Kilarc-Cow Creek Hydroelectric Project; Notice of Scoping Meetings and Environmental Site Review and Soliciting Scoping Comments, 48248-48249 [E9-22717]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
• Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 182 (Tuesday, September 22, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 48248-48249]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-22717]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 606-027-CA]


Kilarc-Cow Creek Hydroelectric Project; Notice of Scoping 
Meetings and Environmental Site Review and Soliciting Scoping Comments

September 15, 2009.
    Take notice that the following hydroelectric application has been 
filed with the Commission and is available for public inspection:
    a. Type of Application: Surrender of License.
    b. Project No.: 606-027.
    c. Date Filed: March 13, 2009.
    d. Applicant: Pacific Gas and Electric Company.
    e. Name of Project: Kilarc-Cow Creek Hydroelectric Project.
    f. Location: Old Cow Creek and South Cow Creek in Shasta County, 
California.
    g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act, 16 U.S.C. 791a-825r.
    h. Applicant Contact: Mr. Randal S. Livingston, Vice-President of 
Power Generation, Pacific Gas and Electric Company, P.O. Box 770000, 
MC-N11E, San Francisco, CA 94177-0001. Telephone (415) 973-7000.
    i. FERC Contact: CarLisa Linton-Peters, (202) 502-8416, or e-mail: 
carlisa.linton-peters@ferc.gov.
    j. Deadline for filing scoping comments: October 16, 2009.
    All documents (original and eight copies) should be filed with: 
Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 
First Street, NE., Washington, DC 20426. Please include the project 
number (P-606) on any comments filed.
    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 
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.
    Scoping comments may be filed electronically via the Internet in 
lieu of paper filings. The Commission strongly encourages electronic 
filings. See 18 CFR 385.2001(a)(1)(iii) and the instructions on the 
Commission's Web site at (https://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/ferconline.asp) under the ``e-filing'' link. For a simpler method of 
submitting text only comments, click on ``Quick Comment.''
    k. Description of Request: The applicant proposes to surrender the 
license for the Kilarc-Cow Creek Hydroelectric Project. In addition, 
the applicant proposes to decommission and remove project facilities, 
as described in its proposed decommissioning plan. In general, (1) 
Diversion dams would be removed to stop water diversions and to allow 
for free passage of fish and sediment; (2) some diversion dam abutments 
and foundations would be left in place to protect stream banks and 
provide grade control; (3) powerhouse structures would be secured and 
left in place during decommissioning and an option for future reuse of 
the powerhouse structures for non-generation purposes would be 
preserved; (4) electric generators, turbines and other equipment would 
be removed; (5) forebays would be graded and filled; and (6) canal 
segments would be left in place, breached, or filled in consultation 
with affected landowners, and metal and wood flume structures would be 
removed. The applicant consulted with federal, state, local agencies, 
and other parties with potential interest, during the license surrender 
application process.
    l. 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, 
DC 20426, or by calling (202) 502-8371. This filing may also be viewed 
on the Commission's Web site at https://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. You may also 
register online at https://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/esubscription.asp to 
be notified via e-mail of new filings and issuances related to this or 
other pending projects. For assistance, call 1-866-208-3676 or e-mail 
FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov, for TTY, call (202) 502-8659. A copy is 
also available for inspection and reproduction at the address in item 
(h) above.
    You may also register online at https://www.ferc.govdocs-filing/esubscription.asp to be notified via electronic mail of new filings and 
issuances related to this or other pending projects. For technical 
assistance, contact FERC Online Support.
    m. Mailing list: Individuals desiring to be included on the 
Commission's mailing list should so indicate by writing to the 
Secretary of the Commission.
    n. Scoping Process: The Commission intends to prepare an 
Environmental Assessment (EA) on the proposed action 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 action.

Scoping Meetings

    FERC staff will conduct one evening public meeting and one agency 
scoping meeting, which is also open to the public. The agency scoping 
meeting will primarily focus on resource agency and non-governmental 
organization (NGO) concerns, while the public scoping meeting will 
primarily focus on receiving public input. All interested individuals, 
organizations, and agencies are invited to attend one or both of the 
scoping meetings, and to assist FERC staff in identifying the scope of 
the environmental issues that should be analyzed in the EA on the 
proposed action. There will also be a public environmental site review 
to the Kilarc-Cow Creek project site (see below). The times and 
locations of these two scoping meetings are as follows:

Public Scoping Meeting

    Date: Monday, October 19, 2009.
    Time: 6 p.m. until 8:30 p.m.
    Place: Millville Grange.
    Address: 22037 Old 44 Drive, Palo Cedro, CA 96073.
    Telephone: (530) 547-5215.

[[Page 48249]]

Agency Scoping Meeting

    Date: Thursday, October 22, 2009.
    Time: 9 a.m. until 12 Noon.
    Place: Holiday Inn.
    Address: 1900 Hilltop Drive, Redding, CA 96002.
    Telephone: (530) 221-7500.
    At the scoping meetings, the public will meet the FERC staff and 
then 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 resources 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.

Environmental Site Review

    The Applicant and FERC staff will conduct a two-day public 
environmental site review. All interested individuals, organizations 
and agencies are invited to attend the site review, which begins on 
Tuesday, October 20, 2009 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. All participants 
wishing to tour the Kilarc project features should meet at the Whitmore 
Community Center, across from the Whitmore General Store, at 30555 
Whitmore Road, Whitmore, CA. 96096. All participants are responsible 
for their own transportation to the site. Four-wheel drive 
transportation is strongly recommended to see the site, and car-pooling 
is encouraged. Participants should understand that parking for the site 
review is limited and available on a first come first serve basis; 
therefore FERC is requesting RSVPs for those planning to attend by 
October 13, 2009 to CarLisa M Linton-Peters at (202) 502-8416. All 
participants are asked to bring a brown-bag lunch, sufficient drink 
water, and wear appropriate clothing and shoes for the site visit. 
Participants should realize that there will be moderate hiking required 
and there is no access to restroom facilities for most of the tour. 
Participants will also be asked to sign a Release from Liability form 
prior to beginning the site tour. The second day of the environmental 
site review, to tour the Cow Creek project features, will occur on 
Wednesday, October 21, 2009 starting at 9 a.m. All participants joining 
us for the second day should meet at the Palo Cedro Park and Ride, 
across from the Holiday Market, on the corner of Deschutes Road and 44, 
in Palo Cedro, CA. 96073. A tentative itinerary of the two-day 
environmental site review is provided below. Anyone with questions 
about details of the site review should contact Lisa Whitman of Pacific 
Gas and Electric Company at (925) 973-7465.

Tentative Environmental Site Review Itinerary

Kilarc Creek Tour, Tuesday, October 20th 2009. 09:00 to 16:30.

    09:00 Meet at the Whitmore Community Center, across from the 
Whitmore General Store. Provide instruction on tour and tour 
participations requirements (i.e. no smoking, will stay as a group, 
some hiking required/optional, and respect private lands). Public 
participants park their vehicles and load into PG&E vehicles. (If the 
public participants only want to visit the Kilarc Forebay, they may 
drive their own cars and park in the recreation area).
    09:30 Drive to Kilarc Powerhouse. Due to safety rules and the use 
of Flame Resistant (FR) clothing in powerhouses and switchyards, 
members of the public will be able to view the powerhouse from the 
outside only and view the immediate area.
    10:15 Drive to Kilarc Forebay--Proceed on Miller Mountain Road to 
Kilarc Forebay and tour the immediate area. Participants may walk a 
portion of the lower canal.
    11:30 Option to proceed via Miller Mountain Road and Access Road 
``A'' to Kilarc Diversion Dam. Participants may walk 1,500 yards to 
view a section of the upper canals, flume sections and the siphon.
    13:00 Option to drive to North and South Canyon Creek Diversions.
    16:30 Secure for day.

Cow Creek Tour, Wednesday, October 21st 2009. 09:00-16:30.

    09:00 Meet at the Park and Ride across from the Holiday Market 
(Palo Cedro). Provide instruction on tour and tour participations 
requirements (i.e. no smoking, will stay as a group, some hiking 
required/optional, and respect private lands). Public participants park 
their vehicles and load into PG&E vehicles.
    09:30 Drive to Abbott Ditch Diversion. Inspect the Abbott Ditch 
diversion and lower portion of Hooten Gulch.
    10:00 Drive to Cow Creek Powerhouse. Due to safety rules and the 
use of FR clothing in powerhouses and switchyards, members of the 
public will be able to view the powerhouse from the outside only and 
inspect the immediate area including the upper portion of Hooten Gulch.
    11:30 Proceed to Cow Creek Diversion Dam. Park vehicles, and walk 
approximately 400 yards to the diversion dam and the fish ladder and 
the upper section of the Cow Creek Canal. Walk 300 yards to the Mill 
Creek Diversion.
    13:00 Proceed to Cow Creek Forebay, by South Cow Creek Road. For 
participants who do not want to see the Cow Creek Forebay, they would 
be driven back to their vehicles. The tour would go across the wet 
crossing of South Cow Creek to Access Road A and to Cow Creek Forebay. 
The group would tour the immediate area of the Forebay and then return 
via Access Road A and South Cow Creek Road back to the Palo Cedro Park 
and Ride.
    16:30 Secure for Day.

    Note:  For both days of the environmental site review, all 
participants are asked to bring a brown bag lunch and water bottles.

Scoping Document

    Copies of the Scoping Document (SD) outlining the subject areas to 
be addressed in the EA were distributed to the parties on the 
Commission's mailing list on September 15, 2009. Copies of the SD will 
also be available at the scoping meetings or may be viewed on the 
Commission's Web site at https://www.ferc.gov using the ``eLibrary'' 
link.

Procedures

    The scoping meetings will be recorded by a stenographer and will 
become part of the formal record of the Commission proceeding on this 
project.
    Individuals, organizations and agencies with environmental 
expertise and concerns are encouraged to attend the meetings and the 
site visit and to assist the FERC staff in defining and clarifying the 
issues to be addressed in the EA.
    If you have any questions regarding this notice, please contact the 
environmental coordinator at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 
CarLisa Linton-Peters at (202) 502-8416 or carlisa.linton-peters@ferc.gov.

Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E9-22717 Filed 9-21-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P