| DEIS Comments |
| Post-Filing Documents |
| Spokane River |
| License Application |
| Washington 401 Certification Application |
| Post Falls |
| License Application |
Collaborative Process
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) provides for two different types of relicensing processes,
the "Alternative Licensing Procedures" (ALP) and the "Traditional Process." While the choice of approach is
up to the licensee, FERC must approve a request to use the ALP.
Avista began the relicensing process for this project several years ago with a series of stakeholder
interviews. This was near the end of the Clark Fork Project relicensing effort, which had helped pioneer a more
collaborative approach to relicensing.
In 2001, two stakeholder meetings were held to form the relicensing team. In addition, the team developed a
draft Communications Protocol and Guiding Principles for the effort. Through these efforts, broad agreement
developed to use the Alternative Licensing Procedures (ALP) which, subsequent to the Clark Fork process, had
been codified in regulation. We made a request to FERC for approval to use the ALP in April 2002. FERC
approved the request in June 2002.
We are a proponent of using the ALP because it:
- Promotes reaching agreement and resolution of issues,
- Gives local stakeholders more control of decisions,
- Streamlines the relicensing process by initiating the required National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review sooner in the relicensing process,
- Facilitates a timely review and license issuance by FERC,
- Builds working relationships between resource managers to benefit the larger community,
- Because the Clark Fork Project demonstrated to us it works better!