[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 42 (Thursday, March 2, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11299-11300]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-4993]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission


Notice of Application and Applicant Prepared Environmental 
Assessment Accepted for Filing; Requesting Interventions and Protests; 
Establishing Procedural Schedule and Final Amendment Deadline; 
Requesting Comments, Final Terms and Conditions, Recommendations and 
Prescriptions; Requesting Reply Comments

February 25, 2000.
    Take notice that the following license application has been filed 
with the Commission. An Applicant-Prepared Environmental Assessment 
(APEA) for the Upper and Middle Dams Storage Project, which includes 
the project below, has been filed with the Commission. Both documents 
are available for public inspection.
    a. Type of Application: Original Major License.
    b. Project No.: 11834-000\1\
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    \1\On August 1, 1994, the Upper and Middle Dams Storage Project 
(UL94-1) was the subject of a jurisdictional order issued by the 
Commission, which required the project owner to prepare and submit 
an Application for Initial License to the Commission. The Commission 
has designated the Upper and Middle Dams Storage Project as P-11834-
000.
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    c. Dated filed: December 23, 1999.
    d. Applicant: FPL Energy Maine Hydro LLC.
    e. Name of Project: Upper and Middle Dams Storage Project.
    f. Location: The project is located on the Rapid River at the 
headwaters of the Androscoggin River in Oxford and Franklin Counties, 
Maine. The project would not utilize any Federal lands or facilities.
    g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act 16 USC 791(a)-825(r).
    h. Applicant Contact: Frank Dunlap, Senior Environmental 
Coordinator, FPL Energy Maine Hydro LLC, 100 Middle Street, Portland, 
ME 04101 (207) 771-3534.
    i. FERC Contact: Any questions on this notice should be addressed 
to Mark Pawlowski, E-mail address [email protected], or 
telephone (202) 219-2795.
    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 September 25, 1995, the 
Director, Office of Hydropower Licensing, approved FPL Energy Maine 
Hydro LLC's (FPLE Maine) use of the Alternative Licensing Process. 
Scoping, pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as 
amended, for the project was conducted through scoping documents issued 
in November 1995 and February 1999, and in public scoping meetings on 
December 13, 1995. On August 28, 1998, the Upper Androscoggin River 
Storage Settlement Agreement was signed by the parties. The draft 
license application and APEA were distributed by the applicant for 
comment on September 1, 1999.
    The 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. Comments, as indicated above, 
are being requested from interested parties. The applicant will have 45 
days following the end of this period to respond to those comments, or 
may elect to seek a waiver of this deadline.
    1. Description of Project: The proposed project consists of two 
dams (Upper Dam and Middle Dam): (1) the Upper Dam consists of: (a) 
200-foot-long and 25-foot-high concrete crib; (b) a 15,740-acre 
impoundment (Mooselookmeguntic Lake) at full pond elevation 1,468 feet 
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Datum; (c) a gatehouse containing 17 
gates, ranging from 10 feet high and 6 feet wide, and 10.5 feet high 
and 15 feet wide; (d) two earthen dikes that extend 300 feet to the 
north and 1,000 feet at the south of the gatehouse; and (e) appurtenant 
facilities. (2) the Middle Dam consists of: (a) 244-foot-long and 22-
foot-high concret crib; (b) a 7,470-acre impoundment (Richardson Lake) 
at full pond elevation 1,450 feet USGS Datum; (c) a 560-foot-long earth 
embankment situation to the north and a 200-foot-long embankment 
situated to the south of the gatehouse structure; (d) a gatehouse 
structure containing 20 gates, ranging from 10 feet high and 7 feet 
wide, and 12 feet high and 15 feet wide; and (e) appurtenant 
facilities. Two-thousand feet to the southeast of Middle Dam is Black 
Cat Dike, which is a 180-foot-long earthen embankment.
    The Upper and Middle Dams Storage Project is a water storage 
facility with no generating facilities.
    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/online/rims.htm (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, .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 date 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,''

[[Page 11300]]

``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 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 
Environmental Review, Office of Energy Projects, 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.

David P. Boergers,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 00-4993 Filed 3-1-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M