[Federal Register: July 31, 2003 (Volume 68, Number 147)]
[Notices]
[Page 44950]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr31jy03-70]
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COUNCIL ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
White House Task Force on Energy Project Streamlining; Public
Organization Meeting of the Proposed Rocky Mountain Energy Council
AGENCY: Council on Environmental Quality.
ACTION: Notice of meeting.
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SUMMARY: The White House Task Force on Energy Project Streamlining will
host a public meeting to solicit stakeholder input on the proposed
formation of the Rocky Mountain Energy Council at the Sheraton Denver
West hotel in Lakewood, Colorado.
DATES: Tuesday, August 26, 2003, from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.
ADDRESSES: The Sheraton Denver West, 360 Union Boulevard, Lakewood,
Colorado 80228, telephone (303) 987-2000.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Annette West at the White House
Task Force on Energy Project Streamlining, 1000 Independence Avenue,
WH-1, Washington, DC 20585; telephone (202) 586-3464; electronic mail
at annette.west@hq.doe.gov (please note that Postal Service mail is
delayed due to additional screening at the above address).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The proposed Rocky Mountain Energy Council
is intended to be a State and Federal partnership that will allow a
more effective management strategy for environmentally responsible
renewable and nonrenewable energy production as well as cooperative
development of energy policies on Federal and State public lands in the
Rocky Mountain region. The Council will be responsible for fostering
Federal/State partnerships and early collaboration for Federal and
State Government decision-making on energy issues facing the Rocky
Mountain region and the Nation. It is intended that the Council take a
broader geographic and longer-term perspective on managing renewable
and nonrenewable public energy resources, including their
identification, production, and transmission to the market. The
responsibility of the Council is to address and resolve issues
affecting the environmentally responsible development of the valuable
public energy resources.
State and Federal managers held a government to government planning
and organization meeting on July 8-9, 2003. Participants included
representatives from the States of Utah, Wyoming, Colorado, Montana,
and those Federal Agencies with responsibilities for managing,
authorizing, reviewing, consulting on, or certifying different aspects
of energy projects on Federal lands. The objective of this meeting was
to evaluate the benefits of creating a Rocky Mountain Energy Council
(RMEC) and, if desired, determine what steps would be needed to
organize and implement the RMEC. Participants agreed on the need for a
Council to develop streamlined and forward-looking decision processes
with respect to energy projects while preserving existing environmental
protections.
Three functions for the RMEC were identified:
1. To develop Federal/State partnerships for the long-term
management of renewable and nonrenewable energy resources on State and
Federal public lands.
2. To allow more forward looking and strategic planning--on a
regional basis--for the environmentally responsible development,
production, and distribution of the Nation's valuable energy resources.
3. To develop processes for early collaboration and consultation
among the State and Federal Agencies responsible for managing,
authorizing, consulting on, reviewing, or certifying renewable and
nonrenewable energy projects on public land.
Discussions at the July organizational meeting were largely
exploratory, and focused on identifying impediments and possible
solutions to the following issue areas: how to effectively foster
Federal/State partnerships, processes for early collaboration,
information sharing, decision processes, conflict resolution, and
strategic planning. Issues identified included limited resources,
conflicting agency mandates, regulatory and jurisdictional conflicts. A
broad agreement was developed that this type of collaborative effort is
necessary to address the cross cutting issues raised by energy
development on public lands in the west.
The next step in the organizational process is to assure that the
proposed Council has input from all interested stakeholders, including
the public, industry, local organizations, and Tribal governments. The
intent is to build upon the initial organizational discussions of the
Council by collecting information and expectations from stakeholders,
allowing a first official public meeting of the RMEC to be held by the
end of 2003. The meeting is open to the public. Approximately 200
visitors can be accommodated on a first-come-first-served basis.
Upon request, interested parties may make oral or written
presentations to the Federal and State managers. Such requests should
be made no later than August 20, 2003, to Annette West. We request that
oral statements be accompanied by a written summary of the statement to
be made, which will be included in the minutes of the meeting. Please
see the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section for the contact address
and telephone number.
Minutes of the August 26, 2003, meeting will be available for
public inspection and downloading at http://www.etf.energy.gov by
September 26, 2003. Hard copies of the minutes can be requested at the
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section above.
Dated: July 25, 2003.
James L. Connaughton,
Chairman, Council on Environmental Quality.
[FR Doc. 03-19471 Filed 7-30-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3125-01-M