Nushagak Electric & Telephone Cooperative, Inc.; Notice of Intent To File License Application, Filing of Pre-Application Document, 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 an Original License and Commencing Pre-filing Process.

b. Project No.: 14873-001.

c. Dated Filed: October 7, 2019.

d. Submitted By: Nushagak Electric & Telephone Cooperative, Inc.

e. Name of Project: Nuyakuk River Hydroelectric Project.

f. Location: On the Nuyakuk River, in the Dillingham Census Area, Alaska. The project occupies 357 acres of United States lands under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Land Management.

g. Filed Pursuant to: 18 CFR part 5 of the Commission's Regulations.

h. Potential Applicant Contact: Mr. Bobby Armstrong, Nushagak Electric & Telephone Cooperative, Inc., P.O. Box 350, Dillingham, Alaska 99576; phone: (907) 842-5251 or email at barmstrong@nushagak.coop.

i. FERC Contact: Julia Kolberg at (202) 502-8261 or email at julia.kolberg@ferc.gov.

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 and/or NOAA Fisheries 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. Nushagak Cooperative, Inc. filed a Pre-Application Document (PAD; including a proposed process plan and schedule) with the Commission, pursuant to 18 CFR 5.6 of the Commission's regulations.

m. 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 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 Online Support at FERCONlineSupport@ferc.gov, (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.

n. With this notice, we are soliciting comments on the PAD and 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 FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov. 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-14873-001.

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 February 4, 2020.

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. Teleconferencing capability will be provided for those who cannot attend the meeting in person. The times and locations of these meetings are as follows:

Daytime Scoping Meeting

Date: Wednesday, December 11, 2019.

Time: 10:00 a.m.

Location: Homewood Suites, 101 W. 48th Ave., Anchorage, AK 99503.

Phone: (907) 762-7000.

Evening Scoping Meeting

Date: Wednesday, December 11, 2019.

Time: 7:00 p.m.

Location: Homewood Suites, 101 W. 48th Ave., Anchorage, AK 99503.

Phone: (907) 762-7000.

Please notify Julia Kolberg at (202) 502-8261 or Julia.kolberg@ferc.gov on or before December 4, 2019, if you plan to attend scoping meetings via teleconference.

Scoping Document 1 (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.

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.

Under the Commission's Integrated Licensing Process, the Commission conducts scoping within 90 days of the filing of the licensee's NOI. An environmental site review is typically held in conjunction with that scoping meeting. However, in this case, access to project facilities is likely to be limited by winter weather conditions when scoping for this project will occur. For this reason, the license applicant will play a video filmed during a flyover of the proposed project site. An environmental site review may be conducted at a later date. Therefore, we are waiving § 5.8(b)(viii) of the Commission's regulations requiring an environmental site review within 30 days of issuance of a notice of commencement of proceeding to facilitate the early environmental site review.