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Rick's Remarks - Editors note: Thest' comment. are by Upper Colorado AnistoUll Regional Din.>ctor Rick Gold. Management of the GCES .md GCD-ElS is lhe responsibility of Gold. His n.>lIW'ks are a regular feature of the Colorado River Studies Office Newsletter. . --- The public scoping process for the Glen Canyon Dam Environmental Impact Statement is now virtually complete. We have had a great deal of interest in the process and have received a significantly larger number of responses then we expected. It is gratifying to me to see that the public processes do work and that people want to be involved in the critical issues. Many would probably argue that there is little to be gained in the process of receiving, reading, and cataloging the thousands of cards and letters we received. But, in my opinion, the values are substantial. With the individual and cumulative perspectives of the responses, Reclamation and the cooperating agencies gain the substance and flavor of the public's views on the issue. It is that view that carries with it the desire of the public we strive to serve in govenunent. Without that feeling, as may many times be the case, govenunent tends to do what it thinks best for the public. Govenunent, in many cases, can be at significant variance with the wishes of the people. The true importance of the public process is to assure that we listen and act accordingly. There are a number of significant issues that have been raised, as you will see in this newsletter. You will also see that there are various opinions on most, if not aU, those issues. The major challenge before us now is to assure that the concerns of the public are adequately dealt with in the Envirorunental Impact Statement. The process we have just completed was not intended to decide on the option, or options, which will be recommended. The process has been exclusively designed to assure that the proper range of alternatives and issues are identified, described, discussed, and analyzed. With this scoping properly done, the EIS can be developed. in it's draft form for your review. It is critical to keep in mind that the EIS is not a decision document, but rather a document to display the impacts of the alternatives and provide for the "decision maker" the tools necessary to make the decision. I look forward to continuing the steps of alternative formulation and the development of the EIS as our process unfolds. I also look forward to your continued interest and involvement. WHY TWO EIS'S? by: lVestern Area Power Administratioll (Western) Some people have questioned the need. for t\.\.'o separate Environmental Impact Statements (EIS), one on the dm\'nstream impacts from Glen Canyon Dam and the other Western's Power Marketing Criteria. There are three significant differences bet\.\.'een the two. First, the focus of each EIS is different. The Department of the Interior (DOl) is preparing a site-specific ElS examining the varied environmental, re-creational, economic, and archeological resources associated with a single dam. Western's Marketing Criteria EIS focuses on the governing principles of the terms and conditions of contracts for finn electrical power. Second, Western's Marketing Criteria relates to the allocation and distribution of electrical energy generated not only from the Glen Canyon PowerpJant but also from other hydroelectric generating facilities, which include Flaming Gorge and Fontenelle on the Green River; the Aspinall Wlits on the Gunnison River; the Elephant Butte Powerplant on the Rio Grande River; and the power facilities of the CoIlbran Project. The DOl Statement focuses on Glen Canyon Dam downstream to Separatiol'l Rapids near the upper end of Lake Mead. Third, Western's decision related to the marketing 01 electrical power is in many ways distinct and independenf from Reclamation's operation of Glen Canyon Dam Western's Marketing Criteria are sufficiently flexible te accommodate operational changes at Federal hydroelectric facilities. Through \Vestern's large electrical po\....el transmission system,. Western has some limited capability to purchaseelectricaJ power and energy from other utilitie~ to supplement electrical power deficits that may be caused by dry conditions or by changes in operation at a specific hydroelectric generating faCility. Western is participating with Reclamation and othel agencies in both the Glen Canyon Environmental Studie~ and Glen Canyon Dam ElS. In addition, Reclamation i~ participating in Western's Marketing Criteria EIS as c cooperating agency. 1b.rough these a\'enues, infonnatior prepared in each EIS process will be effectively shared between the two agencies. 5