[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 250 (Monday, December 30, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 79602-79603]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-32876]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission


Notice of Application Tendered for Filing With the Commission, 
Establishing Procedural Schedule for Relicensing, and a Deadline for 
Submission of Final Amendments

December 23, 2002.
    Take notice that the following hydroelectric application has been 
filed with the Commission and is available for public inspection.
    a. Type of Application: New Major License.
    b. Project No.: 2177-053.
    c. Date Filed: December 13, 2002.
    d. Applicant: Georgia Power Company.
    e. Name of Project: Middle Chattahoochee Project.
    f. Location: On the Chattahoochee River, in Harris and Muscogee 
Counties, Georgia; Lee and Russell Counties, Alabama; near the cities 
of Columbus, Georgia and Phenix City, Alabama. The project does not 
affect Federal lands.
    g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act 16 U.S.C. 791 (a)-825(r).
    h. Applicant Contact: George Martin, Relicensing Project Manger, 
Georgia Power Company, 22nd Floor, Bin 10221, 241 Ralph McGill Blvd., 
NE., Atlanta, Georgia 30308, (404)-506-1357 or [email protected].
    i. FERC Contact: Ron McKitrick, (770) 452-3778 or 
[email protected].
    j. Deadline for filing comments on the application: 60 days from 
date of this notice.
    All documents (original and eight copies) should be filed with: 
Magalie R. Salas, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 
First Street, NE., Washington, DC 20426.
    k. Cooperating agencies: We are asking Federal, state, local, and 
tribal agencies with jurisdiction and /or special expertise with 
respect to environmental issues to cooperate with us in the preparation 
of the environmental document Agencies who would like to request 
cooperation status should follow the instruction for filing comments 
described in the item j above. Requests for cooperating agency status 
may be filed electronically via the Internet in lieu of paper. The 
Commission strongly encourages electronic filings. See 18 CFR 
385.2001(a)(1)(iii) and the instructions on the Commission's Web site ( 
http://www.ferc.gov ) under the ``e-Filing'' link.
    l. This application is not ready for environmental analysis at this 
time.
    m. The proposed Middle Chattahoochee Project includes three 
developments: Goat Rock Development consisting of: (1) A 965-acre 
impoundment; (2) a 75foot-high concrete reinforced dam located at river 
mile (RM) 172.2; (3) a 909.5-foot-long fixed crest spillway structure 
topped with 4-foot-high wooden flashboards; (4) a 200-foot-long and 77-
foot-long non-overflow section; (5) a 173-foot-long combined powerhouse 
and intake section; (6) four trash gates on the east end of the intake 
having a total length of 74 feet; (7) two new horizontal generating 
units (to replace 2 existing units) with a nameplate rating of 8.7 MW 
each, one vertical generating unit with a nameplate rating of 6.9 MW, 
and three horizontal generating units with a nameplate rating of 5.0 
MW; (8) a total generating capacity of 39.3 MW, a total hydraulic 
capacity of 9,877 cfs, and average annual generation of 151,120,490 
kWh.
    Oliver Development consisting of: (1) A 2,280-acre impoundment; (2) 
a 70-foot-high concrete reinforced dam located at RM 163.5; (3) a 
1,324-foot-long gated spillway structure which includes 33 16-foot-high 
by 35-foot-long radial-arm taintor gates, and one 16-foot-high by 11-
foot-long trash gate; (4) a 284-foot-long and 215-foot-long non-
overflow section; (5) a 198-foot-long combined powerhouse and intake 
section; (6) three vertical generating units with a nameplate rating of 
18 MW each, and one vertical generating unit with a nameplate rating of 
6.0 MW; and (7) a total generating capacity of 60 MW, a total hydraulic 
capacity of 12,496 cfs, and average annual generation of 234,019,210 
kWh.
    North Highlands Development consisting of: (1) A 131-acre 
impoundment; (2) a 36foot-high concrete reinforced dam located at RM 
162.5 (3) a curved 705-foot-long spillway section topped with 3.6-foot-
high flashboards; (4) a 46-foot-long and 40-foot-long non-overflow 
section; (5) a 193-foot-long combined power house and intake section; 
(6) three vertical generating units with a nameplate rating of 9.2 MW 
each, and one vertical generating unit with a nameplate rating

[[Page 79603]]

of 2.0 MW; (7) a total generating capacity of 29.6 MW, a total 
hydraulic capacity of 13,031 cfs, and average annual generation of 
138,832,160 kWh.
    The three developments of the Middle Chattahoochee Project have a 
total installed capacity of 128.9 megawatts (MW) and generates about 
524,000 megawatt-hours (MWh) of electric energy annually. All generated 
power is utilized within the applicant's electric utility system.
    n. A copy of the application is available for review at the 
Commission in the Public Reference Room or may be viewed on the 
Commission's Web site at http://www.ferc.gov using the ``FERRIS'' link. 
Enter the docket number excluding the last three digits in the docket 
number field to access the document. For assistance, contact FERC 
Online Support at [email protected] or toll-free at 1-866-208-
3676, or for TTY, (202) 502-8659. A copy is also available for 
inspection and reproduction at the address in item h above.
    o. Procedural schedule and final amendments: At this time we do not 
anticipate the need for preparing a draft EA. We intend to prepare a 
single environmental document. The EA will include our recommendations 
for operating procedures and environmental enhancement measures that 
should be part of any license issued by the Commission. Recipients will 
have 60 days to provide the Commission with any written comments on the 
EA. All comments filed with the Commission will be considered in the 
Order taking final action on the license applications. However, should 
substantive comments requiring reanalysis be received on the NEPA 
document, we would consider preparing a subsequent NEPA document.
    The application will be processed according to the following Hydro 
Licensing Schedule. Revisions to the schedule may be made as 
appropriate.
    Issue Acceptance letter: February 2003.
    Notice soliciting final terms and conditions: February 2003.
    Deadline for Agency Recommendations: April 2003.
    Notice of the availability of the EA: August 2003.
    Public Comments on EA due: October 2004.
    Ready for Commission's decision on the application: April 2004.
    Final amendments to the application must be filed with the 
Commission no later than 45 days from the issuance date of the notice 
soliciting final terms and conditions.
    p. With this notice, we are initiating consultation with the 
Georgia and Alabama State Historic Preservation Officers as required by 
Sec.  106, National Historic Preservation Act, and the regulations of 
the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, 36 CFR, part 800.

Linwood A. Watson, Jr.,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 02-32876 Filed 12-27-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P