[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 146 (Tuesday, July 31, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41738-41739]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-14758]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[P-12778-000]


Fall Creek Hydro, LLC; Notice of Intent To File License 
Application, Filing of Pre-Application Document, Commencement of 
Licensing Proceeding, Scoping, Solicitation of Comments on the Pad and 
Scoping Document, and Identification Issues and Associated Study 
Requests

July 24, 2007.
    a. Type of Filing: Notice of Intent to File License Application for 
a New License and Commencing Licensing Proceeding.
    b. Project No.: P-12778-000.
    c. Dated Filed: February 16, 2007 and amended May 18, 2007.
    d. Submitted By: Fall Creek Hydro, LLC (Fall Creek Hydro).
    e. Name of Project: Fall Creek Dam Hydroelectric Project.
    f. Location: On Fall Creek, in Lane County, Oregon. The project 
will be located within the Willamette National Forest.
    g. Filed Pursuant to: 18 CFR Part 5 of the Commission's 
Regulations.
    h. Applicant Contact: Brent Smith, President, Northwest Power 
Services, Inc., P.O. Box 535, Rigby, Idaho 83442.
    i. FERC Contact: Kim Nguyen at (202) 502-6105 or e-mail at 
[email protected].
    j. 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 paragraph n 
below. Cooperating agencies should note the Commission's policy that 
agencies that cooperate in the preparation of the environmental 
document cannot also intervene. See, 94 FERC ] 61,076 (2001).
    k. With this notice, we are initiating informal consultation with: 
(a) the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and/or NOAA Fisheries under 
section 7 of the Endangered Species Act and the joint agency 
regulations thereunder at 50 CFR, Part 402 and (b) the State Historic 
Preservation Officer, as required by Section 106, National Historical 
Preservation Act, and the implementing regulations of the Advisory 
Council on Historic Preservation at 36 CFR 800.2.
    l. Fall Creek Hydro filed a Pre-Application Document (PAD; 
including a proposed process plan and schedule) with the Commission, 
pursuant to 18 CFR 5.6 of the Commission's regulations. Fall Creek 
Hydro also filed an addendum to the PAD pursuant to the Commission's 
Additional Information request dated February 28, 2007.
    m. A copy of the PAD is available for review at the Commission in 
the Public Reference Room or may be viewed on the Commission's Web site 
(http://www.ferc.gov), using the ``eLibrary'' 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 paragraph h.
    Register online at http://ferc.gov/esubscribenow.htm to be notified 
via e-mail of new filing and issuances related to this or other pending 
projects. For assistance, contact FERC Online Support.
    n. With this notice, we are soliciting comments on the PAD and 
Scoping Document 1 (SD1), as well as study requests. All comments on 
the PAD and SD1, and study requests should be sent to the address above 
in paragraph h. In addition, all comments on the PAD and SD1, study 
requests, requests for cooperating agency status, and all 
communications to and from Commission staff related to the merits of 
the potential application (original and eight copies) must be filed 
with the Commission at the following address: Kimberly D. Bose, 
Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street, NE., 
Washington, DC 20426. All filings with the Commission must include on 
the first page, the project name (Fall Creek Dam Hydroelectric Project) 
and number (P-12778-000), and bear the heading ``Comments on Pre-
Application Document,'' ``Study Requests,'' ``Comments on Scoping 
Document 1,'' ``Request for Cooperating Agency Status,'' or 
``Communications to and from Commission Staff.'' Any individual or 
entity interested in submitting study requests, commenting on the PAD 
or SD1, and any agency requesting cooperating status must do so by 
September 17, 2007.
    Comments on the PAD and SD1, study requests, requests for 
cooperating agency status, and other permissible forms of 
communications with the Commission 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.
    o. Although our current intent is to prepare an environmental 
assessment (EA), there is the possibility that an Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS) will be required. Nevertheless, this meeting will 
satisfy the NEPA scoping requirements, irrespective of whether an EA or 
EIS is issued by the Commission.
    p. Scoping Meetings: Commission staff will hold two scoping 
meetings in the vicinity of the project at the time and place noted 
below. The daytime meeting will focus on resource agency, Indian 
tribes, and non-governmental organization concerns, while the evening 
meeting is primarily for receiving input from the public. We invite all 
interested individuals, organizations, and agencies to attend one or 
both of the meetings, and to assist staff in identifying particular 
study needs, as well as the scope of environmental issues to be 
addressed in the environmental document. The times

[[Page 41739]]

and locations of these meetings are as follows:
    Daytime Scoping Meeting:
    Date: Thursday, August 16, 2007.
    Time: 9 a.m.
    Location: Lane Community College--Center for Meeting and Learning, 
4000 East 30th Avenue, Room 202, Eugene, Oregon.
    Phone: (541) 463-3500.
    Evening Scoping Meeting:
    Date: Thursday, August 16, 2007.
    Time: 7 p.m.
    Location: Lane Community College--Center for Meeting and Learning, 
4000 East 30th Avenue, Room 202, Eugene, Oregon.
    Phone: (541) 463-3500.
    Scoping Document 1 (SD1), which outlines the subject areas to be 
addressed in the environmental document, was mailed to the individuals 
and entities on the Commission's mailing list. Copies of SD1 will be 
available at the scoping meetings, or may be viewed on the web at 
http://www.ferc.gov, using the ``eLibrary'' link. Follow the directions 
for accessing information in paragraph m. Based on all oral and written 
comments, a Scoping Document 2 (SD2) may be issued. SD2 may include a 
revised process plan and schedule, as well as a list of issues, 
identified through the scoping process.
    Meeting Objectives: At the scoping meetings, staff will: (1) 
Initiate scoping of the issues; (2) review and discuss existing 
conditions and resource management objectives; (3) review and discuss 
existing information and identify preliminary information and study 
needs; (4) review and discuss the process plan and schedule for pre-
filing activity that incorporates the time frames provided for in Part 
5 of the Commission's regulations and, to the extent possible, 
maximizes coordination of federal, state, and tribal permitting and 
certification processes; and (5) discuss the appropriateness of any 
federal or state agency or Indian tribe acting as a cooperating agency 
for development of an environmental document.
    Meeting participants should come prepared to discuss their issues 
and/or concerns. Please review the PAD in preparation for the scoping 
meetings. Directions on how to obtain a copy of the PAD and SD1 are 
included in paragraph m of this document.
    Meeting Procedures: The meetings will be recorded by a stenographer 
and will become part of the formal record of the Commission proceeding 
on the project.
    q. Site Visit: The applicant and Commission staff will conduct a 
site visit of the project on Friday, August 17, 2007, starting at 9 
a.m. All participants should meet at the base of Fall Creek Dam. All 
participants are responsible for their own transportation. Those 
individuals planning to participate in the site visit should notify Kim 
Nguyen of Commission staff at (202) 502-6105, or Mr. Eric Steimle of 
Fall River Hydro at (503) 219-3750 on or before August 9, 2007.

Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
 [FR Doc. E7-14758 Filed 7-30-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P