Notice of Scoping Meetings and Site Visits and Soliciting Scoping Comments

[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 147 (Monday, August 2, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41927-41928]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-19659]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission


Notice of Scoping Meetings and Site Visits and Soliciting Scoping 
Comments

July 27, 1999.
    Take notice that the following hydroelectric applications have been 
filed with the Commission and are available for public inspection:
    a. Type of Applications: Two New Major Licenses and Three 
Subsequent Licenses.
    b. Project Nos.: 2897-003, 2931-002, 2932-003, 2941-002, and 2942-
005.
    c. Dated filed: January 22, 1999.
    d. Applicant: S.D. Warren Company.
    e. Names of Projects: Saccarappa Project, Gambo Project, Mallison 
Falls Project, Little Falls Project, and Dundee Project.
    f. Location: On the Presumpscot River, near the towns of Windham, 
Gorham, and Westbrook, in Cumberland County, Maine. These projects do 
not utilize federal lands.
    g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act, 16 USC 791(a)-825(r).
    h. Applicant Contact: Mr. Thomas Howard, S.D. Warren Company, 89 
Cumberland Street, P.O. Box 5000, Westbrook, ME 04098-1597, (207) 856-
4286.
    i. FERC Contact: Bob Easton, robert.easton@ferc.fed.us, (202) 219-
2782.
    j. Deadline for filing scoping comments: September 27, 1999.
    All documents (original and eight copies) should be filed with: 
David P. Boergers, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 
First Street, NE, Washington, DC 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 
lists for the projects. 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: These applications are not 
ready for environmental analysis at this time.
    l. Description of the Projects:
    Saccarappa: The project consists of the following existing 
facilities: (1) a 322-foot-long diversion dam consisting of two 
concrete overflow structures separated by an island; (2) two bypassed 
reaches measuring 475 and 390 feet long; (3) a 380-foot-long and 36-
foot wide intake canal; (4) a 49-foot-wide by 71-foot-long masonry 
powerhouse; (5) three turbine generator units, each with a rated 
capacity of 450 kilowatts (kW) for a total project installed capacity 
of 1,350 kW; (6) a 345-foot-long tailrace formed by a 33-foot-high 
guard wall; (7) a 1-mile-long 2.3 kilovolt (kV) transmission line/
generator lead; and (8) other appurtenances.
    Gambo: The project consists of the following existing facilities: 
(1) a 250-foot-long, 24-foot-high concrete overflow section and 50-
foot-long intake structure; (2) a 737-foot-long and 15-foot-deep 
concrete-lined in take canal; (3) a 47-foot-wide by 78-foot-long 
reinforced concrete and brick powerhouse; (4) two turbine generator 
units, each with a rated capacity of 950 kW for a total project 
installed capacity of 1,900 kW; (5) a 300-foot-long by passed reach; 
(6) an 8-mile long, 11 kV transmission line; and (7) other 
appurtenances.
    Mallison Falls: The project consists of the following existing 
facilities: (1) a 358-foot-long and 14-foot-high reinforced concrete, 
masonry, and cut granite diversion dam; (2) a 70-foot-long headgate 
structure; (3) a 675-foot-long, 41-foot-wide, and 6-foot-deep bedrock 
lined intake canal; (4) a 33-foot-wide by 51-foot-long reinforced 
concrete and masonry powerhouse; (5) two turbine generator units, each 
with a rated capacity of 400 kW for a total project installed capacity 
of 800 kW; (6) a 675-foot-long bypassed reach; (7) an 11 kV 
transmission line tied into the Gambo Project transmission line; and 
(8) other appurtenances.
    Little Falls: The project consists of the following facilities: (1) 
a 330-foot-long and 14-foot-high reinforced concrete and masonry dam 
incorporating a 70-foot-long intake structure; (2) a 25-foot-wide by 
95-foot-long masonry powerhouse which is integral to the dam; (3) four 
turbine generator units,

[[Page 41928]]

each with a rated capacity of 250 kW for a total project installed 
capacity of 1,000 kW; (4) a 300-foot-long bypassed reach; (5) an 11 kV 
transmission line tied into the Gambo Project transmission line; and 
(6) other appurtenances.
    Dundee: The project consists of the following existing facilities: 
(1) a 1,492-foot-long dam, consisting of a 150-foot-long, 42-foot-high 
concrete spillway section flanked by two 50-foot-high earthen 
embankments, a 90-foot-long and 50-foot-high non-overflow section, and 
a 27-foot-long gate section; (2) a 44-foot-wide by 74-foot-long 
reinforced concrete powerhouse which is integral to the spillway 
section of the dam; (3) three turbine generator units, each with a 
rated capacity of 800 kW for a total project installed capacity of 
2,400 kW; (4) a 1,075-foot-long bypassed reach; (5) a 1,075-foot-long, 
30-foot-wide, and 11-foot-deep tailrace; (6) two 10-mile-long 11 kV 
transmission lines; and (7) other appurtenances.
    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. 20246, or by calling (202) 208-1371. This filing may be viewed on 
the web at 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 Saccarappa Project (FERC No. 2897), Gambo Project (FERC No. 2931), 
Mallison Falls Project (FERC No. 2932), Little Falls Project (FERC No. 
2941),and Dundee Project (FERC No. 2942), in accordance with the 
National Environmental Policy Act. The EA will consider both site-
specific and cumulative environmental impacts and reasonable 
alternatives to the proposed actions.

Scoping Meetings

    The Commission will hold two scoping meetings, one in the morning 
and one in the evening, to help us identify the scope of issues to be 
addressed in the EA.
    The morning scoping meeting will focus on resource agency concerns, 
while the evening scoping meeting is primarily for public input. All 
interested individuals, organizations, and agencies are invited to 
attend the meetings, and to assist the staff in identifying the scope 
of the environmental issues that should be analyzed in the EA. The 
times and locations of these meetings are as follows:

Evening Meeting

August 25, 1999, 7:00 p.m., Windham High School, 406 Gray Road, 
Windham, ME 04061

Morning Meeting

August 26, 1999, 9:00 a.m., Windham High School, 406 Gray Road, 
Windham, ME 04062

    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 meetings.

Site Visit

    Warren and the Commission staff will conduct project site visits on 
August 25, 1999. We will meet at 9:00 a.m. at parking lot 7 of the 
Westbrook Mill on Cumberland Street. If you would like to attend, 
please call Tom Howard, S.D. Warren Company, at (207) 856-4286, no 
later than August 18, 1999.

Objectives

    At the scoping meetings, 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 resource 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.

Procedures

    The meetings will be recorded by a stenographer and will become 
part of the formal record of the Commission's proceedings for these 
projects.
    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. 99-19659 Filed 7-30-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M