8659. You may register online ...

8659. You may register online at https://ferconline.ferc.gov/FERCOnline. aspx to be notified via email of new filings and issuances related to these or other pending projects. For assistance, contact FERC Online Support. • With this notice, we are soliciting comments on the PAD and Com- mission staff’s 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 Com- mission. 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 eCom- ment 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 FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov. In lieu of electronic filing, you may submit a paper copy. Submissions sent via the U.S. Postal Service must be addressed to: Debbie-Anne A. Reese, Acting Secretary, Fed- eral Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE, Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426. Submissions sent via any other carrier must be addressed to: Debbie-Anne A. Reese, Acting Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 12225 Wilkins Avenue, Rockville, Maryland 20852. The first page of any filing should include docket number P-943-144. All filings with the Commission must bear the appropriate heading: “Comments on Pre-Application Document,” “Study Requests,” “Com- ments 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, comment- ing on the PAD or SD1, and any agency requesting cooperating status must do so by April 15, 2024. • The Commission’s Office of Public Participation (OPP) supports meaningful public engagement and participation in Commission pro- ceedings. OPP can help members of the public, including landown- ers, environmental justice communities, Tribal members and others, access publicly available information and navigate Commission processes. For public inquiries and assistance with making filings such as interventions, comments, or requests for rehearing, the public is encouraged to contact OPP at (202) 502-6595 or OPP@ferc.gov. • The Commission’s scoping process will help determine the required level of analysis and satisfy the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) scoping requirements, irrespective of whether the Commis- sion prepares an environmental assessment or environmental impact statement. Scoping Meetings Commission staff will hold two scoping meetings in the vicinity of the project at the time and place noted below. The daytime meeting will focus on resource agency, Indian tribes, and non-governmental orga- nization concerns, while the evening meeting is primarily for receiving input from the public. We invite all interested individuals, organiza- tions, and agencies to attend one or both of the meetings, and to as- sist 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: UNITED STATES OF AMERICA FEDERAL ENERGY REGULATORY COMMISSION Public Utility District No. 1 of Chelan County Project No. 943-144 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 (February 13, 2024) • Type of Filing: Notice of Intent to File License Application for a New License and Commencing Pre-filing Process • Project No.: 943-144 • Dated Filed: December 15, 2023 • Submitted By: Public Utility District No. 1 of Chelan County • Name of Project: Rock Island Hydroelectric Project • Location: On the Columbia River, in Chelan and Douglas Counties, Washington. The project occupies federal lands under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. • Filed Pursuant to: 18 C.F.R. Part 5 of the Commission’s Regulations • Potential Applicant Contact: Janel Ulrich, Hydro Licensing Manager, Public Utility District No. 1 of Chelan County, 203 Olds Station Road, Wenatchee, WA 98801. • FERC Contact: Matt Cutlip at (503) 552-2762 or e-mail at matt. cutlip@ferc.gov. • 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 environmen- tal 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). • With this notice, we are initiating informal consultation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service under section 7 of the Endangered Species Act and the joint agency regula- tions thereunder at 50 C.F.R. Part 402; and National Marine Fisher- ies Service under section 305(b) of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Management and Conservation Act and implementing regulations at 50 C.F.R. Part 600.920. We are also initiating consultation with the Washington State Historic Preservation Officer, as required by section 106, National Historic Preservation Act, and the implementing regula- tions of the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation at 36 C.F.R. Part 800.2. • With this notice, we are designating Public Utility District No. 1 of Chelan County as the Commission’s non-federal representative for carrying out informal consultation, pursuant to section 7 of the Endan- gered Species Act, the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Management and Conservation Act, and section 106 of the National Historic Preserva- tion Act. • Public Utility District No. 1 of Chelan County filed with the Commis- sion a Pre-Application Document (PAD; including a proposed process plan and schedule), pursuant to 18 C.F.R. Part 5.6 of the Commis- sion’s regulations. • A copy of the PAD may be viewed on the Commission’s website (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 at FERCOnline- Support@ferc.gov or call toll-free, (866) 208-3676 or TYY, (202) 502- Daytime Scoping Meeting Date: Thursday, March 14, 2024 Time: 9:00 a.m. -12:00 p.m. (PDT) Location: Confluence Technology Center - Quad Room, 285 Technology Center Way, Wenatchee, WA 98801 Phone: (509) 661-3118 Evening Scoping Meeting Date: Wednesday, March 13, 2024 Time: 7:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. (PDT) Location: Confluence Technology Center - Quad Room, 285 Technology Center Way, Wenatchee, WA 98801 Phone: (509) 661-3118 Scoping Document 1 (SD1), which outlines the subject areas to be ad- dressed 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 in- clude a revised process plan and schedule, as well as a list of issues, identified through the scoping process. Environmental Site Review The applicant and Commission staff will conduct an environmental site review of the project on Wednesday, March 13, 2024, starting at 11:45 a.m. (PDT). All interested individuals, agencies, tribes, and NGOs are invited to attend. Bus transportation will be provided during the site visit for registered participants. Participants should meet at11:45 a.m. at the Former Chelan PUD Headquarters building parking lot, 321 N Wenatchee Ave., Wenatchee, WA 98801. Please contact Janel Ulrich with Chelan PUD at (609) 661-4400, or via email at Janel.Ulrich@ chelanpud.org, on or before March 1, 2024, if you plan to attend the environmental site review. 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 scop- ing meetings. Directions on how to obtain a copy of the PAD and SD1 are included in item n. of this document. Meeting Procedures Commission staff are moderating the scoping meetings. The meet- ings are recorded by an independent stenographer and become part of the formal record of the Commission proceeding on the project. Individuals, NGOs, Indian tribes, 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 NEPA document. Debbie-Anne A. Reese, Acting Secretary.