[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 155 (Monday, August 11, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 46609-46610]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-18471]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Project No. 349-150]
Alabama Power Company; 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
August 5, 2008.
a. Type of Filing: Notice of Intent to File License Application for
a New License and Commencing Licensing Proceeding.
b. Project No.: 349-150.
c. Dated Filed: June 5, 2008.
d. Submitted by: Alabama Power Company.
e. Name of Project: Martin Dam Hydroelectric.
f. Location: On the Tallapoosa River, in Tallapoosa, Coosa, and
Elmore counties. The project does not occupy federal lands.
g. Filed Pursuant to: 18 CFR part 5 of the Commission's
Regulations.
h. Potential Applicant Contact: Mr. Jerry L. Stewart, Senior Vice
President, Alabama Power Company, 600 North 18th Street, P.O. Box 2641,
Birmingham, AL 35291. Tel. (205) 257-6227.
i. FERC Contact: Lee Emery at (202) 502-8379 or e-mail at
[email protected].
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 Alabama Power Company 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. Alabama Power Company 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
[email protected] 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 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 First Street, NE.,
Washington, DC 20426. All filings with the Commission must include on
the first page, the project name (Martin Dam Hydroelectric Project) and
number (P-349-150), 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 October 3, 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 CFR 385.2001(a)(1)(iii) and the instructions
on the Commission's Web site (http://www.ferc.gov) under the ``e-
filing'' link.
p. Although our current intent is to prepare an environmental
assessment (EA), there is the possibility that an Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS) will be required. Nevertheless, this meeting will
satisfy the NEPA scoping requirements, irrespective of whether an EA or
EIS is issued by the Commission.
[[Page 46610]]
Scoping Meetings
Commission staff will hold two scoping meetings in the vicinity of
the project at the time and place 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: Thursday, September 11, 2008.
Time: 9 a.m. to 12 noon (CST).
Location: Central Alabama Community College, Betty Carol Graham
Center at Alexander City Campus, 1675 Cherokee Road, Alexander City, AL
35010.
Phone: (205) 257-2211.
Evening Scoping Meeting
Date: Thursday, September 11, 2008.
Time: 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. (CST).
Location: Central Alabama Community College, Betty Carol Graham
Center at Alexander City Campus, 1675 Cherokee Road, Alexander City, AL
35010.
Phone: (205) 257-2211.
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. 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 a list of issues,
identified through the scoping process.
Site Visit
The potential applicant and Commission staff will conduct a site
visit of the project on Wednesday, September 10, 2008, starting at 9
a.m. (CST). All participants should meet at the parking lot for the
Martin Dam powerhouse, located at 675 Overlook Drive, Dadeville, AL
36853. All participants are responsible for their own transportation to
the powerhouse site. Anyone with questions about the site visit should
contact Viki Pate, Alabama Power Company at (205) 257-2211 on or before
September 3, 2008.
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. E8-18471 Filed 8-8-08; 8:45 am]
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