[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 91 (Thursday, May 11, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 25210-25211]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-11611]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Project No. 1962-000-CA]
Pacific Gas and Electric Company; Notice of Intent to Prepare an
Environmental Assessment and to Conduct a Site Visit and Two Scoping
Meetings for the Rock Creek--Cresta Project
May 5, 1995.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission) has received
an application for a new license (relicense) from the Pacific Gas and
Electric Company (PG&E or applicant) for the constructed and operating
Rock Creek--Cresta Project, located on the North Fork Feather River
near the towns of Quincy and Oroville, in Butte, Plumas, Sutter, and
Yuba Counties, California.
Upon review of the application and supplemental filings, the
Commission staff has concluded that relicensing the two developments
that comprise the existing project would not constitute a major federal
action significantly affecting the quality of the human environment.
Consequently, staff will prepare an Environmental Assessment (EA) that
describes and evaluates the probable impacts of implementing the
applicant's proposed and alternative; operational and maintenance
procedures; environmental enhancement measures; and improved public
recreational access and facilities at the Rock Creek and Cresta
Developments.
The staff's EA: will consider both site specific and cumulative
environmental impacts of relicensing the project; and will include
economic and financial analyses of applicant's proposed and alternative
environmental enhancement measures and sediment management procedures.
A Draft EA will be issued and circulated for review by all
interested parties. All comments filed on the Draft EA will be analyzed
by the FERC staff and considered in a final EA.
One element of the EA process is scoping and a site visit. These
activities are initiated early to:
Identify reasonable alternative operational procedures and
environmental enhancement measures that should be evaluated in the EA;
Identify significant environmental issues related to the
operation of the existing project;
Determine the depth of analysis for issues that will be
discussed in the EA; and
Identify resource issues that are of lessor importance
and, consequently, do not require detailed analysis in the EA.
Site Visit
A site visit to the Rock Creek and Cresta Developments will be held
on Wednesday, June 14, 1995, starting at 9:00 A.M. at PG&E's Rodgers
Flat operational headquarters, located off Highway 70 in Storrie,
California. The purpose of the visit is for interested persons to
observe existing area resources and site conditions, learn the
locations of proposed new recreational facilities, and discuss project
operational procedures with representatives of PG&E and the Commission.
For details concerning the site visit, please contact Bill Zemke of
PG&E in San Francisco, California at (415) 973-1646.
Scoping Meetings
The FERC staff will conduct two scoping meetings: the evening
meeting is designed to obtain input from the general public, while the
morning meeting will focus on resource agency [[Page 25211]] concerns.
All interested individuals, organizations, agencies, and Indian Tribes
are invited to attend either or both meetings in order to assist staff
in identifying the scope of environmental issues that should be
analyzed in the EA.
To help focus discussions, an EA scoping document will be
distributed by mail to all persons and entities on the FERC mailing
list for the Rock Creek--Cresta Project. Copies of the scoping document
also will be made available at the scoping meetings.
The evening meeting for the general public will be held from 7:00
P.M. until 10:00 P.M. on Wednesday, June 14, 1995, in the conference
room at the Oroville Public Library, located at 1820 Mitchell Avenue,
Oroville, CA 95966. (From Highway 70 take Oroville Dam Boulevard east
to Lincoln Avenue; then, north (left) onto Lincoln. The library is
situated at the corner of Lincoln and Mitchell Avenues.)
The agency meeting will be held from 9:30 A.M. until 12:00 Noon on
Thursday, June 15, 1995, in the conference room at the Oroville-La
Porte Forest Service Ranger Station, located at 875 Mitchell Avenue,
Oroville, CA 95965. (From Highway 70 take Oroville Dam Boulevard east;
north (left) onto Fifth Avenue; then, east (right) on Mitchell Avenue.)
Scoping Meeting Procedures
Both meetings will be recorded by a stenographer and will become
part of the formal record of the Commission's proceeding on the Rock
Creek--Cresta Project. Individuals presenting statements at the
meetings will be asked to sign in before the meetings start and
identify themselves for the record.
Concerned parties are encouraged to offer us verbal guidance during
the public meetings. Speaking time allowed for individuals at the
evening public meeting will be determined before that meeting, based on
the number of persons wishing to speak and the approximate amount of
time available for the session, but all speakers will be provided at
least five minutes to present their views.
Scoping Meeting Objectives
At the scoping meetings, the staff will:
Summarize the environmental issues tentatively identified
for analysis in the EA;
Identify resource issues that are of lessor importance
and, therefore, do not required detailed analysis;
Solicit from the meeting participants all available
information, especially quantifiable data, concerning significant local
resources; and
Encourage statement from experts and the public on issues
that should be analyzed in the EA.
Information Requested
Federal and state resources agencies, local government officials,
interested groups, area residents, and concerned individuals are
requested to provide any information they believe will assist the
Commission staff to evaluate the environmental impacts associated with
relicensing the project. The types of information sought included the
following:
Data, reports, and resource plans that characterize the
physical, biological or social environments in the vicinity of the
projects; and
Information and data that help staff identify or evaluate
significant environmental issues.
Scoping information and associated comments should be submitted to
the Commission no later than July 16, 1995. Written comments should be
provided at the scoping meeting or mailed to the Commission, as
follows: Lois Cashell, Secretary, Energy Federal Regulatory Commission,
825 North Capitol St., N.E., Washington, D.C. 20426.
All filings sent to the Secretary of the Commission should contain
an original and 8 copies. Failure to file an original and 8 copies may
result in appropriate staff not receiving the benefit of your comments
in a timely manner. See 18 CFR 4.34(h).
All correspondence should show the following caption on the first
page: FERC No. 1962-000--CA; Rock Creek--Cresta Project.
Intervenors and interceders (as defined in 18 CFR 385.2010) who
file documents with the Commission are reminded of the Commission's
Rules of Practice and Procedure requiring them to serve a copy of all
documents filed with the Commission on each person whose name is listed
on the official service list for this proceeding.
For further information, please contact Jim Haimes in Washington,
D.C. at (202) 219-2780.
Lois D. Cashell,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 95-11611 Filed 5-10-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M