[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 18, Volume 1]
[Revised as of April 1, 2004]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 18CFR5.8]

[Page 149-150]
 
           TITLE 18--CONSERVATION OF POWER AND WATER RESOURCES
 
  CHAPTER I--FEDERAL ENERGY REGULATORY COMMISSION, DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
 
PART 5_INTEGRATED LICENSE APPLICATION PROCESS--Table of Contents
 
Sec. 5.8  Notice of commencement of proceeding and scoping document, or 
of approval to use traditional licensing process or alternative procedures.

    (a) Notice. Within 60 days of the notification of intent required 
under Sec. 5.5, filing of the pre-application document pursuant to 
Sec. 5.6, and filing of any request to use the traditional licensing 
process or alternative procedures, the Commission will issue a notice of 
commencement of proceeding and scoping document or of approval of a 
request to use the traditional licensing process or alternative 
procedures.
    (b) Notice contents. The notice shall include:
    (1) The decision of the Director of the Office of Energy Projects on 
any request to use the traditional licensing process or alternative 
procedures.
    (2) If appropriate, a request by the Commission to initiate informal 
consultation under section 7 of the Endangered Species Act and the joint 
agency regulations thereunder at 50 CFR part 402, section 305(b) of the 
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act and 
implementing regulations at 50 CFR 600.920, or section 106 of the 
National Historic Preservation Act and implementing regulations at 36 
CFR 800.2, and, if applicable, designation of the potential applicant as 
the Commission's non-federal representative.
    (3) If the potential license application is to be developed and 
filed pursuant to this part, notice of:
    (i) The applicant's intent to file a license application;
    (ii) The filing of the pre-application document;
    (iii) Commencement of the proceeding;
    (iv) A request for comments on the pre-application document 
(including the proposed process plan and schedule);
    (v) A statement that all communications to or from the Commission 
staff related to the merits of the potential application must be filed 
with the Commission;
    (vi) The request for other Federal or state agencies or Indian 
tribes to be cooperating agencies for purposes of developing an 
environmental document;
    (vii) The Commission's intent with respect to preparation of an 
environmental impact statement; and
    (viii) A public scoping meeting and site visit to be held within 30 
days of the notice.
    (c) Scoping Document 1. At the same time the Commission issues the 
notice provided for in paragraph (a) of this Section, the Commission 
staff will issue Scoping Document 1. Scoping Document 1 will include:
    (1) An introductory section describing the purpose of the scoping 
document, the date and time of the scoping meeting, procedures for 
submitting written comments, and a request for information or study 
requests from state and Federal resource agencies, Indian tribes, non-
governmental organizations, and individuals;
    (2) Identification of the proposed action, including a description 
of the project's location, facilities, and operation, and any proposed 
protection and enhancement measures, and other alternatives to the 
proposed action, including alternatives considered but eliminated from 
further study, and the no action alternative;
    (3) Identification of resource issues to be analyzed in the 
environmental document, including those that would be cumulatively 
affected along with a description of the geographic and temporal scope 
of the cumulatively affected resources;
    (4) A list of qualifying Federal and state comprehensive waterway 
plans;
    (5) A list of qualifying tribal comprehensive waterway plans;
    (6) A process plan and schedule and a draft outline of the 
environmental document; and
    (7) A list of recipients.

[[Page 150]]

    (d) Scoping meeting and site visit. The purpose of the public 
meeting and site visit is to:
    (1) Initiate issues scoping pursuant to the National Environmental 
Policy Act;
    (2) Review and discuss existing conditions and resource management 
objectives;
    (3) Review and discuss existing information and make preliminary 
identification of information and study needs;
    (4) Review, discuss, and finalize the process plan and schedule for 
pre-filing activity that incorporates the time periods provided for in 
this part and, to the extent reasonably possible, maximizes coordination 
of Federal, state, and tribal permitting and certification processes, 
including consultation under section 7 of the Endangered Species Act and 
water quality certification or waiver thereof under section 401 of the 
Clean Water Act; 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 pursuant to the National Environmental Policy 
Act.
    (e) Method of notice. The public notice provided for in this section 
will be given by:
    (1) Publishing notice in the Federal Register;
    (2) Publishing notice in a daily or weekly newspaper published in 
the county or counties in which the project or any part thereof or the 
lands affected thereby are situated, and, as appropriate, tribal 
newspapers;
    (3) Notifying appropriate Federal, state, and interstate resource 
agencies, state water quality and coastal zone management plan 
consistency certification agencies, Indian tribes, and non-governmental 
organizations by mail.