Tongass National Forest

Angoon Hydroelectric Project Draft EIS Meetings Scheduled

Contact: Kathy Rodriguez, 907-586-8800 or Erik Spillman, 907-747-4231

Tongass National Forest, Alaska, June 18 - The US Forest Service will be hosting two open house meetings to discuss the proposed Angoon Hydroelectric power project and the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS). The community of Angoon has some of the highest electrical rates in Alaska due to use of diesel-electric generators. This project will become the primary electric power supply for the community of Angoon, will stabilize electric rates, and reduce dependency on diesel fuel. The first meeting will be from 1pm- 3pm on Wednesday June 27th, 2007 in the City of Angoon at the Angoon Community Services building. The second meeting will be from 4pm-6pm on Thursday June 28th 2007 at the new US Forest Service Juneau and Admiralty Ranger Districts office, main conference room, located at 8510 Mendenhall Loop Road.

Kootznoowoo Inc. submitted a proposal for a hydroelectric power plant to the Tongass National Forest in April of 2004. A Notice of Intent for this project was published in the Federal Register in September, 2004. A DEIS was Noticed for public comment on May 25, 2007. At the open house, information on the project will be displayed and Forest Service personnel will be present to discuss and answer questions on the DEIS and project alternatives.

The proposed project would develop the hydroelectric energy potential in the steep section of Thayer Creek below a natural fish passage barrier. The lower section of Thayer Creek supports salmon spawning habitat. The presence of natural barriers precludes salmon fish passage from the lower to the upper stream reaches. The preferred alternative proposes construction of roads, a pipeline, a powerhouse, transmission lines, and other related facilities. An alternative transmission line route, as discussed in the DEIS, would be by submarine cable in Chatham Straight.

The DEIS addresses a no-alternative action, a preferred-alternative action with a land based overhead transmission line, and a submarine cable-alternative that features a transmission line located in Chatham Straight. The initial scoping comments from the public called for ensuring the adequate review and protection of fisheries, water quality, vegetation, wildlife, visuals, subsistence use, recreation, and historic sites.

The United States Congress, through the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act of 1980 provided Kootznoowoo Incorporated the right to develop the hydroelectric resources of Thayer Creek located in the Admiralty National Monument Wilderness. Thayer Creek is about 6 miles north of the City of Angoon.

For more information: contact Kathy Rodriguez, Admiralty National Monument District Ranger, USDA Forest Service Office, 8510 Mendenhall Loop Road, Juneau, Alaska 99801; phone 907-586-8800; fax 907-790-7464; or email to: krodriguez@fs.fed.us; or contact Erik Spillman, 907-747-4231, email: espillman@fs.fed.us.