82 FR 11031 - Southern California Edison Company; Notice of Intent To File License Application, Filing of Pre-Application Document (PAD), Commencement of Pre-Filing Process, and Scoping; Request for Comments on the PAD and Scoping Document, and Identification of Issues and Associated Study Requests

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

Federal Register Volume 82, Issue 32 (February 17, 2017)

[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 32 (Friday, February 17, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11031-11032]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2017-03158]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 298-080]


Southern California Edison Company; Notice of Intent To File 
License Application, Filing of Pre-Application Document (PAD), 
Commencement of Pre-Filing Process, and Scoping; Request for Comments 
on the PAD and Scoping Document, and Identification of Issues and 
Associated Study Requests

    a. Type of Filing: Notice of Intent To File License Application for 
a New License and Commencing Pre-filing Process.
    b. Project No.: 298-080.
    c. Date Filed: December 14, 2016.
    d. Submitted by: Southern California Edison Company (Applicant or 
SCE).
    e. Name of Project: Kaweah Hydroelectric Project.
    f. Location: On the Kaweah River and East Fork Kaweah River in 
Tulare County, California. The project occupies public lands 
administered by the Bureau of Land Management. The project incorporates 
non-project facilities (diversion structures and water conveyance 
facilities) located within Sequoia National Park, which are authorized 
by a National Park Service special use permit.
    g. Filed Pursuant to: 18 CFR part 5 of the Commission's 
Regulations.
    h. Potential Applicant Contact: Wayne P. Allen, Principle Manager, 
Hydro Licensing and Implementation, Southern California Edison Company, 
1515 Walnut Grove Avenue, Rosemead, CA 91770, (626) 302-9741 or email 
at [email protected].
    i. FERC Contact: Jim Hastreiter at (503) 552-2760 or email at 
[email protected].
    j. Cooperating agencies: Federal, state, local, and tribal agencies 
with jurisdiction and/or special expertise with respect to 
environmental issues that wish to cooperate in the preparation of the 
environmental document should follow the instructions for filing such 
requests described in item o below. Cooperating agencies should note 
the Commission's policy that agencies that cooperate in the preparation 
of the environmental document cannot also intervene. See 94 FERC ] 
61,076 (2001).
    k. With this notice, we are initiating informal consultation with: 
(a) The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service under section 7 of the 
Endangered Species Act and the joint agency regulations thereunder at 
50 CFR, part 402 and (b) the State Historic Preservation Officer, as 
required by section 106, National Historic Preservation Act, and the 
implementing regulations of the Advisory Council on Historic 
Preservation at 36 CFR 800.2.
    l. With this notice, we are designating the Applicant as the 
Commission's non-federal representatives for carrying out informal 
consultation, pursuant to section 7 of the Endangered Species Act and 
section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act.
    m. On December 14, 2016, the Applicant filed with the Commission a 
Pre-Application Document (PAD; including a proposed process plan and 
schedule), pursuant to 18 CFR 5.6 of the Commission's regulations.
    n. A copy of the PAD is available for review at the Commission in 
the Public Reference Room or may be viewed on the Commission's Web site 
(http://www.ferc.gov), using the ``eLibrary'' link. Enter the docket 
number, excluding the last three digits in the docket number field to 
access the document. For assistance, contact FERC Online Support at 
[email protected], (866) 208-3676 (toll free), or (202) 502-
8659 (TTY). A copy is also available for inspection and reproduction at 
the address in paragraph h.
    Register online at http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/esubscription.asp to be notified via email of new filing and issuances 
related to this or other pending projects. For assistance, contact FERC 
Online Support.
    o. With this notice, we are soliciting comments on the PAD and

[[Page 11032]]

Commission's staff Scoping Document 1 (SD1), as well as study requests. 
All comments on the PAD and SD1, and study requests should be sent to 
the address above in paragraph h. In addition, all comments on the PAD 
and SD1, study requests, requests for cooperating agency status, and 
all communications to and from Commission staff related to the merits 
of the potential application must be filed with the Commission.
    The Commission strongly encourages electronic filing. Please file 
all documents 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 at 
[email protected]. In lieu of electronic filing, please send a 
paper copy to: Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 
First Street NE., Washington, DC 20426. The first page of any filing 
should include docket number P-298-080.
    All filings with the Commission must bear the appropriate heading: 
``Comments on Pre-Application Document,'' ``Study Requests,'' 
``Comments on Scoping Document 1,'' ``Request for Cooperating Agency 
Status,'' or ``Communications to and from Commission Staff.'' Any 
individual or entity interested in submitting study requests, 
commenting on the PAD or SD1, and any agency requesting cooperating 
status must do so by April 13, 2017.
    p. Although our current intent is to prepare an environmental 
assessment (EA), there is the possibility that an Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS) will be required. Nevertheless, this meeting will 
satisfy the NEPA scoping requirements, irrespective of whether an EA or 
EIS is issued by the Commission.

Scoping Meetings

    Commission staff will hold two scoping meetings in the vicinity of 
the project at the times and places noted below. The daytime meeting 
will focus on resource agency, Indian tribes, and non-governmental 
organization concerns, while the evening meeting is primarily for 
receiving input from the public. We invite all interested individuals, 
organizations, and agencies to attend one or both of the meetings, and 
to assist staff in identifying particular study needs, as well as the 
scope of environmental issues to be addressed in the environmental 
document. The times and locations of these meetings are as follows:

Daytime Scoping Meeting

    Date: Tuesday, March 14, 2017.
    Time: 9:00 a.m.
    Location: Wyndham Visalia, 9000 W. Airport Drive, Visalia, CA 
93277.
    Phone: (559) 651-5000.

Evening Scoping Meeting

    Date: Tuesday, March 14, 2017.
    Time: 6:00 p.m.
    Location: Wyndham Visalia, 9000 W. Airport Drive, Visalia, CA 
93277.
    Phone: (559) 651-5000.
    SD1, which outlines the subject areas to be addressed in the 
environmental document, was mailed to the individuals and entities on 
the Commission's mailing list. Copies of SD1 will be available at the 
scoping meetings, or may be viewed on the Web at http://www.ferc.gov, 
using the ``eLibrary'' link. Follow the directions for accessing 
information in paragraph n. Based on all oral and written comments, a 
Scoping Document 2 (SD2) may be issued. SD2 may include a revised 
process plan and schedule, as well as a list of issues, identified 
through the scoping process.

Environmental Site Review

    The potential applicant and Commission staff will conduct an 
Environmental Site Review (site visit) of the project Wednesday March 
15, 2017, starting at 9:00 a.m. and ending at or about 4:00 p.m. All 
participants should meet at the Memorial Building located at 43490 
Sierra Drive, Three Rivers, California. Participants are responsible 
for their own transportation. Persons planning on participating in the 
site visit, or with questions about it, should contact Mr. David Moore 
of Southern California Edison Company at (626) 302-9494 or 
[email protected] on or before March 1, 2017.

Meeting Objectives

    At the scoping meetings, staff will: (1) Initiate scoping of the 
issues; (2) review and discuss existing conditions and resource 
management objectives; (3) review and discuss existing information and 
identify preliminary information and study needs; (4) review and 
discuss the process plan and schedule for pre-filing activity that 
incorporates the time frames provided for in Part 5 of the Commission's 
regulations and, to the extent possible, maximizes coordination of 
federal, state, and tribal permitting and certification processes; 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.
    Meeting participants should come prepared to discuss their issues 
and/or concerns. Please review the PAD in preparation for the scoping 
meetings. Directions on how to obtain a copy of the PAD and SD1 are 
included in item n. of this document.

Meeting Procedures

    The meetings will be recorded by a stenographer and will be placed 
in the public records of the project.

    Dated: February 10, 2017.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2017-03158 Filed 2-16-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6717-01-P