[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 136 (Wednesday, July 16, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42019-42020]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-17880]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission


Notice of Request To Use Alternative Procedures in Preparing an 
Application for Exemption From Licensing

July 9, 2003.
    Take notice that the following request to use alternative 
procedures to prepare an application for exemption from licensing has 
been filed with the Commission.

[[Page 42020]]

    a. Type of Application: Request to use alternative procedures to 
prepare an application for exemption of a small hydroelectric power 
project from licensing.
    b. Project No.: 11880-003.
    c. Date filed: June 13, 2003.
    d. Applicant: Colorado River Water Conservation District (River 
District).
    e. Name of Project: Ritschard Dam Unit Water Power Project.
    f. Location: On Muddy Creek, in Grand County, Colorado. The 
proposed project would occupy 557 acres of federal lands managed by the 
Bureau of Land Management.
    g. Filed Pursuant to: Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 
1978, 16 U.S.C. 2705, 2708.
    h. Applicant Contact: James F. Pearce, Project Manager, Colorado 
River Water Conservation District, PO Box 1120, 201 Centennial Street, 
Suite 200, Glenwood Springs, CO 81602, (970) 945-8522.
    i. FERC Contact: Dianne Rodman at (202) 502-6077; e-mail 
[email protected].
    j. Deadline for Comments: 30 days from the 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.
    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 120-foot-high, 2,100-foot-long Ritschard dam 
impounds the Wolford Mountain reservoir, which has a normal surface 
area of 1,550 acres and a storage volume of 65,985 acre-feet. The 
proposed powerhouse would be located at the toe of the dam next to the 
existing control house/terminal structure. The powerhouse would contain 
a single turbine and generator with a rated capacity of about 870 
kilowatts. The average annual power generation would be 3,700 kilowatt-
hours.
    l. A copy of the request to use alternative procedures 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.
    m. The River District has demonstrated that it has made an effort 
to contact all federal and state resources agencies, non-governmental 
organizations (NGO), and others affected by the project. The River 
District has also demonstrated that a consensus exists that the use of 
alternative procedures is appropriate in this case. The River District 
has submitted a communications protocol that is supported by the 
stakeholders.
    The purpose of this notice is to invite any additional comments on 
the River District's request to use the alternative procedures, 
pursuant to Section 4.34(i) of the Commission's regulations. Additional 
notices seeking comments on the specific project proposal, 
interventions and protests, and mandatory terms and conditions will be 
issued at a later date. The River District will complete and file a 
preliminary Environmental Assessment, in lieu of Exhibit E of the 
exemption application. This differs from the traditional process, in 
which an applicant consults with agencies, Indian tribes, NGOs, and 
other parties during preparation of the exemption application and 
before filing the application, but the Commission staff performs the 
environmental review after the application is filed. The alternative 
procedures are intended to simplify and expedite the exemption process 
by combining the pre-filing consultation and environmental review 
processes into a single process, to facilitate greater participation, 
and to improve communication and cooperation among the participants.
    The River District intends to file 6-month progress reports during 
the alternative procedures process that leads to the filing of an 
exemption application by February 2005.

Magalie R. Salas,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 03-17880 Filed 7-15-03; 8:45 am]
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