[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 35 (Wednesday, February 21, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13064-13065]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-03428]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 943-144]


Public Utility District No. 1 of Chelan 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 
a New License and Commencing Pre-filing Process.
    b. Project No.: 943-144.
    c. Dated Filed: December 15, 2023.
    d. Submitted By: Public Utility District No. 1 of Chelan County.
    e. Name of Project: Rock Island Hydroelectric Project.
    f. Location: On the Columbia River, in Chelan and Douglas Counties, 
Washington. The project occupies federal lands under the jurisdiction 
of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management.
    g. Filed Pursuant to: 18 CFR part 5 of the Commission's 
Regulations.
    h. Potential Applicant Contact: Janel Ulrich, Hydro Licensing 
Manager, Public Utility District No. 1 of Chelan County, 203 Olds 
Station Road, Wenatchee, WA 98801.
    i. FERC Contact: Matt Cutlip at (503) 552-2762 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 
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries 
Service under section 7 of the Endangered Species Act and the joint 
agency regulations thereunder at 50 CFR part 402; and National Marine 
Fisheries Service under section 305(b) of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 
Management and Conservation Act and implementing regulations at 50 CFR 
part 600.920. We are also initiating consultation with the Washington 
State Historic Preservation Officer, as required by section 106, 
National Historic Preservation Act, and the implementing regulations of 
the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation at 36 CFR part 800.2.
    l. With this notice, we are designating Public Utility District No. 
1 of Chelan County as the Commission's non-federal representative for 
carrying out informal consultation, pursuant to section 7 of the 
Endangered Species Act, the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Management and 
Conservation Act, and section 106 of the National Historic Preservation 
Act.
    m. Public Utility District No. 1 of Chelan County filed with the 
Commission a Pre-Application Document (PAD; including a proposed 
process plan and schedule), pursuant to 18 CFR part 5.6 of the 
Commission's regulations.
    n. A copy of the PAD 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 at 
[email protected] or call toll-free, (866) 208-3676 or TYY, 
(202) 502-8659.
    You may register online at https://ferconline.ferc.gov/FERCOnline.aspx to be notified via email of new filings and issuances 
related to these 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.
    The Commission strongly encourages electronic filing. Please file 
all documents using the Commission's eFiling system at 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]. In lieu of electronic filing, you may 
submit a paper copy. Submissions sent via the U.S. Postal Service must 
be addressed to: Debbie-Anne A. Reese, Acting

[[Page 13065]]

Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE, 
Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426. Submissions sent via any other carrier 
must be addressed to: Debbie-Anne A. Reese, Acting Secretary, Federal 
Energy Regulatory Commission, 12225 Wilkins Avenue, Rockville, Maryland 
20852. The first page of any filing should include docket number P-943-
144.
    All filings with the Commission must 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 15, 2024.
    p. The Commission's Office of Public Participation (OPP) supports 
meaningful public engagement and participation in Commission 
proceedings. OPP can help members of the public, including landowners, 
environmental justice communities, Tribal members and others, access 
publicly available information and navigate Commission processes. For 
public inquiries and assistance with making filings such as 
interventions, comments, or requests for rehearing, the public is 
encouraged to contact OPP at (202) 502-6595 or [email protected].
    q. The Commission's scoping process will help determine the 
required level of analysis and satisfy the National Environmental 
Policy Act (NEPA) scoping requirements, irrespective of whether the 
Commission prepares an environmental assessment or environmental impact 
statement.

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: Thursday, March 14, 2024.
    Time: 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. (PDT).
    Location: Confluence Technology Center--Quad Room, 285 Technology 
Center Way, Wenatchee, WA 98801, Phone: (509) 661-3118.

Evening Scoping Meeting

    Date: Wednesday, March 13, 2024.
    Time: 7:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m. (PDT).
    Location: Confluence Technology Center--Quad Room, 285 Technology 
Center Way, Wenatchee, WA 98801, Phone: (509) 661-3118.
    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

    The applicant and Commission staff will conduct an environmental 
site review of the project on Wednesday, March 13, 2024, starting at 
11:45 a.m. (PDT).
    All interested individuals, agencies, tribes, and NGOs are invited 
to attend. Bus transportation will be provided during the site visit 
for registered participants. Participants should meet at11:45 a.m. at 
the Former Chelan PUD Headquarters building parking lot, 321 N 
Wenatchee Ave., Wenatchee, WA 98801. Please contact Janel Ulrich with 
Chelan PUD at (609) 661-4400, or via email at 
[email protected], on or before March 1, 2024, if you plan to 
attend the environmental site review.

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

    Commission staff are moderating the scoping meetings. The meetings 
are recorded by an independent stenographer and become part of the 
formal record of the Commission proceeding on the project. Individuals, 
NGOs, Indian tribes, and agencies with environmental expertise and 
concerns are encouraged to attend the meeting and to assist the staff 
in defining and clarifying the issues to be addressed in the NEPA 
document.

    Dated: February 13, 2024.
Debbie-Anne A. Reese,
Acting Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2024-03428 Filed 2-20-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P