[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 63 (Monday, April 3, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Page 16870]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-8034]



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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Project No. 9948-000]


Public Utility District No. 1 of Jefferson County, Washington, 
and City of Tacoma, Washington; Notice of Intent To Prepare An 
Environmental Impact Statement and Conduct Public Scoping Meetings

March 28, 1995.
    The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission) has received 
an application for license to construct the proposed Elkhorn 
Hydroelectric Project No. 9948. The project would be located in the 
Olympic National Forest on the Dosewallips River approximately 6 miles 
west of the City of Brinnon, Jefferson County, Washington.
    The Commission's staff has determined that licensing this project 
would constitute a major federal action significantly affecting the 
quality of the human environment. Therefore, the staff intends to 
prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Elkhorn 
Hydroelectric Project in accordance with the National Environmental 
Policy Act.
    The EIS will objectively consider both site-specific and cumulative 
environmental impacts of the project and reasonable alternatives, and 
will include an economic, financial and engineering analysis.
    A draft EIS will be issued and circulated for review to all the 
interested parties. All comments filed on the draft EIS will be 
analyzed by the staff and considered in a final EIS. The staff's 
conclusions and recommendations will then be presented for the 
consideration of the Commission in reaching its final licensing 
decision.

Scoping Meetings

    Two scoping meetings will be conducted. A scoping meeting oriented 
toward the public will be conducted on May 3, 1995, from 7:00 p.m. to 
10 p.m., at the Brinnon Elementary School, 46 Schoolhouse Road, 
Brinnon, Washington. The school is located just off the Dosewallips 
River Road near U.S. Highway 101. A scoping meeting oriented toward the 
resource agencies will be conducted on May 4, 1995, from 10:00 a.m. to 
12:30 p.m., in the Willaby Room, 1835 Black Lake Boulevard, at the 
Olympia National Forest Headquarters, Olympia, Washington. The 
headquarters building is located just off U.S. Highway 101 at the Black 
Lake Boulevard exit.
    Interested individuals, organizations, and agencies are invited to 
attend either or both meetings and assist the staff in identifying the 
scope of environmental issues that should be analyzed in the EIS.
    To help focus discussion at the meetings, scoping document 1 
outlining subject areas to be addressed in the EIS will be mailed to 
agencies and interested individuals on the Commission's mailing list. 
Copies of the scoping document will also be available at the scoping 
meetings.

Objectives

    At the scoping meetings the staff will: (1) Summarize the 
environmental issues tentatively identified for analysis in the EIS; 
(2) determine the relative depth of analysis for issues to be addressed 
in the EIS; (3) identify resource issues that are not important and do 
not require detailed analysis; (4) solicit all available information 
from the meeting participants, especially quantified data on site-
specific and cumulative impacts on the resources at issue; and (5) 
listen to statements from experts and the public on issues that should 
be analyzed in the EIS.

Procedures

    The meetings will be recorded by a court reporter and all 
statements (oral and written) thereby become a part of the formal 
record of the Commission proceedings on the Elkhorn Hydroelectric 
Project. Individuals presenting statements at the meetings will be 
asked to clearly identify themselves for the record.
    Individuals, organizations, and agencies with environmental 
expertise and concerns are encouraged to attend the meetings and assist 
the staff in defining and clarifying the issues to be addressed in the 
EIS.
    Participants wishing to make oral comments at the public meetings 
are asked to keep them to five minutes to allow everyone the 
opportunity to speak.
    Persons choosing not to speak at the meetings, but who have views 
on the issues or information relevant to 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, 825 North Capitol Street, NE, 
Washington, D.C. 20426, until June 5, 1995.
    All written correspondence should clearly show the following 
caption on the first page: Elkhorn Hydroelectric Project No. 9948.
    Intervenors--those on the Commission's service list for this 
proceeding (parties)--are reminded of the Commission's Rules of 
Practice and Procedure, requiring parties filing documents with the 
Commission, to serve a copy of the document on each person whose name 
appears on the official service list.
    Further, if a party or interceder files comments or documents with 
the Commission relating to the merits of an issue that may affect the 
responsibilities of a particular resource agency, they must also serve 
a copy of the document on that resource agency.
    If you have any questions please contact Thomas Dean at (202) 219-
2778.
Lois D. Cashell,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 95-8034 Filed 3-31-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M