80 FR 22509 - Merced Irrigation District, Pacific Gas and Electric Company; Notice of Availability of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Merced River and Merced Falls Hydroelectric Projects and Intention To Hold Public Meetings

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

Federal Register Volume 80, Issue 77 (April 22, 2015)

[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 77 (Wednesday, April 22, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 22509-22510]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2015-09222]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 2179-043--California; Project No. 2467-020--California]


Merced Irrigation District, Pacific Gas and Electric Company; 
Notice of Availability of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for 
the Merced River and Merced Falls Hydroelectric Projects and Intention 
To Hold Public Meetings

    In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 
and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission or FERC) 
regulations contained in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) (18 CFR 
Part 380 [FERC Order No. 486, 52 FR 47897]), the Office of Energy 
Projects has reviewed the applications for license for the Merced River 
Hydroelectric Project (FERC No. 2179), and the Merced Falls 
Hydroelectric Project (FERC No. 2467) and prepared a draft multi-
project environmental impact statement (EIS) for the projects.
    Both projects are located on the Merced River. The Merced River 
Project consists of the New Exchequer and McSwain developments, which 
are located at river miles (RM) 62.5 and 56.3, respectively, about 23 
miles northeast of the city of Merced in Mariposa County, California. 
The Merced River Project occupies 3,154.9 acres of federal land 
administered by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land 
Management (BLM). The Merced Falls Project is located at RM 55 on the 
border of Merced and Mariposa Counties, California. The Merced Falls 
Project occupies 1.0 acre of federal land administered by BLM.
    The draft EIS contains staff's analysis of the applicants' 
proposals and the alternatives for relicensing the Merced River and 
Merced Falls Projects. The draft EIS documents the views of 
governmental agencies, non-governmental organizations, affected Indian 
tribes, the public, the license applicants, and Commission staff.
    A copy of the draft EIS is available for review at the Commission 
or may be viewed on the Commission's Web site at http://www.ferc.gov, 
using the ``e-Library'' link. Enter the docket number, excluding the 
last three digits, to access the document. For assistance, contact FERC 
Online Support at [email protected] or toll-free at (866) 208-
3676, or for TTY, contact (202) 502-8659.
    You may also register online at http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/esubscription.asp to be notified via email of new filings and issuances 
related to this or other pending projects. For assistance, contact FERC 
Online Support.
    All comments must be filed by Friday, May 29, 2015, and should 
reference Project Nos. 2179-043 and 2467-020. The Commission strongly 
encourages electronic filing. Please file comments using the 
Commission's efiling system at http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/efiling.asp. Commenters can submit brief comments up to 6,000 
characters, without prior registration, using the eComment system at 
http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/ecomment.asp. You must include your 
name and contact information at the end of your comments. For 
assistance, please contact FERC Online Support. In lieu of electronic 
filing, please send a paper copy to: Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, 
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE., Washington, 
DC 20426.
    Anyone may intervene in this proceeding based on this draft EIS (18 
CFR 380.10). You must file your request to intervene as specified 
above. You do not need intervenor status to have your comments 
considered.
    In addition to or in lieu of sending written comments, you are 
invited to attend public meetings that will be held to receive comments 
on the draft EIS. The agency scoping meeting will focus on resource 
agency and non-governmental organization input, while the public 
scoping meeting is primarily for public input. All interested 
individuals, organizations, and agencies are invited to attend one or 
both of the meetings. The time and locations of the meetings are as 
follows:

Agency Meeting

    Date: Thursday, April 30, 2015.
    Time: 10:00 a.m.
    Place: El Capitan Lodge at the Merced County Fairgrounds.
    Address: 900 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Merced, CA 95341.

Public Meeting

    Date: Thursday, April 30, 2015.
    Time: 6:00 p.m.
    Place: San Joaquin Hall at the Merced County Fairgrounds.
    Address: 900 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Merced, CA 95341.
    At these meetings, resource agency personnel and other interested 
persons will have the opportunity to provide oral and written comments 
and recommendations regarding the draft EIS. The meetings will be 
recorded by a court reporter, and all statements (verbal and written) 
will become part of

[[Page 22510]]

the Commission's public record for the project. These meetings are 
posted on the Commission's calendar located at http://www.ferc.gov/EventCalendar/EventsList.aspx along with other related information.
    For further information, please contact Matt Buhyoff at (202) 502-
6824 or at [email protected].

    Dated: April 15, 2015.
Kimberly D. Bose,
 Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2015-09222 Filed 4-21-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6717-01-P