Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 12 / Wednesday, January 19, 2000 / Notices 2939

1Order No. 596, Regulations for the Licensing of

Hydroelectric Projects, 81 FERC ¶ 61,103 (1997).

in determining the appropriate action to

be taken, but will not serve to make

protestants parties to the proceedings.

Copies of this filing are on file with the

Commission and are available for public

inspection in the Public Reference

Room. This filing may be viewed on the

web at http://www.ferc.fed.us/online/

rims.htm (call 202–208–2222 for

assistance).

Linwood A. Watson, Jr.,

Acting Secretary.

[FR Doc. 00–1183 Filed 1–18–00; 8:45 am]

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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory

Commission

[Docket No. RP00–151–001]

Northern Natural Gas Company; Notice

of Proposed Changes in FERC Gas

Tariff

January 12, 2000.

Take notice that on January 6, 2000,

Northern Natural Gas Company

(Northern), tendered for filing as part of

its FERC Gas Tariff, Fifth Revised

Volume No. 1, the following tariff sheets

proposed to be effective January 29,

2000:

Fourth Revised Sheet No. 292

Second Revised Sheet No. 299A

Northern states that the purpose of

this filing is to correct the superseding

tariff sheet reference. No changes have

been made to Northern’s tariff

provisions.

Northern further states that copies of

the filing have been mailed to each of

its customers and interested State

Commissions.

Any person desiring to protest this

filing should file a protest with the

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission,

888 First Street, NE, Washington, DC

20426, in accordance with Section

385.211 of the Commission’s Rules and

Regulations. All such protests must be

filed as provided in Section 154.210 of

the Commission’s Regulations. Protests

will be considered by the Commission

in determining the appropriate action to

be taken, but will not serve to make

protestants parties to the proceedings.

Copies of this filing are on file with the

Commission and are available for public

inspection in the Public Reference

Room. This filing may be viewed on the

web at http:///www.ferc.fed.us/online/

rims.htm (call 202–208–2222 for

assistance).

Linwood A. Watson, Jr.,

Acting Secretary.

[FR Doc. 00–1185 Filed 1–18–00; 8:45 am]

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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory

Commission

[Project No. 2114–WA]

Public Utility District No. 2 of Grant

County; Notice of Public Utility District

No. 2 of Grant County’s Request to

Use Alternative Procedures in Filing a

License Application

January 12, 2000.

On December 15, 1999, the existing

licensee, Public Utility District No. 2 of

Grant County (Grant PUD), filed a

request pursuant to use the

Commission’s alternative procedures in

submitting an application for a new

license for the existing Priest Rapids

Hydroelectric Project No. 2114. The

1,994-megawatt hydroelectric project

includes two dams, Priest Rapids Dam

and Wanapum Dam, and two

powerhouses. The project is located on

the Columbia River, in the center of the

state of Washington. Grant PUD has

demonstrated that it has made an effort

to contact resource agencies, Indian

tribes, nongovernmental organizations

(NGOs), and others affected by the

proposal, and that a consensus likely

exists that the use of the alternative

procedures is appropriate in this case.

Grant PUD has also submitted a

communications protocol that was

developed in consultation with

interested entities.

The purpose of this notice is to invite

comments on Grant PUD’s request to

use the alternative procedures, pursuant

to section 4.34(i) of the Commission’s

regulations.1 Additional notices seeking

comments on the specific project

proposal, interventions and protests,

and recommended terms and conditions

will be issued at a later date.

The alternative procedure being

requested here combines the prefiling

consultation process with the

environmental review process, allowing

the applicant to complete and file an

Environmental Assessment (EA) in lieu

of Exhibit E of the license application.

This differs from the traditional process,

in which the applicant consults with

agencies, Indian tribes, and NGOs

during preparation of the application for

the license and before filing it, but the

Commission staff performs the

environmental review after the

application is filed. The alternative

procedures are intended to improve the

licensing process by combining the

prefiling consultation and

environmental review processes into a

single process, to facilitate greater

application, and to improve

communication and cooperation among

the participants.

Alternative Licensing Process and

Priest Rapids Schedule

Grant PUD has submitted a proposed

schedule for the process that leads to

the filing of a new license application

by October, 2003. Public scoping

meetings to determine the scope of

environmental analysis that will be

completed to support the Commission’s

licensing decision would be held in the

spring of 2000. Studies of

environmental issues and alternatives

developed during scoping would be

conducted through 2002 (if needed),

with a draft application and draft

applicant-prepared environmental

assessment (APEA) to be issued for

comment in early 2003.

Comments

Interested parties have 30 days from

the date of this notice to file with the

Commission, any comments on Grant

PUD’s proposal to use the alternative

licensing procedures to file an

application for the Priest Rapids

Hydroelectric Project. The comments

must be filed by providing an original

and 8 copies as required by the

Commission’s regulations to: Federal

Energy Regulatory Commission, Office

of the Secretary, Dockets—Room 1A,

888 First Street, NE, Washington, DC

20426.

All comment filings must bear the

heading ‘‘Comments on the Alternative

Procedures,’’ and include the project

name and number (Priest Rapids

Hydroelectric Project No. 2114).

For further information on this

process, please contact Charles Hall of

the Federal Energy Regulatory

Commission at 202–219–2852 or E-mail

charles.hall@ferc.fed.us.

Linwood A. Watson, Jr.,

Acting Secretary.

[FR Doc. 00–1188 Filed 1–18–00; 8:45am]

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