(a) Notice. Within 60 days of the notification of intent required under §5.5, filing of the pre-application document pursuant to §5.6, and filing of any request to use the traditional licensing process or alternative procedures, the Commission will issue a notice of commencement of proceeding and scoping document or of approval of a request to use the traditional licensing process or alternative procedures.

(b) Notice contents. The notice shall include:

(1) The decision of the Director of the Office of Energy Projects on any request to use the traditional licensing process or alternative procedures.

(2) If appropriate, a request by the Commission to initiate informal consultation under section 7 of the Endangered Species Act and the joint agency regulations thereunder at 50 CFR part 402, section 305(b) of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act and implementing regulations at 50 CFR 600.920, or section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act and implementing regulations at 36 CFR 800.2, and, if applicable, designation of the potential applicant as the Commission's non-federal representative.

(3) If the potential license application is to be developed and filed pursuant to this part, notice of:

(i) The applicant's intent to file a license application;

(ii) The filing of the pre-application document;

(iii) Commencement of the proceeding;

(iv) A request for comments on the pre-application document (including the proposed process plan and schedule);

(v) A statement that all communications to or from the Commission staff related to the merits of the potential application must be filed with the Commission;

(vi) The request for other Federal or state agencies or Indian tribes to be cooperating agencies for purposes of developing an environmental document;

(vii) The Commission's intent with respect to preparation of an environmental impact statement; and

(viii) A public scoping meeting and site visit to be held within 30 days of the notice.

(c) Scoping Document 1. At the same time the Commission issues the notice provided for in paragraph (a) of this Section, the Commission staff will issue Scoping Document 1. Scoping Document 1 will include:

(1) An introductory section describing the purpose of the scoping document, the date and time of the scoping meeting, procedures for submitting written comments, and a request for information or study requests from state and Federal resource agencies, Indian tribes, non-governmental organizations, and individuals;

(2) Identification of the proposed action, including a description of the project's location, facilities, and operation, and any proposed protection and enhancement measures, and other alternatives to the proposed action, including alternatives considered but eliminated from further study, and the no action alternative;

(3) Identification of resource issues to be analyzed in the environmental document, including those that would be cumulatively affected along with a description of the geographic and temporal scope of the cumulatively affected resources;

(4) A list of qualifying Federal and state comprehensive waterway plans;

(5) A list of qualifying tribal comprehensive waterway plans;

(6) A process plan and schedule and a draft outline of the environmental document; and

(7) A list of recipients.

(d) Scoping meeting and site visit. The purpose of the public meeting and site visit is to:

(1) Initiate issues scoping pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act;

(2) Review and discuss existing conditions and resource management objectives;

(3) Review and discuss existing information and make preliminary identification of information and study needs;

(4) Review, discuss, and finalize the process plan and schedule for pre-filing activity that incorporates the time periods provided for in this part and, to the extent reasonably possible, maximizes coordination of Federal, state, and tribal permitting and certification processes, including consultation under section 7 of the Endangered Species Act and water quality certification or waiver thereof under section 401 of the Clean Water Act; 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 pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act.

(e) Method of notice. The public notice provided for in this section will be given by:

(1) Publishing notice in the Federal Register;

(2) Publishing notice in a daily or weekly newspaper published in the county or counties in which the project or any part thereof or the lands affected thereby are situated, and, as appropriate, tribal newspapers;

(3) Notifying appropriate Federal, state, and interstate resource agencies, state water quality and coastal zone management plan consistency certification agencies, Indian tribes, and non-governmental organizations, by electronic means if practical, otherwise by mail.

[Order 2002, 68 FR 51121, Aug. 25, 2003, as amended by Order 653, 70 FR 8724, Feb. 23, 2005]