[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 9 (Wednesday, January 14, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Page 2225]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-834]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Project Nos. 2004-073 and 11607-000]


Holyoke Water Power Company, Ashburnham Municipal Light Plant and 
Massachusetts Municipal Wholesale Electric Company; Notice of Intent to 
Conduct Public Scoping Meetings for the Holyoke Project on the 
Connecticut River

January 8, 1998.
    The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission) is reviewing 
the Holyoke Water Power Company's application for a new license for the 
continued operation of the Holyoke Project on the Connecticut River, 
Massachusetts. The Commission is similarly reviewing a competing 
application for the Holyoke Project by Ashburnham Municipal Light Plant 
and the Massachusetts Municipal Wholesale Electric Company. The 
Commission will hold scoping meetings on January 28 and 29, 1998, in 
preparation for completing an Environmental Assessment (EA), under the 
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), for relicensing the Holyoke 
Project.
    Commission staff will hold the scoping meetings in the vicinity of 
the Holyoke Project: One evening meeting and one morning meeting. The 
evening meeting will focus on receiving input from the public, whereas 
the morning meeting will focus on resource agency concerns. We invite 
all interested agencies, NGOs, and individuals to attend one or both of 
the meetings, and to assist staff in identifying the scope of 
environmental issues that should be analyzed in the EA. The times and 
locations of these meetings are shown below.
Evening Scoping Meeting
    Date: Wednesday, January 28, 1998.
    Time: 7:00 p.m. until 10:00 p.m.
    Place: Holiday Inn, 245 Whiting Farms Road, Holyoke, MA 01040.
Morning Scoping Meeting
    Date: Thursday, January 29, 1998.
    Time: 9:00 a.m. until 12:00 noon.
    Place: Holiday Inn, 245 Whiting Farms Road, Holyoke, MA 01040.
    To help focus discussions, we will distribute a Scoping Document 
(SDI) outlining the areas to the addressed at the meetings to the 
parties on the Commission's mailing list. Copies of the SDI also will 
be available at the scoping meetings.
    At the scoping meetings, the staff will: (1) Summarize the 
environmental issues tentatively identified for analysis in the EA; (2) 
solicit from the meeting participants all available information, 
especially quantifiable data, on the resources at issue; (3) encourage 
statements on environmental issues that should be analyzed in the EA, 
including opinions in favor of, or in opposition to, the staff's 
preliminary list of issues; (4) determine the depth of analysis for 
issues addressed in the EA; and (5) identify resource issues that will 
not require detailed analysis in the EA.
    The scoping meetings will be recorded by a court reporter, and all 
statements (oral and written) will become part of the Commission's 
public record for the project. Before each meeting starts, all 
individuals who attend, especially those individuals that intend to 
make statements during the meeting, will be asked to sign in and 
clearly identify themselves for the record prior to speaking. Time 
allotted for representations will be determined by staff based on the 
length of the meetings and the number of people wanting to speak. All 
speakers will be provided at least five minutes to present their views.
    Interested parties who choose not to speak, or are unable to attend 
the scoping meetings, may provide written comments and information to 
the Commission until February 13, 1998. Written comments and 
information should be submitted to the Secretary, Federal Energy 
Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20426.
    The first page of all filings should indicate ``Holyoke Project, 
FERC No. 2004-073 and/or Holyoke Project, FERC No. 11607-000'' at the 
top of the page. All filings sent to the Secretary of the Commission 
should contain an original and eight copies. Failure to file an 
original and eight copies may result in appropriate staff not receiving 
the benefit of your comments in a timely manner. Furthermore, 
participants in this proceeding are reminded that if they file comments 
with the Commission, they must serve a copy of their filing to the 
parties on the Commission's service list.
    For further information, please contact Allan Creamer at (202) 219-
0365.
David P. Boergers,
Acting Secretary.
[FR Doc. 98-834 Filed 1-13-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M