[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 42 (Friday, March 2, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12831-12832]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-5106]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 12796-004]


City of Wadsworth, Ohio; Notice of Scoping Meeting and 
Environmental Site Review and Soliciting Scoping Comments

    Take notice that the following hydroelectric application has been 
filed with the Commission and is available for public inspection.
    a. Type of Application: Major Original License.
    b. Project No.: P-12796-004.
    c. Date filed: March 28, 2011.
    d. Applicant: City of Wadsworth, Ohio.
    e. Name of Project: R.C. Byrd Hydroelectric Project.
    f. Location: On the Ohio River at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' 
(Corps), R.C. Byrd Locks and Dam (river mile 279.2), approximately 12.7 
miles south of the confluence of the Ohio River and the Kanawha River, 
nine miles south of the Town of Gallipolis, Gallia County, Ohio. The 
project would occupy 7.6 acres of federal land managed by the Corps.
    g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act 16 U.S.C. 791 (a)-825(r).
    h. Applicant Contact: Mr. Chris Easton, Director of Public Service, 
the City of Wadsworth, Ohio, 120 Maple Street, Wadsworth, OH 44281 
(330-335-2777); Philip E. Meier, Hydro Development, American Municipal 
Power, Inc., 1111 Schrock Road, Suite 100, Columbus, OH (614-540-0913).
    i. FERC Contact: Gaylord Hoisington, (202) 502-6032 or 
[email protected].
    j. Deadline for filing scoping comments: April 27, 2012.
    All 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 at [email protected] or toll free at 1-866-208-3676, 
or for TTY, (202) 502-8659. Although the Commission strongly encourages 
electronic filings, 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.
    The Commission's Rules of Practice and Procedure require all 
interveners filing documents with the Commission to serve a copy of 
that document on each person on the official service list for the 
project. Further, if an intervener files comments or documents with the 
Commission relating to the merits of an issue that may affect the 
responsibilities of a particular resource agency, they must also serve 
a copy of the document on that resource agency.
    k. The application is not ready for environmental analysis at this 
time.
    l. The proposed project would utilize the existing Corps' R.C. Byrd 
Locks and Dam and would consist of the following new facilities: (1) A 
1,200-foot-long intake channel; (2) a trashrack located in front of 
each of the generating unit intakes, with a bar spacing of 
approximately 8 inches; (3) a reinforced concrete powerhouse measuring 
approximately 258 feet long by 145 feet wide by 110 feet high, and 
housing two bulb-type turbine generator units with a total installed 
capacity of 50 megawatts; (4) a 900-foot-long tailrace channel; (5) a 
2.41-mile-long, 138-kilovolt transmission line; and (6) appurtenant 
facilities. The proposed project would have an average annual 
generation of 266 gigawatt-hours.
    m. A copy of the application 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 docket number excluding the last three digits in the 
docket number field to access the document. For assistance, contact 
FERC Online Support. 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 email of new filings and issuances 
related to this or other pending projects. For assistance, contact FERC 
Online Support.
    n. Scoping Process.
    The Commission intends to prepare an Environmental Assessment (EA) 
on the project in accordance with the National Environmental Policy 
Act. The EA will consider both site-specific and cumulative 
environmental impacts and reasonable alternatives to the proposed 
action.

Scoping Meetings

    FERC staff will conduct one agency scoping meeting and one public 
meeting. The agency scoping meeting will focus on resource agency and 
non-governmental organization (NGO) concerns, while the public scoping 
meeting is primarily for public input. All interested individuals, 
organizations, and agencies are invited to attend one or both of the 
meetings, and to assist the staff in identifying the scope of the 
environmental issues that should be analyzed in the EA. The times and 
locations of these meetings are as follows:

Agency Scoping Meeting

    Date: Wednesday, March 28, 2012.
    Time: 1 p.m. (EDT).
    Place: Quality Inn.
    Address: 577 State Route 7 North, Gallipolis, Ohio.

Public Scoping Meeting

    Date: Wednesday, March 28, 2012.
    Time: 7 p.m. (EDT).
    Place: Quality Inn.
    Address: 577 State Route 7 North, Gallipolis, Ohio.
    Copies of the Scoping Document outlining the subject areas to be 
addressed in the EA, was mailed to the individuals and entities on the 
Commission's mailing lists and Wadsworth's distribution list. Copies of 
the Scoping Document will be available

[[Page 12832]]

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 Revised Scoping Document may be issued. A Revised Scoping 
Document may include additional issues, identified through the scoping 
process.

Environmental Site Review

    The Applicant and FERC staff will conduct a project Environmental 
Site Review beginning at 9 a.m. on March 28, 2012. All interested 
individuals, organizations, and agencies are invited to attend. All 
participants should meet at the Robert C. Byrd Locks and Dam in 
Gallipolis, Ohio (Ohio side). All participants are responsible for 
their own transportation to the site. Anyone with questions about the 
Environmental Site Review should contact Philip E. Meier at 614-540-
0913 or Gaylord Hoisington at 202-502-6032.

Objectives

    At the scoping meetings, the staff will: (1) Summarize the 
environmental issues tentatively identified for analysis in the EA; (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, including viewpoints in opposition to, or in 
support of, the staff's preliminary views; (4) determine the resource 
issues to be addressed in the EA; and (5) identify those issues that 
require a detailed analysis, as well as those issues that do not 
require a detailed analysis.

Procedures

    The meetings are recorded by a stenographer and become part of the 
formal record of the Commission proceeding on the project.
    Individuals, organizations, and agencies with environmental 
expertise and concerns are encouraged to attend the meetings and to 
assist the staff in defining and clarifying the issues to be addressed 
in the EA.

    Dated: February 27, 2012.
Kimberly D. Bose,
 Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2012-5106 Filed 3-1-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P