Section 50.4 - [Effective 7/29/2024] Stakeholder participationA Project Participation Plan is required to ensure stakeholders have access to accurate and timely information on the proposed project and permit application process.
(a)Project Participation Plan. An applicant must develop a Project Participation Plan and file it with the pre-filing materials under § 50.5(c)(7) that: (1) Identifies specific tools and actions to facilitate stakeholder communications and public information, including an up-to-date project website with an interactive mapping component, and a readily accessible, single point of contact for the applicant;(2) Lists all central locations in each county throughout the project area where the applicant will provide copies of all its filings related to the proposed project;(3) Includes a description and schedule explaining how the applicant intends to respond to requests for information from the public, permitting entities, and other legal entities with local authorization requirements; and(4) Includes an Environmental Justice Public Engagement Plan that addresses all targeted outreach to identified environmental justice communities. This plan must summarize comments received from potentially impacted environmental justice communities during any previous outreach activities and describe planned targeted outreach activities with such communities during the pre-filing process and after the filing of an application, including efforts to identify, engage, and accommodate people with limited English proficiency. This plan must also describe how the applicant will conduct outreach to environmental justice communities about any potential mitigation measures.(5) Includes a Tribal Engagement Plan that addresses all targeted outreach to identified Indian Tribes. This plan must summarize comments received from potentially affected Indian Tribes during any previous outreach activities and describe planned targeted outreach activities with such communities during the pre-filing process and after the filing of an application. This plan must also describe how the applicant will engage Indian Tribes about any potential mitigation measures.(b)Document Availability.(1) Within three business days of the date the pre-filing materials are filed or application is issued a docket number, an applicant must ensure that: (i) Complete copies of the pre-filing or application materials are available in accessible central locations in each county throughout the project area, either in paper or electronic format; and(ii) Complete copies of all filed materials are available on the project website.(2) An applicant is not required to serve voluminous or difficult to reproduce material, such as copies of certain environmental information, on all parties, as long as such material is publicly available in an accessible central location in each county throughout the project area and on the applicant's project website.(c)Project notification.(1) The applicant must make a good faith effort to notify all: affected landowners; landowners with a residence within a quarter mile of the edge of the construction right-of-way of the proposed project; municipalities in the project area; permitting entities; other local, State, and Federal governments and agencies involved in the project; Indian Tribes; electric utilities and transmission owners and operators that are, or may be, connected to the proposed transmission facilities; any known individuals or organizations that have expressed an interest in the State siting proceeding; and any other individuals or organizations that have expressed to the applicant, or its representatives, an interest in the proposed project. Notification must be made:(i) By certified or first class mail, sent:(A) Within 14 days after the Director notifies the applicant of the commencement of the pre-filing process under § 50.5(d) (Pre-filing Notification);(B) Within 3 business days after the Commission notices the application under § 50.9 (Application Notification); and(C) With written translations in the applicable language(s) to all affected landowners and landowners with a residence within a quarter mile of the edge of the construction right-of-way of the proposed project in a census block group in which the number of limited English proficiency households that speak the same language constitutes at least five percent of the census block group or 1,000 people, whichever is less.(ii) By twice publishing a Pre-filing Notification and Application Notification, in a daily or weekly newspaper of general circulation in each county in which the project is located and, as appropriate, Tribal newspapers and other online or hard copy periodicals of general circulation serving the affected area. These notifications must also be submitted to any available county and municipal government online bulletin boards and other similar community resources. All such publications and submittals should occur no later than 14 days after the date that a docket number is assigned for the pre-filing process or to the application. The applicant must promptly provide the Commission with proof of any publication.(2) Project notifications must include specified content. (i) Any Pre-filing Notification sent by mail or published in a newspaper, periodical, or county/municipal online bulletin board or community resource must, at a minimum, include: (A) The docket number assigned to the proceeding;(B) The most recent edition of the Commission's pamphlet Electric Transmission Facilities Permit Process. The newspaper notification need only refer to the pamphlet and indicate the website address where it is available on the Commission's website;(C) A description of the applicant and a description of the proposed project, its location (including a general location map), its purpose, and the proposed project schedule;(D) Contact information for the applicant, including a local or toll-free telephone number, the name of a specific contact person who is knowledgeable about the project, and information on how to access the project website;(E) Information on how to get a copy of the pre-filing information from the applicant and the location(s) where copies of the pre-filing information may be found as specified in paragraph (b) of this section;(F) A copy of the Director's notification of commencement of the pre-filing process, the Commission's internet address, and contact information for the Commission's Office of Public Participation;(G) Information explaining the pre-filing and application processes and when and how to intervene in the application proceedings; and(H) Information explaining that the Commission's pre-filing and application processes are separate from any ongoing State siting proceeding(s) and describing the status of any such State siting proceeding(s).(ii) In addition to the requirements of paragraph (c)(2)(i) of this section, any Pre-filing Notification sent by mail to an affected landowner must also include:(A) A general description of the property the applicant will need from an affected landowner if the project is approved;(B) The most recent edition of the document entitled " Landowner Bill of Rights in Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Electric Transmission Proceedings, " on its own page(s) in at least 12-point font, legible, and contained within the first 10 pages of the notification; and(C) A brief summary of what specific rights the affected landowner has in proceedings under the eminent domain rules of the relevant State.(iii) The Application Notification must include the Commission's notice issued under § 50.9 and restate, or clearly identify the location of, the comment and intervention instructions provided in the Commission's notice.(3) If, for any reason, a person or entity entitled to these notifications has not yet been identified when the notifications under this paragraph (c) are sent or published, the applicant must supply the information required under paragraphs (c)(2)(i) through (iii) of this section, as applicable, when the person or entity is identified.(4) If the notification is returned as undeliverable, the applicant must make a reasonable attempt to find the correct address and re-send the notification.(5) Access to critical energy infrastructure information is subject to the requirements of § 388.113 of this chapter.