Summary: In response to a congressional request, GAO examined the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's (FERC) responsibilities under the Federal Power Act for assessing the cumulative impact of hydroelectric power projects on natural resources, specifically: (1) FERC plans for using the River Basin Environmental Impact Statement Procedure (EIS) as an alternative to the Cluster Impact Assessment Procedure (CIAP); and (2) deficiencies in FERC impact assessment procedures and whether the development of comprehensive plans can address these deficiencies.
GAO found that: (1) FERC designed CIAP to ensure early and extensive state and federal resource agency involvement in assessments through several public meetings and workshops, whereas EIS required only one public meeting; (2) although FERC was not legally required to formally notify the public of its decision to use EIS as it did before using CIAP, its failure to do so could appear to be a withdrawal from its earlier efforts to encourage public involvement in the assessments; (3) interested parties felt that FERC had inadequate data on the extent to which other land and water uses could adversely affect resources to carry out a reasoned evaluation; and (4) although Congress amended the act to require FERC to consider the extent to which hydroelectric projects were consistent with federal and state comprehensive plans, FERC had no further plans for implementing the amendment other than issuing requirements for comprehensive development.
