[Federal Register: April 22, 1999 (Volume 64, Number 77)] [Notices] [Page 19767-19768] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr22ap99-62] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Notice of Scoping Meeting and Site Visit and Soliciting Scoping Comments April 16, 1999. Take notice that the following hydroelectric application has been filed with the Commission and is available for public inspection: a. Type of Application: New Major License. b. Project No.: 2084-020. c. Date filed: January 28, 1999. d. Applicant: Niagara Mohawk Power Corporation. e. Name of Project: Upper Raquette River Project. f. Location: On the Raquette River, between river miles 52 and 68 from the confluence with the St. Lawrence River, in the towns of Colton and Parishville, St. Lawrence County, New York. The project would not utilize federal lands. g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act, 16 USC Secs. 791(a)- 825(r). h. Applicant Contact: Mr. Jerry L. Sabattis, P.E., Licensing Coordinator, Niagara Mohawk Power Corporation, 300 Erie Boulevard West, Syracuse, New York 13202, (315) 428-5561. i. FERC Contact: Charles T. Raabe, charles.raabe@ferc.fed.us, 202- 219-2811. j. Deadline for filing scoping comments: June 11, 1999. All documents (original and eight copies) should be filed with: David P. Boergers, Secretary, 888 First Street, NE, Washington, D.C. 20426. The Commission's Rules of Practice and Procedure require all intervenors filing documents with the Commission to serve a copy of that document on each person whose name appears on the official service list for the project. Further, if an intervenor files comments or documents with the Commission relating to the merits of an issue that may affect the responsibilities of a particular resource agency, they must also serve a copy of the document on that resource agency. k. Status of environmental analysis: This application is not ready for environmental analysis at this time. l. Description of the Project: The project consists of five developments: Stark Falls Development comprising: (a) a 35-foot-high concrete gravity-type dam with a concrete overflow section and a control gate section flanked by earth dikes; (b) six earth saddle dikes; (c) a 1.5- mile-long reservoir at normal pool elevation 1,355.0 feet USGS; (d) an intake; (e) a penstock; (f) a powerhouse containing a 23,872-kW generating unit; and (g) appurtenant facilities; Blake Falls Development comprising: (a) a 75-foot-high concrete gravity-type dam with a concrete overflow section; (b) an earth dike; (c) a 5.5-mile-long reservoir at normal pool elevation 1,250.5 feet USGS; (d) an intake; (e) a penstock; (f) a powerhouse containing a 13,913-kW generating unit; and (g) appurtenant facilities; Rainbow Falls Development comprising: (a) a 75-foot-high concrete gravity-type dam with a concrete overflow section flanked by a 1,600- foot-long earth dike; (b) an earth saddle dike; (c) a 3.5-mile-long reservoir at normal pool elevation 1,181.5 feet USGS; (d) an intake; (e) a penstock; (f) a [[Page 19768]] powerhouse containing a 22,828-kW generating unit; and (g) appurtenant facilities; Five Falls Development comprising: (a) a 50-foot-high concrete gravity- type dam with a concrete overflow section flanked at each end by an earth dike; (b) a 1.0-mile-long reservoir at normal pool elevation 1,077.0 feet USGS; (c) an intake; (d) a 1,200-foot-long penstock; (e) a powerhouse containing a 22,828-kW generating unit; and (f) appurtenant facilities; and South Colton Development comprising: (a) a 45-foot-high concrete gravity-type dam with a concrete overflow section and earth abutments; (b) a 1.5-mile-long reservoir at normal pool elevation 973.5 feet USGS; (c) an intake; (d) a 1,300-foot-long penstock; (e) a powerhouse containing a 18,948-kW generating unit; and (f) appurtenant facilities. The project has a total installed capacity of 102,389 kW. m. Locations of the application: A copy of the application is available for inspection and reproduction at the Commission's Public Reference Room located at 888 First Street, NE, Room 2A, Washington, D.C. 20426, or by calling (202) 208-1371. The application may be viewed on the web at http://www.ferc.fed.us/online/rims.htm (call 202-208-2222 for assistance. A copy is also available for inspection and reproduction at the address in item h above. n. Scoping Process: The Commission intends to prepare a multiple project Environmental Assessment (EA) for the proposed relicensing of the Upper Raquette River Project, Carry Falls Project (FERC No. 2060), Middle Raquette River Project (FERC No. 2320), and the Lower Raquette River Project (FERC No. 2330), in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969. The EA will consider both site- specific and cumulative environmental impacts and reasonable alternatives to the proposed actions. Scoping Meetings The Commission will hold one combined agency and public scoping meeting to help us identify the scope of issues to be addressed in the EA. All interested individuals, organizations, and agencies are invited to attend the meeting, and to assist the staff in identifying the scope of the environmental issues that should be analyzed in the EA. The meeting will be held on Tuesday, May 11, 1999, beginning at 7:00 p.m. in the Barben Room B, Cheel Center, Clarkson University, in the town of Potsdam, New York. To help focus discussions, we will distribute a Scoping Document (SD1) outlining the subject areas to be addressed in the EA to parties on the Commission's mailing list. Copies of the SD1 also will be available at the scoping meeting. Site Visit The applicant and the Commission staff will conduct a project site visit on Tuesday, May 11, 1999. We will meet in the parking lot to the tailrace fishing platform at the South Colton development of the Upper Raquette River Project at 9:30 a.m. If you would like to attend, please call Jack Kuhn, Niagara Mohawk Power Corporation, at (315) 428-5042, no later than May 4, 1999. Objectives At the scoping meeting, 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. The meeting will be recorded by a stenographer and will become part of the formal record of the Commission's proceeding on the project. Individuals presenting statements at the meeting will be asked to sign in before the meeting starts and to identify themselves clearly for the record. 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. Linwood A. Watson, Jr., Acting Secretary. [FR Doc. 99-10041 Filed 4-21-99; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6717-01-M