Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 150 / Tuesday, August 5, 1997 / Notices 42119

be allotted for review if the EA is

published. We will consider all

comments on the EA before we make

our recommendations to the

Commission.

Currently Identified Environmental

Issues

We have already identified several

issues that we think deserve attention

based on a preliminary review of the

proposed facilities and the

environmental information provided by

Transco. This preliminary list of issues

may be changed based on your

comments and our analysis.

• Two federally listed endangered or

threatened species may occur in the

onshore portions of the proposed

project area.

• A total of 16.3 acres of agricultural

land would be affected.

• There is the potential for noise impact

due to the new compression at the

new and existing stations.

• A nonjurisdictional processing plant

will be constructed in conjunction

with the interstate pipeline facilities.

We expect to adopt the environmental

reviews done by the COE and the MMS

covering wetland and offshore issues.

The COE will also be addressing the

crossing of Dauphin Island by

directional drilling.

Nonjurisdictional Facilities

Williams Field Services Company

(WFS) will construct and operate a 600

MMcfd nonjurisdictional processing

plant (including a 350 MMcfd

separation facility) immediately

upstream of Compressor Station 82. The

plant will be designed to remove liquids

and liquefiables from the offshore

pipeline and deliver interstate pipeline

quality natural gas to the suction side of

Transco’s Compressor Station 82.

SOCO will construct a new

production/gathering platform in Main

Pass Viosca Knoll Block 261. We will

not be addressing this facility in our EA

because we will adopt the analysis done

by the MMS.

Public Participation

You can make a difference by sending

a letter addressing your specific

comments or concerns about the project.

You should focus on the potential

environmental effects of the proposal,

alternatives to the proposal (including

alternative locations or routes), and

measures to avoid or lessen

environmental impact. The more

specific your comments, the more useful

they will be. Please carefully follow

these instructions to ensure that your

comments are received in time and

properly recorded:

• Send two copies of your letter to: Lois

Cashell, Secretary, Federal Energy

Regulatory Commission, 888 First St.,

NE., Room 1A, Washington, DC

20426;

• Label one copy of the comments for

the attention of the Environmental

Review and Compliance Branch, PR–

11.2;

• Reference Docket No. CP97–92–001;

and

• Mail your comments so that they will

be received in Washington, D.C. on or

before August 29, 1997.

Becoming an Intervenor

In addition to involvement in the EA

scoping process, you may want to

become an official party to the

proceeding or become an ‘‘intervenor’’.

Among other things, intervenors have

the right to receive copies of caserelated Commission documents and

filings by other intervenors. Likewise,

each intervenor must provide copies of

its filings to all other parties. If you

want to become an intervenor you must

file a motion to intervene according to

Rule 214 of the Commission’s Rules of

Practice and Procedure (18 CFR

385.214) (see appendix 2).

The date for filing timely motions to

intervene in this proceeding has passed.

Therefore, parties now seeking to file

late interventions must show good

cause, as required by § 385.214(b)(3),

why this time limitation should be

waived. Environmental issues have been

viewed as good cause for late

intervention.

You do not need intervenor status to

have your comments considered.

Linwood A. Watson, Jr.,

Acting Secretary.

[FR Doc. 97–20526 Filed 8–4–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6717–01–M

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory

Commission

Notice of Application Filed With the

Commission

July 30, 1997.

Take notice that the following

hydroelectric application has been filed

with the Commission and is available

for public inspection:

a. Type of Application: Settlement

Agreement.

b. Project No: 2916–004.

c. Date Filed: June 26, 1997.

d. Applicant: East Bay Municipal

Utility District.

e. Name of Project: Lower Mokelumne

River.

f. Location: Mokelumne River,

Amador, Calaveras, and San Joaquin

Counties, California.

g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power

Act, 16 U.S.C. 791(a)–825(r).

h. Applicant Contact: Mr. Jon A.

Myers, Manager, Water Resources

Planning, East Bay Municipal Utility

District, 375 Eleventh Street, Oakland,

CA 94607–4240, (510) 278–1121.

i. FERC Contact: John Schnagl, (202)

219–2661.

j. Comment Date: September 10, 1997.

k. Description of Application: On

March 10, 1981, the Commission issued

a license for the Lower Mokelumne

River Project to the East Bay Municipal

Utility District (EBMUD). On July 1,

1991, pursuant to reserved authority in

the license, Commission staff initiated a

license reopener proceeding to

determine if modifications to project

facilities or operations were necessary

for the conservation and development of

fish and wildlife resources in the

Mokelumne River. In November 1993,

the Commission released a final

environmental impact statement (FEIS),

recommending modifications to the

license. Recommended modifications

included among other items, new

minimum flow and minimum pool

elevation requirements, ramping rates,

studies on pulse flows, instream habitat

enhancements, and further studies and

monitoring to define mitigation needs

for salmon and trout in the lower river.

In 1994, EBMUD participated in

settlement discussions with the U.S.

Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), the

California Department of Fish and Game

(CDFG), and other parties to resolve

issues of dispute in the proceeding. In

1995, 1996, and 1997 EBMUD, the FWS,

and the CBFG continued negotiations.

These parties have filed a Settlement

Agreement (SA) with the Commission.

The SA is under consideration in the

proceeding before the Commission as an

alternative to the actions recommended

in the FEIS issued in 1993.

The SA includes changes in instream

flows, development of a Lower

Mokelumne River Partnership to

develop and implement measures to

protect and enhance anadromous fish,

development of a Lower Mokelumne

River Stakeholders Group to

recommend ecosystem protection and

improvement, EBMUD establishing a $2

million Partnership Fund, EBMUD

providing $12.5 million to expand and

upgrade the Mokelumne River Fish

Hatchery, coordination by the parties of

fishery and habitat studies and

monitoring programs, and development

of a process to measure the success of

flow requirements, non-flow measures

and other actions contained in the SA.
42120 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 150 / Tuesday, August 5, 1997 / Notices

The SA would be in effect for the

duration of the current license term.

Copies of the SA may be obtained

from EDMUD or from the Commission’s

public file in this proceeding.

1. This notice also consists of the

following standard paragraphs: B, C1,

and D2.

B. Comments, Protests, or Motions to

Intervene—Anyone may submit

comments, a protest, or a motion to

intervene in accordance with the

requirements of Rules of Practice and

Procedures, 18 CFR 385.210, .211, .214.

In determining the appropriate action to

take, the Commission will consider all

protests or other comments filed, but

only those who file a motion to

intervene in accordance with the

Commission’s Rules may become a

party to the proceeding. Any comments,

protests, or motions to intervene must

be received on or before the specified

comments date for the particular

application.

C1. Filing and Service of Responsive

Documents—Any filings must bear in

all capital letters the title

‘‘COMMENTS’’,

‘‘RECOMMENDATIONS FOR TERMS

AND CONDITIONS’’, ‘‘PROTEST’’, OR

‘‘MOTION TO INTERVENE’’, as

applicable, and the Project Number of

the particular application to which the

filing refers Any of the above-named

documents must be filed by providing

the original and the number of copies

provided by the Commission’s

regulations to: The Secretary, Federal

Energy Regulatory Commission, 888

First Street, N.E., Washington, D.C.

20426. A copy of any motion to

intervene must also be served upon each

representative of the Application

specified in the particular application.

D2. Agency Comments—Federal,

state, and local agencies, are invited to

file comments on the described

application. A copy of the application

may be obtained by agencies directly

from the Applicant. If an agency does

not file comments within the time

specified for filing comments, if will be

presumed to have no comments. One

copy of an agency’s comments must also

be sent to the Applicant’s

representatives.

Linwood A. Watson, Jr.,

Acting Secretary.,

[FR Doc. 97–20532 Filed 8–4–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6717–01–M

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

AGENCY

[FRL–5869–2]

Announcement of Stakeholders

Meeting on Arsenic in Drinking Water

AGENCY: Environmental Protection

Agency.

ACTION: Notice of stakeholders meeting.

SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection

Agency (EPA) will be holding a one and

a half day public meeting on September

11 and 12, 1997. The purpose of this

meeting is to present information on

EPA’s plans for activities to develop a

proposed National Primary Drinking

Water Regulation (NPDWR) for arsenic

under the Safe Drinking Water Act

(SDWA) as amended, and solicit public

input on major technical and

implementation issues, and on preferred

approaches for continued public

involvement. This meeting is a

continuation of stakeholder meetings

that started in 1995 to obtain input on

the Agency’s Drinking Water Program.

These meetings were initiated as part of

the Drinking Water Program Redirection

efforts to help refocus EPA’s drinking

water priorities and to support strong,

flexible partnerships among EPA, States,

Tribes, local governments, and the

public. At the upcoming meeting, EPA

is seeking input from state and Tribal

drinking water programs, the regulated

community (public water systems),

public health organizations, academia,

environmental and public interest

groups, engineering firms, and other

stakeholders on a number of issues

related to developing the NPDWR for

arsenic. EPA encourages the full

participation of stakeholders throughout

this process.

DATES: The stakeholder meeting on

arsenic in drinking water will be held

on Thursday, September 11, 1997 from

9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. EDT and Friday,

September 12, 1997 from 8:00 a.m. to

1:00 p.m. EDT.

ADDRESSES: To register for the meeting,

please contact the Safe Drinking Water

Hotline at 1–800–426–4791 between

9:00 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. EDT. Those

registered for the meeting by Tuesday,

September 2, 1997 will receive an

agenda, logistics sheet, and background

materials prior to the meeting. Members

of the public who cannot attend the

meeting in person may participate via

conference call and should register with

the Safe Drinking Water Hotline.

Conference lines will be allocated on

the basis of first-reserved, first served.

Members of the public who cannot

participate via conference call or in

person may submit comments in writing

by October 10, 1997, in order for

comments to be included in the meeting

summary, to Irene Dooley, at the U.S.

Environmental Protection Agency, 401

M St, SW (4607), Washington, DC 20460

or dooley.irene@epamail.epa.gov. The

meeting will be held in Room 6226 at

the Ariel Rios Building, 1200

Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington,

DC 20044.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For

general information on meeting

logistics, please contact the Safe

Drinking Water Hotline at 1–800–426–

4791. For information on the activities

related to developing the NPDWR for

arsenic and other EPA activities under

the Safe Drinking Water Act, contact the

Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1–800–

426–4791. A block of rooms is being

held at the Holiday Inn National Airport

(703–416–1600) for September 10th and

11th at the government rate of $124 per

night. Registrants must make their own

reservations by August 13, 1997 and

mention ‘‘EPA Arsenic Meeting’’ to

guarantee the room rate.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

A. Background

Arsenic (As) is a naturally occurring

element found in the human body and

is present in food, water, and air.

Arsenic in drinking water occurs in

ground water and surface water and is

associated with certain natural geologic

conditions, as well as with

contamination from human activities.

Arsenic ingestion is linked to skin

cancer and arsenic inhalation to lung

cancer. In addition, arsenic ingestion

seems to be associated with cancers of

the kidney, bladder, liver, lung, and

other organs. Water primarily contains

inorganic arsenic species (AsV∂ and

AsIII∂), which tend to be more toxic

than organic forms.

In 1976 EPA issued a National Interim

Primary Drinking Water Regulation for

arsenic at 50 parts per billion (ppb; ug/

L). Under the 1986 amendments to

SDWA, Congress directed EPA to

publish Maximum Contaminant Level

Goals (MCLGs) and promulgate National

Primary Drinking Water Regulations

(NPDWRs) for 83 contaminants,

including arsenic. When EPA failed to

meet the statutory deadline for

promulgating an arsenic regulation, a

citizens’ group filed suit to compel EPA

to do so. EPA entered into a consent

decree to issue the regulation. EPA held

internal workgroup meetings throughout

1994, addressing risk assessment,

treatment, analytical methods, arsenic

occurrence, exposure, costs,

implementation issues, and regulatory