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Hydropower - Environment
With respect to hydroelectric projects, FERC safeguards the environment
by:
- Ensuring that planned projects will minimize damage to the
environment;
- Requiring that all hydropower applicants communicate with federal and state Natural Resources agencies, Indian tribes, and state water quality agencies prior to submitting an application to FERC;
- Ensuring that all license applicants perform the necessary
studies to base an informed decision on the project;
- Issuing draft Environmental Assessments (EAs) or draft
Environmental Impact Statements (EISs)
for comment. FERC makes electronic copies of the draft and
final EISs available to the public. A limited number of paper
copies are also available from the Public Reference Room (call
toll-free 1-866-208-3676);
- Incorporating license requirements designed to reduce environmental
impacts;
- Visiting projects that are requesting relicenses or license
amendments. Scoping meetings are held to determine the most important environmental resources to address in an EA or EIS; and
- Maintaining a licensing handbook with guidelines for preparing
the Exhibit E, the environmental information exhibit required
to be included with each application.
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