[Federal Register: March 25, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 58)]
[Notices]
[Page 15321-15322]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr25mr04-61]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Project No. 906-000]
Dominion Virginia Power; Notice of Scoping Meetings and
Soliciting Scoping Comments
March 19, 2004.
a. Type of Application: Initial Consultation Document (ICD) for a
new major license.
b. Project No.: 906-000.
c. Date Filed: ICD filed July 11, 2003; license application
anticipated June 15, 2006.
d. Applicant: Dominion Virginia Power.
e. Name of Project: Cushaw Hydroelectric Project.
f. Location: On the James River in Amherst and Bedford Counties,
Virginia. The project occupies about 4.0 acres of Federal land
administered by the U.S. Forest Service.
g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act, 16 U.S.C. 791 (a)-825(r).
h. Applicant Contact: Mr. James Thornton, Technical Advisor, F & H
Operations Support, 5000 Dominion Blvd., 1 N.E., Glen Allen, VA 23060,
telephone (804) 273-3257.
i. FERC Contact: John Smith, telephone (202) 502-8972, e-mail
john.smith@ferc.gov.
j. Deadline for Filing Scoping Comments: May 24, 2004.
All documents (original and eight copies) should be filed with:
Magalie R. Salas, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888
First Street, NE., Washington, DC 20426.
Scoping comments may be filed electronically via the Internet in
lieu of paper. The Commission strongly encourages electronic filings.
See 18 CFR 385.2001(a)(1)(iii) and the instructions on the Commission's
Web site (http://www.ferc.gov) under the ``e-Filing'' link.
k. The Cushaw Project consists of the following features: (1) A
1,550-foot-long and 27-foot-high reinforced concrete dam extending
diagonally across the James River; (2) a 138-acre reservoir at a
surface elevation of 656 feet mean sea level; (3) an integrated
powerhouse containing five generating units with a
[[Page 15322]]
total installed capacity of 7,500 kilowatts; (4) 2.3-kilovolt (kV)
generator leads; (5) a 2.3-kV cable connecting the powerhouse to the
Cushaw substation; and (6) appurtenant facilities.
l. A copy of the ICD is available for review at the Commission in
the Public Reference Room or may be viewed on the Commission's Web site
at http://www.ferc.gov using the ``eLibrary'' link. Enter the docket
number excluding the last three digits in the docket number field to
access the document. For assistance, contact FERC Online Support at
FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov or toll-free at 1-866-208-3676, or for TTY,
(202) 502-8659. A copy is also available for inspection and
reproduction at the address in item h above.
You may also register online at http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/esubscription.asp
to be notified via email of new filings and issuances
related to this or other pending projects. For assistance, contact FERC
Online Support.
m. Scoping Process: The Commission staff intends to prepare an
Environmental Assessment (EA) on the project in accordance with the
National Environmental Policy Act once the final license application is
filed. The EA will consider both site-specific and cumulative
environmental impacts and reasonable alternatives to the proposed
action.
Scoping Meetings
The Commission staff will conduct a site visit, one agency scoping
meeting and one public meeting. The agency scoping meeting will focus
on resource agency, Indian tribes, and non-governmental organization
concerns, while the public scoping meeting is primarily for public
input. All interested individuals, organizations, resource agencies,
and Indian tribes are invited to attend one or both of the meetings,
and to assist the staff in identifying the scope of the environmental
issues that should be analyzed in the EA. The times and locations of
these meetings are as follows:
Site Visit
When: Thursday, April 22, 2004, 10 a.m. to noon.
Where: Meet at Rocky Row Run Boat Ramp off Routes 501 and 130
between the towns of Glasgow and Big Island, Virginia; RSVP to
Applicant Contact (item h) by April 14.
Agency Scoping Meeting
When: Thursday, April 22, 2004, 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Where: Holiday Inn Express, 850 North Lee Highway, Lexington, VA.
Public Scoping Meeting
When: Thursday, April 22, 2004, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Where: Big Island Elementary School, 1114 Schooldays Road, Big
Island, VA.
Copies of the Scoping Document (SD1) outlining the subject areas to
be addressed in the EA were distributed to the parties on the
Commission's mailing list. Copies of the SD1 will be available at the
scoping meeting or may be viewed on the Web at http://www.ferc.gov
using the ``eLibrary'' link (see item l above).
Objectives
At the scoping meetings, the staff will: (1) Summarize the
environmental issues tentatively identified for analysis in the EA; (2)
solicit from the meeting participants all available information,
especially quantifiable data, on the resources at issue; (3) encourage
statements from experts and the public on issues that should be
analyzed in the EA, including viewpoints in opposition to, or in
support of, the staff's preliminary views; (4) determine the resource
issues to be addressed in the EA; and (5) identify those issues that
require a detailed analysis, as well as those issues that do not
require a detailed analysis.
Procedures
The meetings are recorded by a stenographer and become part of the
formal record of the Commission proceeding on the project.
Individuals, organizations, and agencies with environmental
expertise and concerns are encouraged to attend the meeting and to
assist the staff in defining and clarifying the issues to be addressed
in the EA.
Magalie R. Salas,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E4-668 Filed 3-24-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P