Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 90 / Wednesday, May 8, 1996 / Notices 20813

are on file with the Commission and

available for public inspection.

Linwood A. Watson, Jr.,

Acting Secretary.

[FR Doc. 96–11424 Filed 5–7–96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6717–01–M

[Docket No. ES96–25–000]

Semass Partnership; Notice of

Application

May 2, 1996.

Take notice that on April 30, 1996,

Semass Partnership (Semass) filed an

application, under § 204 of the Federal

Power Act, seeking authorization to

reallocate partnership interests among

the existing partners of Semass in

connection with the proposed sale by

certain partners of Semass of eighty

percent (80%) of the partnership

interests in Semass.

Any person desiring to be heard or to

protest said filing should file a motion

to intervene or protest with the Federal

Energy Regulatory Commission, 888

First Street, NE., Washington, DC 20426

in accordance with Rules 211 and 214

of the Commission’s Rules of Practice

and Procedure (18 CFR 385.211 and

385.214). All such motions or protests

should be filed on or before May 28,

1996. Protests will be considered by the

Commission in determining the

appropriate action to be taken, but will

not serve to make the protestants parties

to the proceeding. Any person wishing

to become a party must file a motion to

intervene. Copies of this filing are on

file with the Commission and are

available for public inspection.

Linwood A. Watson, Jr.,

Acting Secretary.

[FR Doc. 96–11426 Filed 5–7–96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6717–01–M

[Project No. 2000–010]

Power Authority of the State of New

York; Notice of Memorandum of

Understanding, Formation of

Cooperative Consultation Process

Team, and Initiation of Scoping

Process Associated With Relicensing

the St. Lawrence-FDR Power Project

May 2, 1996.

Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)

On February 15, 1996, the New York

Power Authority (NYPA), New York

State Department of Environmental

Conservation (NYSDEC), and the

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

(FERC), entered into an MOU. Under the

MOU, the NYSDEC and the FERC will

cooperate and use the services of a

Third Party Contractor to prepare a

single Environmental Impact Statement

(EIS) to more efficiently meet the

requirements for water quality

certification and relicensing of the 912-

megawatt St. Lawrence-FDR Power

Project. The hydroelectric project was

originally licensed in 1953 and the

license will expire in 2003. NYPA has

elected to use a Third Party Contractor

under the provisions of the Energy

Policy Act of 1992.

The project, which includes the Long

Sault Dam and the portions of the

Iroquois Dam and the Robert MosesRobert H. Saunders Power Dam within

the U.S., located on the St. Lawrence

River near Massena, New York. While

the project is licensed by the FERC, its

operation as well as Ontario’s Hydro’s

portion of the international project, is

governed by the International Joint

Commission (IJC) and the International

St. Lawrence River Board of Control

(ISLRBC), who direct NYPA and Ontario

Hydro to release flows to maintain water

levels in Lake Ontario and downstream

flows in accordance with criteria set

forth. The IJC was established by the

1909 Boundary Water Treaty between

the U.S. and Canada.

Cooperative Consultation Process (CCP)

Team

NYPA has contacted and invited

members of numerous federal, state, and

local governmental organizations, nongovernmental organizations, the St.

Regis Mohawk Tribe, and the general

public the U.S. The FERC has also

invited federal and provincial agencies

in Canada, as well as the IJC and

ISLRBC to participate and discuss the

cooperative process for relicensing the

project. As a result of a series of three

meetings conducted in February, March

and April 1996, the participants (see list

below) along with NYSDEC and FERC

have agreed to form a Cooperative

Consultation Process (CCP) Team. The

CCP Team will assist in identifying

areas of interests, issues, required

studies and also prepare for NYSDEC

and FERC a Scoping Document (See

Scoping Process).

The CCP Team is still in the process

of identifying potential members and

active participants. As of April 16, 1996,

the following 39 organizations attended

meetings of the CCP Team and have

indicated an interest in participating in

the Team and relicensing process. Those

persons interested in joining the CCP

Team or learning more about the CCP

Team and process, as well as the

relicensing process should call any one

of the following three individuals:

Mr. Thomas R. Tatham, New York

Power Authority, 212–468–6747, 212–

468–6272 (fax)

Mr. Keith Silliman, New York Dept. of

Environmental Conservation, 518–

457–0986, 518–457–3978 (fax)

Mr. Thomas Russo, Federal Energy

Regulatory Commission, 202–219–

2792, 202–219–0125 (fax)

The following organizations have sent

representatives to the CCP Team

meetings: the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe,

Environment Canada, St. Lawrence

Seaway Development Corp., Ontario

Hydro, Alcoa, NY State Assembly, St.

Lawrence Development Commission,

Massena Electric, St. Lawrence County,

Town of Louisville, Development

Authority of N. County, Empire State

Dept. of Economic Development, GM

Power Train, I.B.E.W. Local 2032,

Vincent Kirsch, LCE Environ. Mgmt.

Council, League of Women Voters,

Massena Industrial Dev. Corp., Village

of Massena, Village Potsdam, Mass.

Municipal Wholesale Electric Co.,

Municipal Electricity Assoc. of NY, New

York Power Authority, New York Rivers

United, Audubon Society of NY State,

NYS Dept. of Parks Rec. & Historic

Preservation, NYS Dept. of

Environmental Conservation, NYS Dept.

of State (Coastal Resources), St.

Lawrence Aquarium & Ecological

Center, Public Power Assoc. of NJ,

Reynolds Metals, Robert Moses State

Park, St. Lawrence County Chamber of

Commerce, St. Lawrence Gas, United

Auto Workers/GM Power Train, US Fish

and Wildlife Service, Waddington Town

Planning Board, IBEW 450 ABGWIU,

and WYBG Radio.

Scoping Process

The Scoping Process will satisfy the

requirements of the National

Environmental Policy Act. The objective

of the Scoping Process is to assist the

FERC and NYSDEC in identifying

resource issues and reasonable

alternatives that should be addressed in

the EIS analysis and the level to which

they should be addressed. The Scoping

Process will also identify the geographic

and temporal range of the EIS analysis,

those resources requiring a cumulative

impact analysis and the level of analysis

as well. The CCP Team will prepare a

Draft Scoping Document I (SDI) for

FERC’s and NYSDEC’s use.

The Scoping Process will entail a

series of public workshops/meetings

within the CCP Team over the next

seven months. During this time period,

the CCP Team will use NYPA’s Initial

Consultation Document distributed on

April 16, 1996 to initiate scoping the

issues. Members of the Team and the

general public will be given the