[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 151 (Wednesday, August 6, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 46600-46601]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-20003]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 1971-079]


Notice of Application Tendered for Filing With the Commission, 
Soliciting Additional Study Requests, and Establishing Procedural 
Schedule for Relicensing and a Deadline for Submission of Final 
Amendments

 July 31, 2003.
    Take notice that the following hydroelectric application has been 
filed with the Commission and is available for public inspection.
    a. Type of Application: New Major License.
    b. Project No.: 1971-079.
    c. Date Filed: July 21, 2003.
    d. Applicant: Idaho Power Company.
    e. Name of Project: Hells Canyon Hydropower Project.
    f. Location: On the Snake River in Washington and Adams, Counties, 
Idaho; and Wallowa and Baker Counties, Oregon. About 5,270 acres of 
federal lands administered by the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land 
Management (Payette and Wallowa-Whitman National Forests and Hells 
Canyon National Recreational Area) are included within the project 
boundary.
    g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act 16 U.S.C. 791 (a)-825(r).
    h. Applicant Contact: Mr. Robert W. Stahman, Vice President, 
Secretary, and General Counsel, Idaho Power Company, PO Box 70, Boise, 
Idaho 83707.
    i. FERC Contact: Alan Mitchnick, (202) 502-6074; 
[email protected].
    j. Cooperating agencies: We are asking Federal, state, local, and 
tribal agencies with jurisdiction and/or special expertise with respect 
to environmental issues to cooperate with us in the preparation of the 
environmental document. Agencies who would like to request cooperating 
status should follow the instructions for filing comments described in 
item l below.
    k. Pursuant to section 4.32(b)(7) of 18 CFR of the Commission's 
regulations, if any resource agency, Indian Tribe, or person believes 
that an additional scientific study should be conducted in order to 
form an adequate factual basis for a complete analysis of the 
application on its merit, the resource agency, Indian Tribe, or person 
must file a request for a study with the Commission not later than 60 
days from the date of filing of the application, and serve a copy of 
the request on the applicant.
    l. Deadline for filing additional study requests and requests for 
cooperating agency status: September 19, 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.
    Additional study requests 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. After logging into the e-Filing system, select ``Comment 
on Filing'' from the Filing Type Selection screen and continue with the 
filing process.
    The Commission's Rules of Practice require all intervenors 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 
intervenor 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.
    m. This application is not ready for environmental analysis at this 
time.
    n. The existing Hells Canyon Project consists of three 
developments: Brownlee Development consists of a 395-foot-high earth 
and rockfill dam, a 14,621-acre impoundment, and a powerhouse with five 
generating units producing 585.4 megawatts (MW); Oxbow Development 
consists of a 209-foot-high earth and rockfill dam, a 1,150-acre 
impoundment, and a powerhouse with four generating units producing 460 
MW; and Hells Canyon Development consists of a 320-foot-high concrete 
gravity dam, a 2,412-acre impoundment, and a powerhouse with three 
generating units producing 391.5 MW. Idaho Power also operates four 
fish hatcheries and four adult fish traps. Idaho Power proposes to 
exclude 11 of 12 existing transmission lines from the project.
    o. 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.
    p. With this notice, we are initiating consultation with the Idaho 
STATE HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICER (SHPO), as required by ``106, 
National Historic Preservation Act, and the regulations of the Advisory 
Council on Historic Preservation, 36 CFR 800.4.
    q. Procedural schedule and final amendments: The application will 
be processed according to the following Hydro Licensing Schedule. 
Revisions to the schedule will be made as appropriate.
    Issue Acceptance letter: October 2003.
    Issue Scoping Document 1 for comments: October 2003.
    Request additional information: November 2003.
    Issue Scoping Document 2: February 2004.
    Notice of application is ready for environmental analysis: March 
2004.

[[Page 46601]]

    Notice of the availability of the draft EIS: September 2004.
    Notice of the availability of the final EIS: April 2005.
    Ready for Commission's decision on the application: July 2005.
    The schedule will be revised based on need for correction of 
deficiencies and need for additional information.
    Final amendments to the application must be filed with the 
Commission no later than 30 days from the issuance date of the notice 
of ready for environmental analysis.

Linda Mitry,
Acting Secretary.
[FR Doc. 03-20003 Filed 8-5-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P