[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 42 (Friday, March 2, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12827-12828]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-5136]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 14241-001]


 Alaska Energy Authority; Notice of Intent To File License 
Application, Filing of Pre-Application Document (PAD), and Commencement 
of Pre-Filing Process; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental 
Impact Statement and Conduct 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 
an Original License and Commencing Pre-filing Process.
    b. Project No.: 14241-000.
    c. Date Filed: December 29, 2011.
    d. Submitted by: Alaska Energy Authority (AEA).
    e. Name of Project: Susitna-Watana Hydroelectric Project.
    f. Location: On the Susitna River at river mile 184 above the 
mouth, near Cantwell, in Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska. The project 
would occupy federal lands currently administered by the U.S. Bureau of 
Land Management (BLM) but selected for potential acquisition by the 
State of Alaska under the Alaska Statehood Act, state lands 
administered by the Alaska Department of Natural Resources, and private 
lands owned by Alaska Native Corporations and others.
    g. Filed Pursuant to: 18 CFR Part 5 of the Commission's Regulations
    h. Potential Applicant Contact: Wayne Dyok, Susitna-Watana Project 
Manager, Alaska Energy Authority, 813 West Northern Lights Boulevard, 
Anchorage, AK 99503.
    i. FERC Contact: David Turner at (202) 502-6091 or email 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. On January 23 and 30, 2012, respectively, we designated AEA 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. AEA 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 email 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's staff 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.
    p. 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 (Susitna-Watana Hydroelectric Project) and number (P-
14241-000), 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 
April 27, 2012.
    p. We intend to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for 
this project. The scoping meetings

[[Page 12828]]

identified below satisfy the NEPA scoping requirements.

Scoping Meetings

    Commission staff will hold scoping meetings for the project at the 
time and place described below. The daytime meeting 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 one or all 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.

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                  Date                                     Time                               Place
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Monday, March 26, 2012..................  6 p.m.-10 p.m........................  Loussac Library, 3600 Denali
                                                                                  Street, Anchorage, AK 99503.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012.................  9 a.m.-2 p.m.........................  Loussac Library, 3600 Denali
                                                                                  Street, Anchorage, AK 99503.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012.................  6 p.m.-10 p.m........................  Menard Memorial Sports Center,
                                                                                  1001 S. Mack Drive, Wasilla,
                                                                                  AK 99654.
Wednesday, March 28, 2012...............  6 p.m.-10 p.m........................  Su-Valley Jr/Sr High School,
                                                                                  42728 S. Parks Highway,
                                                                                  Sunshine, AK 99676.
Wednesday, March 28, 2012...............  6 p.m.-9 p.m.........................  Caribou Caf[eacute] Banquet
                                                                                  Room, 187 Glenn Highway,
                                                                                  Glennallen, AK 99588.
Thursday, March 29, 2012................  6 p.m.-10 p.m........................  Westmark Hotel & Conference
                                                                                  Center, 813 Noble Street,
                                                                                  Fairbanks, AK 99701.
Thursday, March 29, 2012................  6 p.m.-10 p.m........................  Cantwell Community Hall,
                                                                                  Milepost 133.1 on the Denali
                                                                                  Hwy., Cantwell, AK 99729.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    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.

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: February 24, 2012.
Kimberly D. Bose,
 Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2012-5136 Filed 3-1-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P