20030179 Ver 6_Public Comments_20061003

Board of Commissioners
Glenn Jones, Chair
Genevieve Lindsay, Vice-Chair
David Monteith, Member
David Anthony, Member
Jeff Waldroup, Member
Swain County
101 MitckeU Street
P.O. Box 2321
Bryson City, NC 28713
September 13, 2006
Mr. Sohn Dorney
NC Division of Water Quality
2321 Crabtree Boulevard
Raleigh, NC 27604
County Manager
Kevin S. King
Telephone: [phone]
[phone]
Fax: [phone]
[e-mail]
RE: Clarification of my letter of August 30, 2006 regarding
401 Water Quality Certifications for Duke Power Hydro Relicensing Projects
Dear Mr. Dorney:
I am writing to clarify the purpose of my earlier letter and the position of Swain County
regarding Duke's relicensing efforts.
We support a public meeting because we believe in the importance of public input at all
levels.
However, this board is not taking a position on relicensing issues; earlier we decided not
to be an intervener after listening to speakers from various views, including our tourism
industry which stressed the importance of removing Dillsboro Dam. Our county Soil and
Water Conservation District and Economic Development Commission represented the
county in the relicensing stakeholder meetings and signed the settlement agreements with
many parties including Duke.
We have no position on mitigation related to Bryson Hydroelectric Project. We
understand that Duke submitted 401 Water Quality Certification applications in 2003.
Duke then withdrew and resubmitted the applications in 2004, 2005 and 2006 to avoid a
waiver by default of the State's 401 authority due to a one-year regulatory timer.
Sincerely,
Glenn Jo ,Chairman
Swain County Commissioners
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