[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 89 (Friday, May 8, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 25464-25465]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-12257]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Project Nos. 2927-004 and 2928-004]


Aquamac Corporation and Merrimac Paper Company Inc.; Notice of 
Intent To Conduct Public Scoping Meetings and Site Visit

May 4, 1998.
    The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission or FERC), 
received an application from the Aquamac Corporation (Aquamac) to 
relicense the Aquamac Hydroelectric Project No. 2927-004. This 250 
kilowatt project is located on the Merrimack River in the City of 
Lawrence in Essex County, Massachusetts. The Commission also received 
an application from the Merrimac Paper Company, Inc. (Merrimac), to 
relicense the Merrimac Hydroelectric Project No. 2928-004. This 1,250 
kilowatt project is also located on the Merrimack River in the City of 
Lawrence in Essex County, Massachusetts. The Commission will hold 
public and agency scoping meetings on May 18 and 19, 1998, 
respectively, for preparation of a Multiple Project Environmental 
Assessment (MPEA) under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), 
for the issuance of minor licenses for the projects.

Scoping Meetings

    FERC staff will conduct one evening scoping meeting and one day 
scoping meeting. The day scoping meeting will focus on resource agency 
and non-governmental organization (NGO) concerns, while the evening 
scoping meeting is primarily for public input. All interested 
individuals, organizations, and agencies are invited to attend one or 
both of the meetings, and to assist the staff in identifying the scope 
of the environmental issues that will be analyzed in the MPEA. The 
times and locations of these meetings are as follows:

Evening Scoping Meeting

    Date: Monday, May 18, 1998.
    Time: From 7:00 p.m. until 10:00 p.m.
    Place: Merrimac Paper Company Conference Room.
    Address: 9 South Canal Street, Lawrence, Massachusetts.

Day Scoping Meeting

    Date: Tuesday, May 19, 1998.
    Time: From 10:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m.
    Place: Merrimac Paper Company Conference Room.
    Address: 9 South Canal Street, Lawrence, Massachusetts.
    To help focus discussions, we will distribute a Scoping Document 
(SD1) outlining the subject areas to be addressed at the meeting to the 
parties on the Commission's mailing list. Copies of the SD1 also will 
be available at the scoping meetings.

Site Visits

    The Applicant and FERC staff will conduct a project site visit 
beginning at 1:00 p.m. on May 18, 1998. All interested individuals, 
organizations, and agencies are invited to attend. All participants 
should meet at the Merrimac Paper Company office at 9 South Canal 
Street in Lawrence. All participants are responsible for their own 
transportation to the site. Anyone with questions about the site visit 
should contact Mr. Ed Roux of Merrimac Paper at (978) 683-2754.

Objectives

    At the scoping meetings, the staff will: (1) summarize the 
environmental issues tentatively identified for analysis in the MPEA; 
(2) solicit from meeting participants all available information, 
especially quantifiable data, on the resources at issue; (3) encourage

[[Page 25465]]

statements from experts and the public on issues that should be 
analyzed in the MPEA, including viewpoints in opposition to, or in 
support of, the staff's preliminary views; (4) determine the relative 
depth of analysis for issues to be addressed in the MPEA; and (5) 
identify resource issues that are of lesser importance, and therefore, 
do not require detailed analysis.

Procedures

    The meetings will be recorded by a stenographer and will become 
part of the formal record of the Commission proceedings on the project. 
Individuals presenting statements at the meetings will be asked to sign 
in before the meeting starts and to clearly identify themselves for the 
record. Speaking time for attendees at the meetings may be determined 
before the meeting, based on the number of persons wishing to speak and 
the approximate amount of time available for the session. All speakers 
will be provided at least 5 minutes to present their views.
    Individuals, organizations, and agencies with environmental 
expertise and concerns are encouraged to attend the meetings and to 
assist the staff in defining and clarifying the issues to be addressed 
in the MPEA.
    Persons choosing not to speak at the meetings, but who have views 
on the issues, may submit written statements for inclusion in the 
public record at the meeting. In addition, written scoping comments may 
be filed with the Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 
First Street, NE, Washington, DC 20426, until June 22, 1998. All 
filings should contain an original and eight copies, and must clearly 
show at the top of the first page ``Aquamac Hydroelectric Project FERC 
No. 2927--004.''; ``Merrimac Hydroelectric Project FERC No. 2928--
004''; or both.

    For further information, please contact Tim Berry at (202) 219-2790 
or <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection" class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="9bcff2f6f4eff3e2b5d9fee9e9e2dbdddec9d8b5fdfeffb5eee8b5">[email protected]</a>
Linwood A. Watson, Jr.,
Acting Secretary.
[FR Doc. 98-12257 Filed 5-7-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M


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