[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 132 (Monday, July 13, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 33428-33430]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-16444]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 485-063]


Georgia Power Company; Notice of Intent To File License 
Application, Filing of Pre-Application Document, Commencement of 
Licensing Proceeding, and Scoping; Request for Comments on the Pad and 
Scoping Document, and Identification of Issues and Associated Study 
Requests

July 6, 2009.
    a. Type of Filing: Notice of Intent to File License Application for 
a New License and Commencing Licensing Proceeding.
    b. Project No.: 485-063.
    c. Dated Filed: May 6, 2009.
    d. Submitted By: Georgia Power Company.
    e. Name of Project: Bartletts Ferry Hydroelectric Project.
    f. Location: On the Chattahoochee River in Harris County, Georgia 
and Lee and Chambers counties, Alabama. The project does not occupy any 
federal lands.
    g. Filed Pursuant to: 18 CFR Part 5 of the Commission's 
Regulations.

[[Page 33429]]

    h. Potential Applicant Contact: Charles H. Huling P.E., Vice 
President, Georgia Power Company, Environmental Affairs, 241 Ralph 
McGill Boulevard, NE., BIN 10221, Atlanta, GA 30308-3374. Attn. George 
A. Martin.
    i. FERC Contact: Janet Hutzel at (202) 502-8675, or e-mail at 
[email protected].
    j. Cooperating agencies: Federal, state, local, and tribal agencies 
with jurisdiction and/or special expertise with respect to 
environmental issues that wish to cooperate in the preparation of the 
environmental document should follow the instructions for filing such 
requests described in item o 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 Alabama and 
Georgia State Historic Preservation Officers, 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. With this notice, we are designating Georgia Power Company as 
the Commission's non-federal representative for carrying out informal 
consultation, pursuant to section 7 of the Endangered Species Act and 
section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act.
    m. Georgia Power Company 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.
    n. 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 website 
(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://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.
    o. 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 (Bartletts Ferry Hydroelectric Project) 
and the project number (P-485-063), 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 4, 2009.
    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/docs-filing/ferconline.asp) under the ``e-filing'' link. For a simpler method of 
submitting text only comments, click on ``Quick Comment.''
    p. 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.

Scoping Meetings

    Commission staff will hold scoping meetings in the vicinity of the 
project at the times and places noted below. The daytime meetings will 
focus on resource agency, Indian tribes, and non-governmental 
organization concerns, while the evening meetings are primarily for 
receiving input from the public. We invite all interested individuals, 
organizations, and agencies to attend any 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 and locations of these meetings are as follows:

August 4, 2009, Daytime Scoping Meeting

    Date: Tuesday, August 4, 2009.
    Time: 1 p.m. EST.
    Location: City of Valley, Alabama's Community Center, 130 
Sportsplex Drive, Valley, Alabama 36854.

August 4, 2009, Evening Scoping Meeting

    Date: Tuesday, August 4, 2009.
    Time: 6 p.m. EST.
    Location: City of Valley, Alabama's Community Center, 130 
Sportsplex Drive, Valley, Alabama 36854.

August 6, 2009, Daytime Scoping Meeting

    Date: Thursday, August 6, 2009.
    Time: 1 p.m. EST.
    Location: Old Mountain Hill Schoolhouse, 47 Mountain Hill Road, 
Fortson, Georgia 31808.

August 6, 2009, Evening Scoping Meeting

    Date: Thursday, August 6, 2009.
    Time: 6 p.m. EST.
    Location: Old Mountain Hill Schoolhouse, 47 Mountain Hill Road, 
Fortson, Georgia 31808.
    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 n. 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.

Site Visit

    Georgia Power Company and Commission staff will conduct a site 
visit of the project facilities on Wednesday, August 5, 2009, starting 
at 10:30 a.m. EST. The site visit will entail touring the project dam 
and powerhouse. At 1 p.m. EST, a tour of Lake Harding will start from 
the project's powerhouse. Anyone interested in visiting the project

[[Page 33430]]

facilities and/or touring Lake Harding must send an e-mail to Bartletts 
Ferry Relicensing, at [email protected], by July 24, 2009. Please 
indicate if you want to visit the project facilities, tour Lake 
Harding, or both. Participants of the tours must provide 
identification, sign a liability waiver, and wear appropriate clothing 
and closed toed shoes. If any participant attending any part of the 
sites visit is disabled or has special needs, please e-mail Bartletts 
Ferry Relicensing, at [email protected].

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 item n. of this notice.

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.

Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E9-16444 Filed 7-10-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P