[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 102 (Tuesday, May 28, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 31912-31913]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-12506]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 14295-001]


Public Utility District No. 1 of Snohomish County; 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 
an Original License and Commencing Pre-filing Process.
    b. Project No.: 14295-001.
    c. Dated Filed: March 21, 2013.
    d. Submitted By: Public Utility District No. 1 of Snohomish County 
(Snohomish PUD).
    e. Name of Project: Sunset Fish Passage and Energy Project.
    f. Location: On the South Fork Skykomish River, one mile south of 
the town of Index in Snohomish County, Washington. The project would 
not occupy federal lands.
    g. Filed Pursuant to: 18 CFR Part 5 of the Commission's Regulations
    h. Potential Applicant Contact: Kim D. Moore, Assistant General 
Manager of Generation, Water and Corporate Services, Public Utility 
District No. 1 of Snohomish County, 2320 California Street, PO Box 
1107, Everett, WA 98206.
    i. FERC Contact: John Baummer at (202) 502-6837 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; (b) NOAA Fisheries under 
section 305(b) of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and 
Management Act and implementing regulations at 50 CFR 600.920; and (c) 
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 Snohomish PUD as the 
Commission's non-federal representative for carrying out informal 
consultation, pursuant to section 7 of the Endangered Species Act, 
section 305 of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management 
Act, and section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act.
    m. Snohomish PUD 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. 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, send documents 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 (Sunset Falls Fish Passage and Energy Project) and number 
(P-14295-001), 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 July 
19, 2013.
    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.

[[Page 31913]]

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:

Evening Scoping Meeting

Date: Wednesday, June 12, 2013.
Time: 6:00 p.m.
Location: Town of Index Fire Department, 512 Avenue A, Index, WA 98256
Phone: (360) 793-0866

Daytime Scoping Meeting

Date: Thursday, June 13, 2013
Time: 10:00 a.m.
Location: Washington Department of Ecology Headquarters, 300 Desmond 
Drive SE., Lacey, WA 98503
Phone: (360) 407-6000
    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.

Environmental Site Review

    Snohomish PUD will conduct an environmental site review of the 
project on Wednesday, June 12, 2013, starting at 2:00 p.m. All 
participants should meet at the Gold Bar Park and Ride, located at 
Intersection State Road 2 and 2nd Street, Gold Bar, WA 98251. All 
participants are responsible for their own transportation. Anyone with 
questions about the site visit should contact Ms. Dawn Pressler of 
Snohomish PUD at (425) 783-1709 on or before June 6, 2013.

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: May 20, 2013.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2013-12506 Filed 5-24-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P