission staff does anticipate holding any 
public or agency scoping meetings nor conducting a site visit. Rather, 
the Commission staff will issue one Scoping Document: (1) Outlining 
staff's preliminary evaluation of subject areas to be addressed in the 
EA; and (2) requesting concerned resource agencies, Native American 
tribes, non-governmental organizations, and individuals to provide 
staff with information on project area environmental resource issues 
that need to be evaluated in the EA.
    The aforementioned scoping document will be provided to all 
entities and persons listed on the Commission's mailing list for the 
subject project. Those not on the mailing list for the Idols 
Hydroelectric Project may request a copy of the scoping document from 
Jim Haimes, the project's Environmental Coordinator, at (202) 219-2780 
or by contacting him by E-mail at [email protected].

David P. Boergers,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 01-6280 Filed 3-13-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M