[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 192 (Tuesday, October 5, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54007-54009]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-25775]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission


Notice of Application and Applicant Prepared Environmental 
Assessment Accepted for Filing; Soliciting Motions To Intervene and 
Protests; Requesting Comments, Final Terms and Conditions, 
Recommendations and Prescriptions; and Requesting Reply Comments

September 29, 1999.
    Take notice that the following hydroelectric application and 
Applicant Prepared Environmental Assessment (APEA) has been filed with 
the Commission and is available for public inspection:

[[Page 54008]]

    a. Type of Application: New Major License.
    b. Project No.: 2077-016.
    c. Date filed: July 29, 1999.
    d. Applicant: USGen New England, Inc.
    e. Name of Project: Fifteen Mile Falls Hydroelectric Project.
    f. Location: The project is located on the Connecticut River, in 
Grafton and Coos Counties, New Hampshire, and Caledonia and Essex 
Counties, Vermont. The project would not utilize any federal lands or 
facilities.
    g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act 16 U.S.C. 791(a)-825(r).
    h. Applicant Contact: Mr. Cleve Kapala, USGen New England, Inc., 46 
Centerra Parkway, Lebanon, NH 03766.
    i. FERC Contact: Any questions on this notice should be addressed 
to William Guey-Lee, E-mail address [email protected], or 
telephone (202) 219-2808.
    j. Deadline for filing motions to intervene, protests, comments, 
final terms and conditions, recommendations, and prescriptions: 60 days 
from the issuance date of this notice.
    All documents (original and eight copies) should be filed with: 
David P. Boergers, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 
First St. NE, Washington, DC 20426.
    The Commission's Rules of Practice and Procedure require all 
intervenors filing documents with the Commission to serve a copy of 
that document on each person whose name appears on the official service 
list for the project. Further, if an intervenor files comments or 
documents with the Commission relating to the merits of an issue that 
may affect the responsibilities of a particular resource agency, the 
intervenor must also serve a copy of the document on that resource 
agency.
    k. Status of Environmental Analysis: On April 22, 1998, the 
Director, Office of Hydropower Licensing approved USGen New England, 
Inc.'s use of the Alternative Licensing Process. National Environmental 
Policy Act (NEPA) scoping for the project was conducted through scoping 
documents distributed in May and August of 1998, and in public scoping 
meetings on June 4 and 5, 1998. The draft license application and APEA 
were distributed by the applicant for comment on March 3, 1999..
    Commission staff has reviewed the license application and APEA and 
has determined that the application is acceptable for processing and no 
additional information or studies are needed to prepare the 
Commission's environmental assessment (EA). Comments, as indicated 
above, are being requested from interested parties. Any comments 
received will be addressed in a draft EA to be issued by the Commission 
in early 2000. The applicant will have 45 days following the end of the 
comment period to respond to these comments, or may elect to seek a 
waiver of this deadline.
    l. Description of Project: The project consists of the following: 
The Moore Development, located 283.5 miles from the mouth of the 
Connecticut River, consists of: an 11-mile-long, 3,490 surface-acre 
reservoir with 114,176 acre-feet storage capacity at 809.0 feet mean 
sea level (msl); an earth and concrete gravity dam with a length of 
2,920 feet and a max. height of 178 feet; a 373-foot-long concrete 
spillway with 15-foot-wide by 20-foot-high sluice gate, four 50-foot 
bays of 17-foot-high stanchions, and three bays of 36-foot-wide by 30-
foot high Taintor gates; four steel penstocks each 296 feet long; and a 
powerhouse with four Francis type turbines at a combined rating of 
225,600 hp at a design head of 150 feet, for a plant capability of 
191,960 kilowatts (kW). The Comerford Development, located 275.2 miles 
from the mouth of the Connecticut River, consists of: an 8-mile-long, 
1,093 surface-acre reservoir with 29,356 acre-feet storage capacity at 
650.0 feet msl; an earth and concrete gravity dam with a length of 
2,253 feet and a max. height of 170 feet; and 850-foot-long concrete 
spillway with six 
7-foot-wide by 9-foot-high sluice gates, four bays of 8-foot-high 
flashboards and seven 10-foot-high stanchion bays; four steel penstocks 
each 150-feet-long; and a powerhouse with four Francis type turbines at 
combined rating of 216,800 hp at a design head of 180 feet, for a plant 
capability of 163,960 kW. The McIndoes Development, located 268.2 miles 
from the mouth of the Connecticut River, consists of: a 5-mile-long, 
543 surface-acre reservoir with 4,581 acre-feet storage capacity at 
454.0 feet msl; a concrete gravity dam with a length of 730 feet and a 
max. height of 25 feet; a 520-foot-long concrete spillway with a 12-
foot-wide by 13-foot-high skimmer gate, three 24-foot-wide by 25-foot-
high Taintor gates, a 300-foot-long spillway flashboard section with 
60-foot flashboards, and two 50-foot-wide by 18-foot-high stanchion 
bays; four steel penstocks each 150-feet-long; and a powerhouse with 
four Kaplan type turbines at combined rating of 3,800 hp at a design 
head of 29 feet, for a plant capability of 13,000 kW.
    m. Locations of the application: A copy of the application is 
available for inspection and reproduction at the Commission's Public 
Reference Room, located at 888 First Street, NE, Room 2A, Washington, 
DC 20426, or by calling (202) 208-1371. The application may be viewed 
on the web at www.ferc.fed.us. Call (202) 208-2222 for assistance. A 
copy is also available for inspection and reproduction at the address 
in item h above.
    n. Protests or Motions to Intervene--Anyone may submit a protest or 
a motion to intervene in accordance with the requirements of the Rules 
of Practice and Procedures, 18 CFR 385.210, .211, and .214. In 
determining the appropriate action to take, the Commission will 
consider all protests filed, but only those who file a motion to 
intervene in accordance with the Commission's Rules may become a party 
to the proceeding. Any protests or motions to intervene must be 
received on or before the specified deadline data for the particular 
application and APEA.
    o. Filing and Service of Responsive Documents--The Commission is 
requesting comments, recommendations, terms and conditions, 
prescriptions, and reply comments.
    The Commission directs, pursuant to 18 CFR 4.34(b) of the 
regulations, that all comments, recommendations, terms and conditions, 
and prescriptions concerning the application and APEA be filed with the 
Commission within 60 days from the issuance date of this notice. All 
reply comments must be filed with the Commission within 105 days from 
the date of this notice.
    Anyone may obtain an extension of time for these deadlines from the 
Commission only upon a showing of good cause or extraordinary 
circumstances in accordance with 18 CFR 385.2008.
    p. All filings must: (1) bear in all capital letters the title 
``PROTEST,'' ``MOTION TO INTERVENE,'' ``COMMENTS,'' 
``RECOMMENDATIONS,'' ``TERMS AND CONDITIONS,'' ``PRESCRIPTIONS,'' or 
``REPLY COMMENTS;'' (2) set forth in the heading the name of the 
applicant and the project number of the application and APEA to which 
the filing responds; (3) furnish the name, address, and telephone 
number of the person submitting the filing; and (4) otherwise comply 
with the requirements of 18 CFR 385.2001 through 385.2005. All 
comments, recommendations, terms and conditions or prescriptions must 
set forth their evidentiary basis and otherwise comply with the 
requirements of 18 CFR 4.34(b). Agencies may obtain copies of the 
application and APEA directly from the applicant. Any of these 
documents must be filed by providing

[[Page 54009]]

the original and the number of copies required by the Commission's 
regulations to: Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 
First Street, NE, Washington, DC 20426. An additional copy must be sent 
to: Director, Division of Licensing and Compliance, Office of 
Hydropower Licensing, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, at the 
above address. Each filing must be accompanied by proof of service on 
all persons listed on the service list prepared by the Commission in 
this proceeding, in accordance with 18 CFR 4.34(b) and 385.2010.
Linwood A. Watson, Jr.,
Acting Secretary.
[FR Doc. 99-25775 Filed 10-4-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M