[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 95 (Friday, May 16, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 26600-26601]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-12329]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission


Notice of Combined Initial Information Meeting and Scoping 
Meeting, Project Site Visit, and Solicitation of Scoping Comments for 
an Applicant-Prepared Environmental Assessment Using the Alternative 
Licensing Process

May 12, 2003.
    a. Type of Application: Alternative licensing process.
    b. Project No.: 2204-019.
    c. Applicant: City and County of Denver, Colorado.
    d. Name of Project: Williams Fork Reservoir Project.
    e. Location: On the Williams Fork River near its confluence with 
the Colorado River at Parshall, in Grand County, Colorado. No federal 
lands would be affected.
    f. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act, 16 U.S.C. 791(a)-825(r).
    g. Applicant Contact: Kevin Urie, Denver Water, 1600 W. 12th Ave., 
Denver, CO 80204, (303) 628-5987.
    h. FERC Contact: Dianne Rodman, at (202) 502-6077 or 
[email protected].
    j. Deadline for filing scoping comments: August 4, 2003.
    Comments should be addressed to: Mr. Kevin Urie, Project 
Coordinator--Williams Fork Project Relicensing, Denver Water, 1600 W. 
12th Ave., Denver, CO 80204.
    All documents (original and eight copies) should also be filed 
with: Magalie R. Salas, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory 
Commission, 888 First Street, NE., Washington, DC 20426.
    The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's (Commission) 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. The existing project consists of: (1) The 209-foot-high, 670-
foot-long concrete thin arch dam with a crest elevation of 7,814 feet 
above mean sea level (msl); (2) the Williams Fork reservoir with a 
surface area of 1,628 acres and storage of 96,822 acre-feet at 
elevation 7,811 feet msl; (3) a reinforced concrete penstock intake on 
the face of the dam, with a 7-foot by 5-foot fixed wheel penstock gate 
controlling flows into a 66-inch-diameter steel penstock running 
through the dam; (4) river outlet works on the face of the dam, leading 
to a 54-inch-diameter steel embedded pipe that conveys water to the 
outlet works valves; (5) a 66-foot-long, 30-foot-wide, 60-foot-high 
concrete powerhouse at the toe of the dam, containing one vertical-axis 
turbine/generator with a capacity of 3,150 kilowatts (kW); (6) a 
tailrace excavated in the streambed rock, carrying the combined 
powerhouse and river outlet discharges; (7) a 60-foot by 40-foot 
switchyard; (8) and appurtenant equipment.
    The applicant proposes to submit a license application that may 
request the Commission to first review the application for a small 
hydroelectric power project exemption from licensing, or alternatively 
for a new license. Under the exemption alternative, the applicant would 
increase the project's generating capacity to 3,650 kW by installing a 
second turbine/generator. Under the relicensing alternative, the 
applicant would to continue to operate the existing turbine/generator 
with a 3,150-kW capacity and would not install a second unit.

Scoping Process

    The City and County of Denver, Colorado, acting by and through its 
Board of Water Commissioners (Denver Water), intends to utilize the 
Commission's alternative licensing process (ALP). Under the ALP, Denver 
Water intends to prepare an Applicant Prepared Environmental Assessment 
(APEA) and exemption/license application for the Williams Fork 
Reservoir Hydroelectric Project.
    Denver Water expects to file with the Commission, the APEA and the 
exemption/license application for the Williams Fork Reservoir 
Hydroelectric Project by December 31, 2004. Although Denver Water's 
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 purpose of this notice is to inform you of the opportunity to 
participate in the upcoming scoping meetings identified below, and to 
solicit your scoping comments.

Site Visit

    On Wednesday, June 4, 2003, from 11 a.m. until 3:30 p.m., a site 
visit of the project will be conducted. The site visit is intended to 
provide the opportunity for interested individuals to learn more about 
the project, its operations, and the surrounding environment. Those 
wishing to attend should meet in Kremmling, Colorado by 11 a.m. at the 
Colorado State University Cooperative Extension of Grand County office 
(210 11th Street, Fairgrounds, Kremmling, CO, (970) 724-3436). Please 
contact Mr. Joe Sloan of Denver Water at (303) 628-6320 by May 26, 
2003, if you plan to attend the site visit.

Scoping Meetings

    Denver Water and the Commission staff will hold two scoping 
meetings, one in the daytime and one in the evening, to help us 
identify the scope of issues to be addressed in the APEA.
    The daytime scoping meeting will focus on resource agency concerns, 
while the evening scoping meeting is primarily for public input. All 
interested individuals, organizations, and agencies are invited to 
attend one or both of the meetings, and to assist the staff in 
identifying the environmental issues that should be analyzed in the 
APEA. The times and locations of these meetings are as follows:

Daytime Meeting

    Thursday, June 5, 2003, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Colorado State Cooperative 
Extension, 210 11th Street, Fairgrounds, Kremmling, CO.

Evening Meeting

    Thursday, June 5, 2003, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Colorado State Cooperative 
Extension, 210 11th Street, Kremmling, CO.
    To help focus discussions, an initial information package (IIP) and 
Scoping Document 1 was mailed in April 2003, outlining the subject 
areas to be addressed in the APEA to the parties on the mailing list. 
Copies of the IIP and SD1 also will be available at the scoping 
meetings. The IIP and SD1 are available for review at the Commission in 
the Public Reference Room or may be

[[Page 26601]]

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.
    Register online at http://www.ferc.gov/esubscribenow.htm to be 
notified via email of new filings and issuances related to this or 
other pending projects. For assistance, contact FERC Online Support.
    Based on all written comments received, a Scoping Document 2 (SD2) 
may be issued. SD2 will include a revised list of issues, based on the 
scoping sessions.

Objectives

    At the scoping meetings, the staff will: (1) Summarize the 
environmental issues tentatively identified for analysis in the APEA; 
(2) solicit from the meeting participants all available information, 
especially quantifiable data, on the resources at issue; (3) encourage 
statements from experts and the public on issues that should be 
analyzed in the APEA, including viewpoints in opposition to, or in 
support of, the staff's preliminary views; (4) determine the resource 
issues to be addressed in the APEA; and (5) identify those issues that 
require a detailed analysis, as well as those issues that do not 
require a detailed analysis.

Procedures

    The meetings will be recorded by a stenographer and will become 
part of the formal record of the Commission proceeding on the project.
    Individuals, organizations, and agencies with environmental 
expertise and concerns are encouraged to attend the meetings and to 
assist Denver Water in defining and clarifying the issues to be 
addressed in the APEA.

Magalie R. Salas,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 03-12329 Filed 5-15-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P