Evening Scoping Meeting Regarding Lawrence Hydroelectric Project (Project No. 2800-054)

Project No. 2800-054

Scoping Meetings

Commission staff will hold two scoping meetings for the project to receive input on the scope of the NEPA document.  An evening meeting will be held at 7:00 p.m. on September 13, 2023, at the Elk’s Lodge #65 in Lawrence, Massachusetts, and will focus on receiving input from the public.  A daytime meeting will be held at 10:00 a.m. on September 14, 2023, at Lawrence Public Library in Lawrence, Massachusetts, and will focus on the concerns of resource agencies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and Indian Tribes.  We invite all interested agencies, Indian Tribes, non-governmental organizations, and individuals to attend one or both meetings. Spanish-English translation services will be provided.  If a significant number of people are interested in providing oral comments, a time limit of 3 minutes may need to be implemented for each commentator.

The times and locations of these meetings are as follows:

Evening Scoping Meeting

DATE:          Wednesday, September 13, 2023

TIME:           7:00 p.m. (EDT)

PLACE:        Elks Lodge #65

ADDRESS:   652 Andover Street, Lawrence, MA 01843

PHONE:       (978) 687-7274

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 and Essex’s distribution list.  Copies of SD1 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.

Environmental Site Review

The applicant and Commission staff will conduct an environmental site review of the project.  All interested individuals, agencies, tribes, and NGOs are invited to attend.  Please RSVP via email to Mkinney@patriothydro.com or notify Miley Kinney at (603) 732-8162 on or before September 5, 2023 if you plan to attend the environmental site review.  The time and location of the environmental site review is as follows:

Lawrence Project

DATE:          Wednesday, September 13, 2023

TIME:           9:00 a.m. (EDT)

PLACE:        Lawrence Gateway parking lot

ADDRESS:   70 General Street, Lawrence, MA 01840

Participants will meet at the Lawrence Gateway parking lot and depart to the Lawrence at 9:15 a.m (EDT).  Essex will provide transportation to the project facilities.  All participants are responsible for their own transportation to the Lawrence Gateway parking lot.

All persons attending the environmental site review must wear sturdy, closed-toe shoes or boots.  The applicant will provide hard hats to attendees for entry into low-overhead areas, if needed; however, participants who have their own hardhats should bring them. 

Meeting Objectives

At the scoping meetings, Commission staff will:  (1) initiate scoping of the issues; (2) review and discuss existing conditions; (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 potential of any federal or state agency or Indian tribe to act 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

Commission staff are moderating the scoping meetings.  The meetings 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.