The ALP encourages collaboration between the licensee, agencies, tribes, and other participants, in the development of the Study Plan, and license application. Its primary purpose is to facilitate the negotiation of a settlement that, when filed with FERC, may serve as the basis for a new license. Adopted in 1997, the ALP functions as an overlay of the TLP's stages and steps.
FIGURE 3
ALTERNATIVE LICENSING PROCESS (ALP)
The ALP specifies the deadlines for some, but not all, of these steps. In particular, it is silent as to the deadlines for steps following application filing, including the notices and documents that relate to environmental review. Table 4 shows deadlines as provided in the relevant rule, 18 C.F.R ยง 4.34(i).
TABLE 4
TIMING OF STEPS IN ALP
| Step Number | Step Description | Time (Relative To Prior Step, Unless otherwise indicated) |
| Step 1 (pre-filing activity) | Notice of Intent (NOI), Pre-Application Document (PAD), Request for ALP | 5-5.5 years before license expiration |
| Step 2a | Comments on NOI and ALP Request | 30 days |
| Step 2b | Commission Response on use of ALP | pursuant to agreed upon ALP schedule |
| Step 3a | Scoping Document 1 (SD1) | pursuant to agreed upon ALP schedule |
| Step 3b | Initial Information Meeting | pursuant to agreed upon ALP schedule |
| Step 3c | Studies Conducted | pursuant to agreed upon ALP schedule |
| Step 4 | Preliminary Draft EA; Preliminary Conditions | pursuant to agreed upon ALP schedule |
| Step 5 (post-filing activity) | Application Filed, including Preliminary Draft EA | no later than two years before expiration of license |
| Step 6 | Public Notice of Application and Solicitation of Terms and Final Conditions | no deadline |
| Step 7 | Comments on Application | 60 days |
| Step 8 | Final EA or EIS | no deadline |
| Step 9 | Final License Order | upon completion of all previous Steps |
The discussion below is limited only to those steps where the ALP differs from the TLP. This section highlights the differences between the processes, in order to avoid repetition and recognize the ILP will shortly become the default process. Any reader who is interested in the detailed steps of the ALP should review FERC's Licensing Handbook, Section 5.
 | 5.5 License Issuance | Page 122 of 143 | 6.1 Notice of Intent |  |