[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 42 (Tuesday, March 4, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10224-10225]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-4966]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission


Notice of Paper Scoping and Soliciting Scoping Comments

February 25, 2003.
    Take notice that the following hydroelectric application has been 
filed with the Commission and is available for public inspection:
    a. Type of Application: New Minor License.
    b. Project No.: 1413-032.
    c. Date filed: October 30, 2002.
    d. Applicant: Fall River Rural Electric Cooperative, Inc.
    e. Name of Project: Buffalo River Hydroelectric Project.
    f. Location: On the Buffalo River near it's confluence with the 
Henry's Fork River, in Fremont, Idaho. The project occupies 9.8 acres 
of land within the Targhee National Forest.
    g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act 16 U.S.C. 791 (a)-825.
    h. Applicant Contact: Fall River Rural Electric Cooperative, Inc., 
1150 North 3400 East, Ashton, Idaho 83420, Tel.  (208) 652-
7431, and/or Brent L. Smith, President, Northwest Power Services, Inc, 
P.O. Box 535, Rigby, Idaho 83442, Tel.  (208) 745-0834.
    i. FERC Contact: Gaylord Hoisington, (202) 502-6032, 
[email protected].
    j. Deadline for filing scoping comments is March 27, 2003.
    All documents (original and eight copies) should be filed with: 
Magalie R. Salas, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 
First Street, NE., Washington, DC 20426.
    The Commission's Rules of Practice and Procedure require all 
interveners filing documents with the Commission to serve a copy of 
that document on each person on the official service list for the 
project. Further, if an intervener files comments or documents with the 
Commission relating to the merits of an issue that may affect the 
responsibilities of a particular resource agency, they must also serve 
a copy of the document on that resource agency.
    Scoping comments may be filed electronically via the Internet in 
lieu of paper. See 18 CFR 385.2001(a)(1)(iii) and the instructions on 
the Commission's web site, http://www.ferc.gov, under the ``e-Filing'' 
link.
    k. This application is not ready for environmental analysis at this 
time.
    l. Description of the Project: The existing Buffalo River Project 
consists of: (1) a 142-foot-long by 12-foot-high timber-faced rock-
filled diversion dam; (2) a 40-foot-long by 3-foot-high concrete slab 
spillway with stop logs; (3) a fish passage structure; (4) a concrete 
intake structure with a 5-foot steel slide gate; (5) a trash rack; (6) 
a 52-foot-long by 5-foot-diameter concrete encased steel penstock; (7) 
a 34-foot-long by 22-foot-high masonry block powerhouse containing a 
250-kilowatt Bouvier Kaplan inclined shaft turbine; and (8) other 
appurtenant facilities. The applicant estimates that the total average 
annual generation would be 1,679 megawatthours.
    m. A copy of the application is on file with the Commission and is 
available for public inspection. This filing is available for review at 
the Commission or may be viewed on the Commission's Web site at http://www.ferc.gov, using the ``FERRIS'' link. Enter the docket number 
excluding the last three digits in the docket number filed to access 
the document. For assistance, contact FERC Online Support at 
[email protected] or toll-free at (866)208-3676, or for TTY, 
contact (202)502-8659. A copy is also available for inspection and 
reproduction at the address in item h above.
    n. Scoping Process: Scoping is intended to advise all parties 
regarding the proposed scope of the environmental analysis and to seek 
additional information pertinent to this analysis. The Commission 
intends to prepare an environmental assessment (EA) for the project in 
accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act. The EA will 
consider both site-specific and cumulative environmental impacts and 
reasonable alternatives to the proposed action.
    At this time, the Commission staff do not propose to conduct any 
formal public or agency meetings or an on-site visit. Instead, we will 
solicit comments, recommendations, information, and alternatives by 
conducting paper scoping through issuing Scoping Document 1 (SD1).
    Copies of SD1 outlining the subject areas to be addressed in the EA 
were

[[Page 10225]]

distributed to the parties on the Commission's mailing list. Copies of 
SD1 are available for review at the Commission or may be viewed on the 
Commission's Web site at http://www.ferc.gov , using the ``FERRIS'' 
link. Enter the docket number excluding the last three digits in the 
docket number filed to access the document. For assistance, contact 
FERC Online Support at [email protected] or toll-free at 
(866)208-3676, or for TTY, contact (202)502-8659.
    As part of scoping the staff will: (1) summarize the environmental 
issues tentatively identified for analysis in the EA; (2) solicit from 
comments all available information, especially quantifiable data, on 
the resources at issue; (3) encourage comments from experts and the 
public on issues that should be analyzed in the EA, including 
viewpoints in opposition to, or in support of, the staff's preliminary 
views; (4) determine the resource issues to be addressed in the EA; and 
(5) identify those issues that require a detailed analysis, as well as 
those issues that do not require a detailed analysis. Consequently, 
interested entities are requested to file with the Commission any data 
and information concerning environmental resources and land uses in the 
project area and the subject project's impacts to the aforementioned.
    o. The tentative schedule for preparing the Buffalo River EA is:

Major Milestone and Target Date

Ready for Environmental Analysis Notice
    October 30, 2003.
Draft EA Issued
    January 30, 2004.
Final EA Issued
    April 3, 2004.

    Note: The schedule is going to vary depending upon the 
circumstances of the project (deficiencies, additional information, 
etc.) See Guidance for Publishing Hydro Licensing Schedules.

Magalie R. Salas,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 03-4966 Filed 3-3-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P