[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 103 (Thursday, May 29, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32034-32035]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-13293]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project Nos. 2130-033, 2118-007, 2005-012, and 2067-020]


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement and 
Notice of Scoping Meetings and Site Visit and Soliciting Scoping 
Comments

May 21, 2003.
    Take notice that the following hydroelectric applications have been 
filed with Commission and are available for public inspection:
    a. Type of Applications: New Major Licenses.
    b. Project Nos.: 2130-033, 2118-007, 2005-012, and 2067-020.
    c. Dates filed: P-2130 and P-2118 filed December 26, 2002; P-2005 
and P-2067 filed December 23, 2002.
    d. Applicants: Pacific Gas and Electric Company, current licensee 
for P-2130 and P-2118; and Tri-Dam Project, current licensee for P-2005 
and P-2067.
    e. Name of Projects: Spring Gap-Stanislaus Project No. 2130-033, 
Donnells-Curtis Transmission Line Project No. 2118-007, Beardsley/
Donnells Project No. 2005-012, and Tulloch Project No. 2067-020.
    f. Location: On the Middle Fork, South Fork, and mainstem of the 
Stanislaus River in Toulomne and Calaveras counties, California. All of 
the Beardsley/Donnells Project, most of the Spring Gap-Stanislaus 
Project, and all of the Donnell-Curtis Transmission Line Project are 
located within the Stanislaus National Forest.
    g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act, 16 U.S.C. Sec. Sec.  
791(a)--825(r).
    h. Applicant Contact: Mr. Randy Livingston, Pacific Gas and 
Electric Company, PO Box 770000, Mail Code: N11C, San Francisco, CA 
94117; and Mr. Steve Felte Tri-Dam Project, PO Box 1158, Pinecrest, CA 
95364.
    i. FERC Contact: Susan O'Brien, [email protected], (202) 502-
8449.
    j. Deadline for filing scoping comments: July 21, 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. 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. These applications are not ready for environmental analysis at 
this time.
    l. The existing Spring Gap-Stanislaus Project is composed of four 
developments: Relief, Pinecrest, Spring Gap, and Stanislaus. It has a 
combined capacity of 98 MW.
    The existing Donnells-Curtis Transmission Line Project is a 115 kV 
transmission line. Portions of the transmission line under FERC 
jurisdiction include an 8-mile segment extending from Donnells 
Powerhouse to Spring Gap Junction and the 2.2-mile tap line from 
Beardsley Powerhouse to Beardsley Junction.
    The existing Beardsley/Donnell Project is composed of the Beardsley 
and Donnell Developments and has a combined capacity of 64 MW.
    The existing Tulloch Project is composed of a single development 
and has a capacity of 17.1 MW.

[[Page 32035]]

    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.
    You may also 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.
    n. Scoping Process: The Commission intends to prepare an 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on the projects 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.

Scoping Meetings

    FERC staff will conduct one evening meeting and one daytime scoping 
meeting. The evening scoping meeting is primarily for public input, 
while the daytime scoping meeting will focus on resource agency and 
non-governmental organization (NGO) concerns. All interested 
individuals, organizations, and agencies are invited to attend one or 
both of the meetings, and to assist the staff in identifying the scope 
of the environmental issues that should be analyzed in the EIS. The 
times and locations of these meetings are as follows:

Evening Scoping Meeting

    Date: Wednesday, June 18, 2003.
    Time: 7:30 p.m.
    Place: Stanislaus National Forest Office Building.
    Address: 19777 Greenley Road, Sonora, California.

Daytime Scoping Meeting

    Date: Thursday, June 19, 2003.
    Time: 9 a.m.
    Place: Stanislaus National Forest Office Building.
    Address: 19777 Greenley Road, Sonora, California.

    Copies of the Scoping Document (SD1) outlining the subject areas to 
be addressed in the EIS are being distributed to the parties on the 
Commission's mailing list. Copies of the SD1 will be available at the 
scoping meeting or may be viewed on the web at http://www.ferc.gov 
using the ``FERRIS'' link (see item m above).

Site Visit

    Due to the logistics involved in traveling to some project 
locations, there is a need to know the number of attendees in advance. 
All individuals planning to attend need to call Susan O'Brien, FERC 
Team Leader, at (202) 502-8449, no later than Thursday, June 12, 2003.
    FERC staff and the Applicants and will conduct a 2-day project site 
visit on June 17 and June 18, 2003, beginning at 7 a.m. each morning. 
Additionally, on Friday, June 20, 2003, some participants will hike up 
to Relief Reservoir. All interested individuals, organizations, and 
agencies are invited to attend any or all three days of the site visit. 
All participants should meet each morning at the Best Western Sonora 
Oaks Hotel main entrance, 19551 Hess Ave, Sonora, CA. All participants 
need to bring their own lunch and are responsible for their own 
transportation, although we will try to carpool. Four-wheel-drive 
vehicles are needed to get to some locations.
    Tentative schedule for site visit (times given are in Pacific 
Daylight Savings):

Tuesday June 17

7 am: Site Visit Group departs from Best Western Hotel in Sonora, CA
Morning: Pinecrest Lake, Donnells Reservoir, Donnells Dam
Afternoon: Hells Half Acre, Beardsley day use site, Beardsley Reservoir 
and Afterbay, Sand Bar diversion and Stanislaus Tunnel intake, 
Philadelphia Forebay, and Philadelphia Diversion

Wednesday, June 18

7 a.m.: Site Visit Group departs from Best Western Hotel in Sonora, CA
Morning: Stanislaus Power House via Columbia stopping at old Afterbay, 
continue to Power House. Split into 2 groups. Group 1: Stanislaus Power 
House, Tulloch via Angels Camp & Highway 4 stopping at Tulloch Resort 
Group 2: Stanislaus Forebay
Afternoon:-Group 1: Drive through of Conner Estates and Peninsula 
Estates then on to O'Byrne's Ferry Bridge, Tulloch Dam All: groups 
rejoin at Goodwin and Tulloch Reservoir, drive through of South Shore 
Marina and stop for view at Goodwin
5 p.m: Return to Sonora for preparation of evening meeting.

Objectives

    At the scoping meetings, the staff will: (1) Summarize the 
environmental issues tentatively identified for analysis in the EIS; 
(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 EIS, including viewpoints in opposition to, or in 
support of, the staff's preliminary views; (4) determine the resource 
issues to be addressed in the EIS; 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 are recorded by a stenographer and 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 meeting and to 
assist the staff in defining and clarifying the issues to be addressed 
in the EIS.

Magalie R. Salas,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 03-13293 Filed 5-28-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P