[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 83 (Friday, April 29, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 24012-24013]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-10313]



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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 308-005]


PacifiCorp Energy; Notice of Intent to File License Application, 
Filing of Pre-Application Document (PAD), Commencement of Pre-Filing 
Process, and Scoping; Request For Comments On the Pad and Scoping 
Document, and Identification of Issues and Associated Study Requests

    a. Type of Filing: Notice of Intent to File License Application for 
a New License and Commencing Pre-filing Process.
    b. Project No.: 308-005.
    c. Date Filed: February 23, 2011.
    d. Submitted By: PacifiCorp Energy.
    e. Name of Project: Wallowa Falls Hydroelectric Project.
    f. Location: On the East and West Forks of the Wallowa River and 
Royal Purple Creek in Wallowa County, Oregon. The project occupies 12.1 
acres of federal lands under the jurisdiction of the Forest Service.
    g. Filed Pursuant to: 18 CFR Part 5 of the Commission's 
Regulations.
    h. Applicant Contact: Russ Howison, Licensing Project Manager, 
PacifiCorp Energy, 825 NE Multnomah, Suite 1500, Portland, OR 97232.
    i. FERC Contact: Matt Cutlip at (503) 552-2762 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 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. With this notice, we are designating PacifiCorp Energy 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. PacifiCorp Energy filed with the Commission a Pre-Application 
Document (PAD; including a proposed process plan and schedule), 
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 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://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/esubscription.asp to be notified via e-mail of new filing 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 
Commission staff's 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 must be filed with the Commission. 
Documents may be filed electronically via the Internet. See 18 CFR 
385.2001(a)(1)(iii) and the instructions on the Commission's Web site 
http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/efiling.asp. Commenters can submit 
brief comments up to 6,000 characters, without prior registration, 
using the eComment system at http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/ecomment.asp. You must include your name and contact information at the 
end of your comments. For assistance, please contact FERC Online 
Support. Although the Commission strongly encourages electronic filing, 
documents may also be paper-filed. To paper-file, mail an original and 
seven copies to: 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 (Wallowa Falls Hydroelectric Project) and number (P-308-
005), and bear the appropriate 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 June 23, 2011.
    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 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 and locations of these meetings are as follows:

Daytime Scoping Meeting

    Date: Tuesday, May 24, 2011,
    Time: 10:30 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time.
    Location: Best Western Rama Inn & Suites, 1200 Highland Avenue, 
Enterprise, OR 97828.
    Phone: (541) 426-2000.

Evening Scoping Meeting

    Date: Tuesday, May 24, 2011.
    Time: 7 p.m.
    Location: Best Western Rama Inn & Suites, 1200 Highland Avenue, 
Enterprise, OR 97828.
    Phone: (541) 426-2000.
    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

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revised process plan and schedule, as well as a list of issues, 
identified through the scoping process.

Environmental Site Review

    An environmental site review is typically held in conjunction with 
the scoping meeting. However, anticipating that access to some project 
facilities would be limited by adverse weather and access conditions, 
the licensee hosted a project environmental site review on September 
16, 2010. The environmental site review was noticed by the Commission 
on August 18, 2010, and attended by Commission staff on September 16, 
2010. For these reasons, the Commission will not host its own 
environmental site review in conjunction with its NEPA scoping meeting.

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 document.

Meeting Procedures

    The meetings will be recorded by a stenographer and will be placed 
in the public records of the project.

    Dated: April 22, 2011.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2011-10313 Filed 4-28-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P