[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 103 (Thursday, May 27, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Page 30291]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E4-1219]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 2543-000]


Clark Fork and Blackfoot, LLC; Notice of Scoping Meetings and 
Soliciting Scoping Comments

May 20, 2004.
    Take notice that the following scoping meetings will be held by 
staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission), where 
the Commission will solicit comments in anticipation of an application 
to surrender the license for the Milltown Dam Project:
    a. Type of Application: It is anticipated that after the 
Environmental Protection Agency has completed its Record of Decision on 
its proposed cleanup plan for the Milltown Reservoir, Clark Fork and 
Blackfoot, LLC (licensee for the Milltown Dam Project) would file an 
application for surrender of the project license, pursuant to 
Commission rules and regulations.
    b. Project No.: 2543.
    c. Licensee: Clark Fork and Blackfoot, LLC.
    d. Name of Project: Milltown Dam Project.
    e. Location: Confluence of the Clark Fork River and the Blackfoot 
River in Missoula County, Montana.
    f. To Be Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act, 16 U.S.C. 791(a)-
825(r).
    g. Applicant Contact: William W. Thompson, PE, Senior Engineer, 
NorthWestern Energy, 40 East Broadway, Butte, MT 59701.
    h. FERC Contact: Robert Grieve at (202) 502-8752, or 
[email protected].
    i. Deadline for Filing Scoping Comments: June 21, 2004.
    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.
    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. For 
assistance, contact FERC Online Support at [email protected]. 
or toll-free at 1-866-208-3676, or for TTY, (202) 502-8659.
    i. On May 17, 2004, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 
and the Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) released a 
Revised Proposed Plan for the Milltown Reservoir Sediments Operable 
Unit of the Milltown Reservoir Superfund Site. The EPA has scheduled 
meetings for June 9 and 10, 2004, to accept comments on the plan. Those 
comments will play a role in the EPA's Record of Decision (ROD) for the 
Milltown Reservoir, expected this fall. Subsequent to EPA's ROD, the 
Commission anticipates Clark Fork and Blackfoot, LLC will file an 
application for surrender of its license for the Milltown Dam Project, 
pursuant to 18 CFR 6.1. To expedite the process, Commission staff will 
be present at EPA's scheduled public meetings to solicit comments from 
the public on the anticipated surrender application.
    j. Scoping Process: The Commission intends to prepare either an 
Environmental Assessment (EA) or an Environmental Impact Statement 
(EIS) on the anticipated surrender application in accordance with the 
National Environmental Policy Act. The EA or EIS will consider both 
site-specific and cumulative environmental impacts and reasonable 
alternatives to the proposed action.

Scoping Meetings

    The EPA noticed its meetings on May 17, 2004. We invite all 
interested agencies, non-governmental organizations, Native American 
tribes, and individuals to attend one or more of the meetings and to 
assist the Commission staff in identifying the scope of environmental 
issues to be analyzed in the EA or EIS. The times and locations of 
these meetings are as follows:

Wednesday, June 9, 2004, Bonner School Gym, 9045 Highway 200, Bonner, 
Montana. Open house: 6-7 p.m. Public meeting: 7-10 p.m.
Thursday June 10, 2004, Opportunity Community Center, Hauser and 
Stewart (kitty-corner from Solan's grocery), Opportunity, Montana. Open 
house: 6-7 p.m. Public meeting: 7-10 p.m.

    At the scoping meetings, the Commission staff will: (1) Summarize 
the procedures by which the Commission will process the anticipated 
surrender application; (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 EA or EIS, including viewpoints 
in opposition to, or in support of; (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

    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 an EA or EIS.

Linda Mitry,
Acting Secretary.
[FR Doc. E4-1219 Filed 5-26-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P