[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 79 (Tuesday, April 23, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30354-30356]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-08625]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 1390-069]


Southern California Edison Company; 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.: 1390-069.
    c. Dated Filed: February 23, 2024.
    d. Submitted By: Southern California Edison Company (SCE).
    e. Name of Project: Lundy Hydroelectric Project (Lundy Project).
    f. Location: The Lundy Project is located on Mill Creek, on the 
eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada, approximately 8 miles northwest of 
Lee Vining in Mono County, California. The existing FERC project 
boundary occupies Federal lands within the Inyo National Forest (Inyo 
NF), managed by the U.S. Forest Service (FS), and partly on Federal 
land managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Bishop Field 
Office. The remaining Lundy Project lands are owned by SCE except for a 
small parcel of land near the powerhouse owned by Mono County.
    g. Filed Pursuant to: 18 CFR part 5 of the Commission's 
Regulations.
    h. Applicant Contact: Matthew Woodhall Relicensing Project Lead, 
Southern California Edison Company, 2244 Walnut Grove Avenue, Rosemead, 
CA 91770; (602) 302-9596; [email protected].
    i. FERC Contact: Jessica Fefer at (202) 502-6631 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 the National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration 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 Office, as required by 
section 106, National Historic 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 SCE 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. SCE 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.

[[Page 30355]]

    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 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 https://ferconline.ferc.gov/FERCOnline.aspx. Commenters can submit brief 
comments up to 6,000 characters, without prior registration, using the 
eComment system at https://ferconline.ferc.gov/QuickComment.aspx. You 
must include your name and contact information at the end of your 
comments. For assistance, please contact FERC 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 Reese, Acting 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 Reese, Acting Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory 
Commission, 12225 Wilkins Avenue, Rockville, Maryland 20852. The first 
page of any filing should include docket number P-1390-069.
    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 June 24, 2024.\1\
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    \1\ The Commission's Rules of Practice and Procedure provide 
that if a filing deadline falls on a Saturday, Sunday, holiday, or 
other day when the Commission is closed for business, the filing 
deadline does not end until the close of business on the next 
business day. 18 CFR 385.2007(a)(2) (2022). Because the filing 
deadline falls on a Saturday (i.e., June 22, 2024), the filing 
deadline is extended until the close of business on Monday, June 24, 
2024.
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    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 for the project to 
receive input on the scope of the NEPA document. An evening meeting 
will be held at 6:00 p.m. on May 14, 2024, at the Lee Vining Community 
Center in Lee Vining, California, and will focus on receiving input 
from the public. A daytime meeting will be held at 2:00 p.m. on May 15, 
2024, at the same location, and will focus on the concerns of resource 
agencies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and Indian Tribes. We 
invite all interested agencies, Indian Tribes, non-governmental 
organizations, and individuals to attend one or both meetings. The 
times and locations of these meetings are as follows:

Evening Scoping Meeting

Date: Tuesday, May 14, 2024
Time: 6:00 p.m. (PST)
Place: Lee Vining Community Center
Address: 296 Mattly Ave., Lee Vining, CA 93541
Phone: (760) 647-6009

Daytime Scoping Meeting

Date: Wednesday, May 15, 2024
Time: 2:00 p.m. (PST)
Place: Lee Vining Community Center
Address: 296 Mattly Ave., Lee Vining, CA 93541
Phone: (760) 647-6009

    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 and SCE's distribution list. Copies of 
SD1 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. All interested individuals, agencies, 
Tribes, and NGOs are invited to attend. All participants are 
responsible for their own transportation to/from the project and during 
the site visit. Participants must wear sturdy, closed-toe shoes, or 
boots. Please RSVP via email to [email protected] or notify 
Matthew Woodhall at (626) 302-9596 on or before May 8, 2024, if you 
plan to attend the environmental site review. The time and location of 
the environmental site review is as follows:

Lundy Project

    Date: Wednesday, May 15, 2024
    Time: 9:00 a.m. (PST)
    Place: Lee Vining Community Center
    Address: 296 Mattly Ave., Lee Vining, CA 93541

    Participants must meet at the Lee Vining Community Center parking 
lot to begin promptly at 9:00 a.m. where participants will drive in 
personal vehicles together to the project. At the project, participants 
will see recreation site(s), Lundy Dam and the Lundy Powerhouse.

Meeting Objectives

    At the scoping meetings, Commission staff will: (1) initiate 
scoping of the issues; (2) review and discuss existing conditions; (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 potential 
of any Federal or State agency or Indian Tribe to act as a cooperating 
agency for development of an environmental document.

[[Page 30356]]

    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: April 17, 2024.
Debbie-Anne Reese,
Acting Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2024-08625 Filed 4-22-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P