[Federal Register: November 4, 2002 (Volume 67, Number 213)]
[Notices]               
[Page 67178-67179]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr04no02-77]                         

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

 
Notice of Application Tendered for Filing With the Commission, 
Soliciting Additional Study Requests, and Establishing Procedural 
Schedule for Relicensing and a Deadline for Submission of Final 
Amendments

October 29, 2002.
    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.: 2105-089.
    c. Date Filed: October 23, 2002.
    d. Applicant: Pacific Gas and Electric Company.
    e. Name of Project: Upper North Fork Feather River Project
    f. Location: On the North Fork Feather River, in the vicinity of 
the community of Chester, Plumas County, California, T28N, R7E. The 
project occupies 1,500 acres of land administered by the Forest 
Supervisors of the Lassen and Plumas National Forests.
    g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act 16 U.S.C. 791(a)-825(r)
    h. Applicant Contacts: Mr. Randal Livingston, Lead Director, Hydro 
Generation Department, Pacific Gas and Electric Company, PO Box 770000 
(N11C), San Francisco, CA, 94177, (415) 973-6950, and Ms. Janet Loduca, 
Attorney, Pacific Gas and Electric Company, PO Box 7442, San Francisco, 
CA, 94120-7442, (415) 973-0174.
    i. FERC Contact: John Mudre, (202) 502-8902 or john.mudre@ferc.gov.
    j. Cooperating agencies: 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 
item k below.
    k. Pursuant to section 4.32(b)(7) of 18 CFR of the Commission's 
regulations, if any resource agency, Indian Tribe, or person believes 
that an additional scientific study should be conducted in order to 
form an adequate factual basis for a complete analysis of the 
application on its merit, the resource agency, Indian Tribe, or person 
must file a request for a study with the Commission not later than 60 
days from the date of filing of the application, and serve a copy of 
the request on the applicant.
    1. Deadline for filing additional study requests and requests for 
cooperating agency status: December 23, 2002.
    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.
    The Commission's Rules of Practice require all intervenors filing 
documents with the Commission to serve a copy of that document on each 
person 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.
    Additional study requests and requests for cooperating agency 
status 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.
    m. This application is not ready for environmental analysis at this 
time.
    n. The existing Upper North Fork Feather River Project consists of 
three dams and reservoirs, five powerhouses, tunnels and penstocks 
connecting the rewservoirs to the powerhouses, 230kV and 115kV 
transmission facilities, and various roads, recreation facilities, and 
administrative facilities. Project reservoirs include Lake Almanor 
(1,142,251 acre-feet), Butt Valley Reservoir (49,891 acre-feet), and 
Belden Forebay (2,477 acre-feet). Powerhouses include Butt Valley 
Powerhouse (41 MW), Caribou No. 1 Powerhouse (75 MW), Caribou No. 2 
Powerhouse (120 MW), Oak Flat Powerhouse (1.3 MW), and Belden 
Powerhouse (125 MW). The Applicant proposes no new facilities, but 
proposes to add 33.73 acres of lands of the Plumas National Forest to 
the project because of historical and future project use of these 
lands.
    o. A copy of the application is available for review at the 
Commission in the Public Reference Room or may be viewed on the 
Commission's Website at http://www.ferc.gov using the ``FERRIS'' link. 
Enter the docket number excluding the last three digits in the docket 
number field to access the document. For assistance, call 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.
    p. With this notice, we are initiating consultation with the 
CALIFORNIA STATE HISTORIC PRESERVATION

[[Page 67179]]

OFFICER (SHPO), as required by Sec.  106, National Historic 
Preservation Act, and the regulations of the Advisory Council on 
Historic Preservation, 36, CFR, at Sec.  800.4.
    q. Procedural schedule and final amendments: The application will 
be processed according to the following Hydro Licensing Schedule. 
Revisions to the schedule will be made as appropriate.

Issue Acceptance or Deficiency Letter: December 2002
Request Additional Information (if needed): December 2002
Issue Acceptance Letter: March 2003
Issue Scoping Document 1 for comments: April 2003
Hold Scoping Meetings: May 2003
Request Additional Information (if needed): July 2003
Issue Scoping Document 2: July 2003
Notice of Application is Ready for Environmental Analysis: July 2003
Notice of the availability of the draft EA: January 2004
Initiate 10(j) process: March 2004
Notice of the availability of the final EA: July 2004
Ready for Commission's decision on the application: October 2004

    Final amendments to the application must be filed with the 
Commission no later than 30 days from the issuance date of the notice 
of ready for environmental analysis.

Linwood A. Watson, Jr.,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 02-28102 Filed 11-1-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P