Lake Chelan Relicensing Timeline

Since 1997, Chelan PUD has utilized the collaborative Alternative Licensing Process to coordinate with stakeholders in the development of a proposed license package that includes approximately $44 million in protection, mitigation and enhancements measures for a 50-year license. On October 17, 2003, Chelan PUD submitted a comprehensive settlement agreement for relicensing the Project to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in Washington, D.C.

FERC is still awaiting a biological opinion from NOAA Fisheries, which it needs before it can complete its environmental review of the comprehensive settlement agreement and make a decision on whether to issue a new license order based on the agreement.  The biological opinion will evaluate whether proposed measures would adversely affect endangered salmon and steelhead.  After FERC receives the biological opinion, it can move forward with license issuance. 

In the meantime, the Lake Chelan Project is operating on an automatically renewable annual license based on current operating conditions.  The following captures a history of important milestones in the process to date, and identifies “next steps.” 

Task Name

Start

Finish

Initial Consultation Process

1/5/98

9/27/98

Meet with Resource Agencies

1/5/98

4/4/98

Meeting with FERC

4/15/98

4/15/98

Request Use of Alternative Relicensing Process

5/1/98

5/1/98

Conduct Baseline Studies

5/1/98

9/27/98

Identify Issues and Needed Studies - Year 1

3/2/98

1/28/00

Prepare ICD

3/2/98

9/27/98

File Notice of Intent

10/2/98

10/2/98

Submit Initial Consultation Document

10/5/98

10/5/98

Public Notice - Joint Meeting

10/5/98

11/3/98

Informational and Scoping Meeting

11/4/98

12/3/98

Review copy Scoping Document 1

12/4/98

1/2/99

Agencies Review ICD and SD1

12/3/98

1/31/99

Revise Study Plans and SD1

1/3/99

2/1/99

Meet with Agencies

2/2/99

3/3/99

Revise Study Plans and SD1

3/4/99

4/2/99

Conduct Field Work

4/3/99

 8/30/99

Summarize Study Results

9/1/99

10/30/99

Prepare Study Reports

10/31/99

 12/29/99

Meet with Agencies

12/30/99

 1/28/00

Re-evaluate Issues and Needed Studies - Year 2

 1/29/00

 11/23/00

Prepare Study Plans

 1/29/00

 2/27/00

Meet with Agencies

 2/28/00

 3/28/00

Revise Study Plans

 3/29/00

 4/27/00

Conduct Field Work

 4/28/00

 9/24/00

Summarize Study Results

 9/25/00

 11/23/00

Prepare drafts of Preliminary Draft Environmental Assessment (PDEA) and License Application (LA)

 7/1/00

 8/15/01

Prepare first drafts of LA and PDEA

 7/1/00

1/26/01

Submit first drafts of LA and PDEA

 2/5/01

 2/5/01

Agencies Review first drafts of LA and  PDEA

 2/5/01

5/4/01

Joint Agency Meeting

 5/23/01

5/23/01

Prepare second drafts of LA and  PDEA

           5/23/01

         8/15/01

Submit second drafts of LA and  PDEA

          8/15/01

        8/15/01

Agencies develop/submit preliminary terms and conditions

8/15/01

10/15/01

Prepare and submit applications PDEA and LA

 10/15/01

3/31/02

Prepare Final LA and PDEA

 1/21/02

3/21/02

Submit Final LA and PDEA

 3/28/02

3/28/02

Request water quality certification

3/28/02

3/28/02

FERC environmental review

3/28/02

TBD

FERC request for agency terms and conditions on PDEA and license application

4/29/02

4/29/02

Agency response to FERC request for terms and conditions

6/28/02

6/28/02

Chelan PUD response to FERC request for terms and conditions

8/12/02

8/12/02

FERC issues draft environmental assessment

11/25/02

11/25/02

Comments on draft EA due to FERC

1/06/03

1/06/03

FERC issues final environmental assessment

10/10/03

10/10/03

State water quality certification issuance

3/28/02

6/1/04

Receive state water quality certification

3/24/03

3/24/03

CRITFC and Umatilla Tribes appeal certification

5/21/03

4/21/04

Settlement negotiations

7/9/02

10/08/03

Meet with Settlement Parties

7/9/02

10/8/03

Sign Comprehensive Settlement Agreement

10/8/03

10/8/03

Submit Comprehensive Settlement Agreement to FERC

10/17/03

10/17/03

Water quality certification hearing and reissuance

3/1/04

6/1/04

Hearing before the Pollution Control Hearings Board

3/1/04

3/5/04

PCHB decision in favor of Ecology and Chelan PUD

4/21/04

4/21/04

Ecology reissues water quality certification

6/1/04

6/1/04

Section 7 ESA consultation

11/29/02

TBD

NOAA Fisheries’ submittal of the draft biological opinion

6/14/04

6/14/04

Chelan PUD response to draft biological opinion

7/16/04

7/16/04

NOAA Fisheries submits final biological opinion to FERC

10/14/05

10/14/05

FERC issues new license

TBD

TBD

Implementation begins

(see www. chelanpud.org/lc_imp/index.htm)

TBD

TBD