[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 58 (Wednesday, March 26, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14615-14616]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-7212]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 11810-004]


Notice of Intent To Prepare a Multi-Project Environmental 
Assessment and Notice of Paper Scoping and Soliciting Scoping Comments

March 19, 2003.
    Take notice that the following hydroelectric application has been 
filed with Commission and is available for public inspection:
    a. Type of Application: Original Major License, constructed 
project.
    b. Project No.: P-11810-004.
    c. Date filed: January 30, 2003.
    d. Applicant: City of Augusta.
    e. Name of Project: Augusta Canal Project.
    f. Location: Adjacent to the Savannah River, in Richmond County, 
Georgia, near the town of Augusta, Georgia. The project does not occupy 
Federal lands.
    g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act, 16 U.S.C. 791(a)--825(r).
    h. Applicant Contact: Max Hicks, Director, Utilities Department, 
360 Bay Street, Suite 180, Augusta, GA 30901, (706) 312-4121
    i. FERC Contact: Monte TerHaar, (202) 502-6035 or 
[email protected].
    j. Deadline for filing scoping comments: 60 days from issuance date 
of this notice.
    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. Project Description: The City of Augusta does not propose to 
construct hydroelectric generation facilities and the project would 
produce no power. Augusta is proposing to license parts of the Augusta 
Canal system which pass flows for use by three existing hydroelectric 
projects located in the Augusta Canal. These projects are the 1.2 
megawatt (MW) Enterprise Project (No. 2935), the 2.475 MW Sibley Mill 
Project (No. 5044), and the 2.05 MW King Mill Project (No. 9988). The 
proposed project would consist of the following: (1) The 1,666-foot-
long stone-masonry Augusta Diversion Dam; (2) the 2,250-foot-long and 
190 acre Savannah River impoundment between Steven's Creek Dam and the 
Augusta Diversion Dam; and (3) the first level of the Augusta Canal, 
which extends about 7 miles between the Augusta Diversion Dam and the 
Thirteenth Street gates.
    m. A copy of the application is available for review at the 
Commission in the Public Reference Room 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 field to access the document. For assistance, contact FERC 
Online Support at [email protected] or toll-free at 1-866-208-
3676, or for TTY, (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 EA and to seek additional 
information pertinent to this analysis. The Commission intends to 
prepare one multi-project Environmental Assessment (EA) for the Augusta 
Canal Project in combination with the Enterprise Mill Project and the 
Sibley Mill Project according to the National Environmental Policy Act. 
The EA will consider both site-specific and cumulative environmental 
impacts and reasonable alternatives to the proposed action. Should 
substantive comments requiring reanalysis be received on the NEPA 
document, we would consider preparing a subsequent NEPA document.
    At this time, the Commission staff does not anticipate holding 
formal public or agency scoping meetings near the project site. 
Instead, staff will conduct paper scoping.
    A Scoping Document (SD) outlining the subject areas to be addressed 
in the EA were distributed to the parties on the

[[Page 14616]]

Commission's mailing list. Copies of the SD may be viewed on the web as 
described in item m, above.
    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 preliminary schedule for preparing the subject EA is as 
follows:
Milestone Target Date
Scoping Document 1--March 2003
Comments on Scoping Document 1--May 2003
Issue Acceptance Letter/Request Additional Information--May 2003
Additional Information Due--July 2003
Notice of Ready for Environmental Analysis/Notice Soliciting Final 
Terms and Conditions--July 2003
Deadline for Agency Recommendations--September 2003
Notice of the Availability of the EA--November 2003
Public Comments on EA Due--January 2004
Read for Commission's Decision on the Application--March 2004

Magalie R. Salas,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 03-7212 Filed 3-25-03; 8:45 am]
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