[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 180 (Wednesday, September 17, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54441-54442]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-23659]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission


Notice of Request To Use Alternative Procedures in Preparing a 
License Application

September 10, 2003.
    Take notice that the following request to use alternative 
procedures to prepare a license application has been filed with the 
Commission.
    a. Type of Application: Request to use alternative procedures to 
prepare a license application.
    b. Project No.: P-2230-033.
    c. Date filed: September 2, 2003.
    d. Applicant: City and Borough of Sitka, Alaska.
    e. Name of Project: Blue Lake Project.
    f. Location: The existing project is located about 5 miles east of 
the City of Sitka, Alaska on Sawmill Creek (formerly the Medvetcha 
River).
    g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act, 16 U.S.C. 791(a)--825(r).
    h. Applicant Contact: Mike Prewitt, 105 Jarvis Street, Sitka, 
Alaska 99835; phone (626) 568-0798; e-mail [email protected].
    i. FERC Contact: Nick Jayjack at (202) 502-6073; 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 ``eFiling'' link.
    k. The project consists of: (1) A211-foot-high arch dam at river 
mile 2.7 of Sawmill Creek; (2) a 1,225-surface-acre reservoir; (3) a 
7,110-foot-long power conduit composed of tunnels and penstocks; (4) 
one main powerhouse and two smaller powerhouses together containing 
four generating units with a combined installed capacity of 7.54 
megawatts; (5) a switchyard located adjacent to the main powerhouse; 
(6) a 69-kilovolt, 5-mile-long primary transmission line running from 
the switchyard to two substations in Sitka; (7) a 470-foot-long, 
underground transmission line and a 7,700-foot-long underground and 
overhead transmission line connecting the two smaller powerhouses to 
the switchyard; and (8) other appurtenant facilities. The project 
occupies 812 acres of lands administered by the U.S. Forest Service.
    l. A copy of the request to use the 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 ``eLibrary'' link. Enter the project number (P-2230) 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/docs-filing/esubscription.asp to be notified via e-mail of new filings and 
issuances related to this or other pending projects. For assistance, 
contact FERC Online Support.
    m. City and Borough of Sitka, Alaska (the City) 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 City has also demonstrated that a consensus exists 
that the use of the alternative procedures is appropriate in this case. 
The City has submitted a

[[Page 54442]]

communications protocol that is supported by the stakeholders.
    The purpose of this notice is to invite any additional comments on 
the 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 recommended terms and conditions will be issued at a later date. 
The City will complete and file a preliminary Environmental Assessment, 
in lieu of Exhibit E of the license application. This differs from the 
traditional process, in which an applicant consults with agencies, 
Indian tribes, NGOs, and other parties during preparation of the 
license 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 licensing 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 City has met with Federal and State resources agencies and the 
public regarding the proposed project. It is expected that the City 
will file 6-month progress reports during the alternative procedures 
process leading to the filing of a license application.

Magalie R. Salas,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 03-23659 Filed 9-16-03; 8:45 am]
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