The formal process to relicense the Wells Hydroelectric Project has begun! Douglas PUD has filed the Pre-Application Document (PAD) and a Notice of Intent to File an Application for New License (NOI) with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). According to FERC regulations, the documents must be filed at least five years but not more than five and one-half years before the expiration of the existing license. Your Douglas PUD filed the documents at the earliest possible date.
The purpose of the PAD is to provide detailed information about a project at the beginning of the relicensing process to help focus participants on key issues. The Integrated Licensing Process (ILP) requirements are designed to allow the PAD to evolve into an Exhibit E for the final license application which, in the case of the Wells Project, must be submitted to FERC no later than May 31, 2010.
Douglas PUD’s PAD includes descriptions of Wells Project facilities, operations, license requirements, environmental resources and impacts, project lands, water resources, fish and aquatic resources, terrestrial and wildlife resources, rare, threatened and endangered species, recreation and land use, cultural resources and socioeconomic resources. It also includes a preliminary list of proposed studies to be conducted during the mandatory two year study period (January 2008 – December 2009). Douglas PUD has distributed its PAD to Federal and State resource agencies, local governments, Indian tribes, members of the public, and other interested parties. The PAD is available on line at www.douglaspud.org
Here are some PAD statistics:Total Pages: 1,550Weight: 14 pounds, 2 ouncesPublication: Created at Douglas PUD, CDs duplicated in RedmondConsulting Firms: 23 firmsPreparation Time: 25 monthsStaff Hours: 24,000 hoursReferences Cited: 190Figures and Tables: over 400Reams of paper: 1 ½ reams/each with double-sided printingPaper copy cost: $107/each CD costs: $1.54/each
