[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 63 (Wednesday, April 2, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16019-16020]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-7868]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project Nos.477-024]


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement and 
Soliciting Additional Scoping Comments

March 26, 2003.
    Take notice that the following hydroelectric applications have been 
filed with Commission and are available for public inspection:
    a. Application Type: Amendment of License, Surrender of License, 
Settlement Agreement and Decommissioning Plan.
    b. Project No.: 477-024.
    c. Date Filed: November 12, 2002.
    d. Applicant: Portland General Electric Company (PGE).
    e. Name of Project: Bull Run Hydroelectric Project.
    f. Location: On the Sandy, Little Sandy, and Bull Run Rivers, near 
the Town of Sandy, Clackamas County, Oregon. The project is located on 
lands administered by the Forest Service (Mt. Hood National Forest) and 
the Bureau of Land Management.
    g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act, 16 U.S.C. 791(a)-825(r); 
Rule 602 of the Commission's Rules of Practice and Procedure, 18 CFR 
385.602.
    h. Applicant Contact: Julie A. Keil, Director, Hydro Licensing and 
Water Rights, PGE, 121 SW Salmon Street, Portland, Oregon 97204, 503-
464-8864.
    i. FERC Contact: Alan Mitchnick, 202-502-6074; 
[email protected].
    j. Deadline for filing additional scoping comments: 30 days from 
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. The Commission strongly encourages electronic filings. 
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. Amendment Application: PGE proposes to: (i) Extend the term of 
the license from November 16, 2004, to November 16, 2017; (ii) continue 
generation until removal of the Little Sandy dam in 2008; (iii) 
implement a program of geomorphological and water quality monitoring 
continuing until Marmot dam removal; (iv) continue operation of the 
fish ladder and sorting facility at Marmot dam until Marmot dam 
removal; and (v) modify the operation of the diversion canal at Marmot 
dam to provide protection of threatened fish species from November 2004 
until November 2007.
    Surrender Application: The Project works include: Marmot dam, 
located at River Mile (RM) 30 on the Sandy River; a 3.1-mile-long 
series of canals and tunnels leading from Marmot dam to the Little 
Sandy River just upstream of the Little Sandy diversion dam; the Little 
Sandy diversion dam, located at RM 1.7 on the Little Sandy River; a 
2.8-mile-long box flume leading from the Little Sandy diversion dam to 
the manmade forebay, Roslyn Lake; two 1,200 foot penstocks; and a 
powerhouse containing four generators with a total capacity of 22 
megawatts. The powerhouse discharges to the Bull Run River 1.5 miles 
above its confluence with the Sandy River at RM 18.4.
    PGE proposes the complete removal of both Marmot and the Little 
Sandy diversion dams, starting in 2007, along with the dismantling of 
their associated water conveyance structures. In addition, Roslyn Lake 
would be drained, the powerhouse generating equipment would be 
disabled, and the powerhouse structure would be demolished. All PGE-
owned lands within the existing project boundary would be conveyed to 
the Western

[[Page 16020]]

Rivers Conservancy once the license is surrendered and the project is 
removed, and used to protect and conserve fish and wildlife habitat, 
public access, and recreation opportunities in the Sandy River Basin. 
Project water rights would be relinquished and would revert to instream 
use.
    l. 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 g above.
    m. Scoping Process; The Commission intends to prepare an 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on the project in accordance with 
the National Environmental Policy Act. The EIS will consider both site-
specific and cumulative environmental impacts and reasonable 
alternatives to the proposed action.
    PGE and Commission staff conducted scoping prior to PGE's 
preparation of a draft environmental assessment that was filed with the 
Commission as part of the surrender application. Scoping document 1 was 
issued on July 30, 1999, and scoping document 2 was issued on November 
4, 1999. Scoping meetings were held on September 1, 1999. We are 
requesting comments on any additional issues or alternatives that 
should be analyzed in the EIS.

Magalie R. Salas,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 03-7868 Filed 4-1-03; 8:45 am]
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