[Federal Register: June 17, 2008 (Volume 73, Number 117)]
[Notices]
[Page 34281-34282]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr17jn08-38]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Project No. 2266-096]
Nevada Irrigation District; Notice of Intent To File License
Application, Filing of Pre-Application Document, Commencement of
Licensing Proceeding and Scoping; Request for Comments on the Pad and
Scoping Document, and Identification of Issues and Associated Study
Requests
June 10, 2008.
a. Type of Filing: Notice of Intent to File License Application for
a New License and Commencing Licensing Proceeding.
b. Project No.: 2266-096.
c. Dated Filed: April 11, 2008.
d. Submitted By: Nevada Irrigation District.
e. Name of Project: Yuba-Bear Project.
f. Location: The Yuba-Bear Project is located on the west slope of
the Sierra Nevada on the Middle Yuba River, Canyon Creek, Fall Creek,
Rucker Creek and Bear River, in Nevada, Placer and Sierra counties,
California. A large portion of the project is located on the Tahoe
National Forest. Some of the project is located on federally-owned land
managed by the Bureau of Land Management as part of the Sierra Resource
Management Area.
The project consists of four developments--Bowman, Dutch Flat,
Chicago Park, and Rollins--which, in total, include: 13 main dams with
a combined gross storage capacity of 207,865 acre-feet of water; four
water conduits; five diversion dams; four powerhouses with a combined
installed capacity of 79.32 megawatts; one 9.0-mile-long, 60-kilovolt
transmission line; and appurtenant facilities and structures, including
recreation facilities.
g. Filed Pursuant to: 18 CFR Part 5 of the Commission's
Regulations.
h. Applicant Contact: Ron Nelson, General Manager, Nevada
Irrigation District, 1036 West Main Street, Grass Valley, CA 95945,
(530) 271-6824 or e-mail nelson@nid.dst.ca.us.
i. FERC Contact: John Mudre at 202-502-8902 or e-mail
john.mudre@ferc.gov.
j. We are asking federal, state, local, and tribal agencies with
jurisdiction and/or special expertise with respect to environmental
issues to cooperate with us in the preparation of the environmental
document. Agencies who would like to request cooperating status should
follow the instructions for filing comments described in paragraph o
below. Cooperating agencies should note the Commission's policy that
agencies that cooperate in the preparation of the environmental
document cannot also intervene. See, 94 FERC ] 61,076 (2001).
k. With this notice, we are initiating informal consultation with:
(a) The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and/or NOAA Fisheries under
section 7 of the Endangered Species Act and the joint agency
regulations thereunder at 50 CFR, Part 402 and (b) the State Historic
Preservation Officer, as required by section 106, National Historical
Preservation Act, and the implementing regulations of the Advisory
Council on Historic Preservation at 36 CFR 800.2.
l. With this notice, we are designating Nevada Irrigation District
as the Commission's non-federal representative for carrying out
informal consultation, pursuant to section 7 of the Endangered Species
Act and section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act.
m. Nevada Irrigation District filed a Pre-Application Document
(PAD; including a proposed process plan and schedule) with the
Commission, pursuant to 18 CFR 5.6 of the Commission's regulations.
n. A copy of the PAD is available for review at the Commission in
the Public Reference Room or may be viewed on the Commission's Web site
(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, of for TTY,
(202) 502-8659. A copy is also available for inspection and
reproduction at the address in paragraph h.
Register online at http://ferc.gov/esubscribenow.htm to be notified
via e-mail of new filing and issuances related to this or other pending
projects. For assistance, contact FERC Online Support.
o. With this notice, we are soliciting comments on the PAD and
Scoping Document 1 (SD1), as well as study requests. All comments on
the PAD and SD1, and study requests should be sent to the address above
in paragraph h. In addition, all comments on the PAD and SD1, study
requests, requests for cooperating agency status, and all
communications to and from Commission staff related to the merits of
the potential application (original and eight copies) must be filed
with the Commission at the following address: Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888
[[Page 34282]]
First Street, NE., Washington, DC 20426. All filings with the
Commission must include on the first page, the project name (Yuba-Bear
Project) and number (P-2266-096), and bear the heading ``Comments on
Pre-Application Document,'' ``Study Requests,'' ``Comments on Scoping
Document 1,'' ``Request for Cooperating Agency Status,'' or
``Communications to and from Commission Staff.'' Any individual or
entity interested in submitting study requests, commenting on the PAD
or SD1, and any agency requesting cooperating status must do so by
August 11, 2008.
Comments on the PAD and SD1, study requests, requests for
cooperating agency status, and other permissible forms of
communications with the Commission may be filed electronically via the
Internet in lieu of paper. The Commission strongly encourages
electronic filings. See 18 CF 385.2001(a)(1)(iii) and the instructions
on the Commission's Web site (http://www.ferc.gov) under the ``e-
filing'' link.
p. Our intent is to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)
for which the planned meetings will satisfy the NEPA scoping
requirements. We anticipate preparing a multi-project EIS that would
also consider the proposed relicensing of Pacific Gas & Electric
Company's Drum-Spaulding Hydroelectric Project (FERC No. 2310-173) and
Rollins Transmission Line Project (FERC No. 2784-003). Because these
three projects are located in the same watersheds and have the same
license expiration dates, NID and PG&E have decided, to the extent
practical, to cooperate and coordinate on their relicensing efforts.
The scoping meetings and site visits discussed below will address all
three projects.
Scoping Meetings
Commission staff will hold two scoping meetings in the vicinity of
the project at the times and places noted below. The daytime meeting
will focus on resource agency, Indian tribes, and non-governmental
organization concerns, while the evening meeting is primarily for
receiving input from the public. We invite all interested individuals,
organizations, and agencies to attend one or both of the meetings, and
to assist staff in identifying particular study needs, as well as the
scope of environmental issues to be addressed in the environmental
document. The times and locations of these meetings are as follows:
Daytime Scoping Meeting
Date and Time: Tuesday, June 24, 2008, 9 a.m.
Location: Auburn Holiday Inn Hotel, 120 Grass Valley Highway,
Auburn, CA.
Evening Scoping Meeting
Date and Time: Tuesday, June 24, 2008, 7 p.m.
Location: Gold Miners Inn Holiday Inn Express Hotel, 121 Bank
Street, Grass Valley, CA.
Scoping Document 1 (SD1), which outlines the subject areas to be
addressed in the environmental document, was mailed to the individuals
and entities on the Commission's mailing list on May 22, 2008. Copies
of SD1 will be available at the scoping meetings, or may be viewed on
the web at http://www.ferc.gov, using the ``eLibrary'' link. Follow the
directions for accessing information in paragraph n. Based on all oral
and written comments, a Scoping Document 2 (SD2) may be issued. SD2 may
include a revised process plan and schedule, as well as the list of
issues identified through the scoping process.
Site Visit
The licensees and Commission staff will visit the project
facilities on Tuesday, June 17, Wednesday, June 18, and Thursday, June
19, 2008, starting at 8 a.m. and ending at or about 5 a.m. Participants
should meet by the start time as follows: (1) On June 17at the
Discovery Trail in Bear Valley; (2) on June 18 at the Alta Service
Center; and (3) on June 19 at Halsey Forebay. Participants are
responsible for their own transportation; four-wheel-drive vehicles are
recommended. Anyone interested in attending the site visit should
contact Mr. James Lynch at (916) 564-4214.
Meeting Objectives
At the scoping meetings, staff will: (1) Initiate scoping of the
issues; (2) review and discuss existing conditions and resource
management objectives; (3) review and discuss existing information and
identify preliminary information and study needs; (4) review and
discuss the process plan and schedule for pre-filing activity that
incorporates the time frames provided for in Part 5 of the Commission's
regulations and, to the extent possible, maximizes coordination of
federal, state, and tribal permitting and certification processes; and
(5) discuss the appropriateness of any federal or state agency or
Indian tribe acting as a cooperating agency for development of an
environmental document.
Meeting participants should come prepared to discuss their issues
and/or concerns. Please review the PAD in preparation for the scoping
meetings. Directions on how to obtain a copy of the PAD and SD1 are
included in item n. of this document.
Meeting Procedures
The meetings will be recorded by a stenographer and will become
part of the formal record of the Commission proceeding on the project.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E8-13537 Filed 6-16-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P