City of Marshall, Michigan; Notice Soliciting Scoping Comments

Take notice that the following hydroelectric application has been filed with the Commission and is available for public inspection.

a. Type of Application: Subsequent Minor License.

b. Project No.: 6514-009.

c. Date filed: May 2, 2003.

d. Applicant: City of Marshall, Michigan.

e. Name of Project: City of Marshall Hydroelectric Project.

f. Location: On the Kalamazoo River near the City of Marshall, in Calhoun County, Michigan. The project does not affect federal lands.

g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act, 16 U.S.C. §§ 791(a)-825(r).

h. Applicant Contact: Keith Zienert, Power Plant Superintendent, City of Marshall, 906 S. Marshall, Marshall, MI 49068, (269) 781-8631; or John Fisher, Chairman, Lawson-Fisher Associates P.C., 525 West Washington Avenue, South Bend, IN 46601, (574) 234-3167.

i. FERC Contact: Peter Leitzke, (202) 502-6059 or peter.leitzke@ferc.gov.

j. Deadline for filing scoping comments: 60 days from the issuance date of this notice.

All documents (original and eight copies) should be filed with: Magalie R. Salas, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street, NE., Washington, DC 20426. Please include the project number (P-6514-009) on any comments or motions 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 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. The Commission strongly encourages electronic filings. See 18 CFR 385.2001(a)(1)(iii) and the instructions on the Commission's Web site ( http://www.ferc.gov ) under the “e-Filing” link.

k. This application has been accepted for filing, but is not ready for environmental analysis at this time.

l. The existing City of Marshall Hydroelectric Project (Project) consists of: (1) The 12-foot-high, 215-foot-long Perrin No. 1 Dam; (2) the 12-foot-high, 90-foot-long Perrin No. 2 Dam; (3) a 130-acre reservoir with a normal pool elevation of 899 feet msl; (4) a 140-foot-long canal-type forebay; (5) a powerhouse containing three generating units with a total installed capacity of 463 kW; and (6) other appurtenances.

m. A copy of the application is available for review at the Commission in the Public Reference Room or may be viewed on the Commission's Web site at http://www.ferc.gov using the “eLibrary” link. Enter the docket number excluding the last three digits (P-6514) in the docket number field to access the document. For assistance, contact FERC Online Support at FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov or toll-free at 1-866-208-3676, or for TTY, (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 http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/esubscription.asp to be notified via email of new filings and issuances related to this or other pending projects. For assistance, contact FERC Online Support.

n. Scoping Process

The Commission staff intends to prepare an Environmental Assessment (EA) for the City of Marshall Hydroelectric Project (FERC No. 6514-009) 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.

Commission staff does not propose to conduct any on-site scoping meetings at this time. Instead, we will solicit comments, recommendations, information, and alternatives by issuing a Scoping Document (SD).

Copies of the SD outlining the subject areas to be addressed in the EA were distributed to the parties on the Commission's mailing list. Copies of the SD may be viewed on the Web site at http://www.ferc.gov using the “eLibrary” link (see item m above).