[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 76 (Friday, April 20, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19923-19925]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-7514]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission


Notice of Application Accepted for Filing and Soliciting 
Comments, Protests, and Motions To Intervene

April 16, 2007.
    Take notice that the following hydroelectric application has been 
filed with the Commission and is available for public inspection:
    a. Type of Application: Preliminary Permit.
    b. Project No.: 12784-000.
    c. Date filed: March 8, 2007.
    d. Applicant: Mt. Hope Waterpower Project LP.
    e. Name and Location of Project: The Mount Hope Pumped Storage 
Project would use water from the Mt. Hope Mine and would be built in 
the vicinity of Rockaway Township in Morris County, New Jersey.
    f. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act, 16 U.S.C. 791(a)-825(r).
    g. Applicant contact: Mr. Sam Ramiz, Mt. Hope Waterpower Project 
LP, 627 Mt. Hope Road, Wharton, NJ 07885-2837, (201) 361-1072.
    h. FERC Contact: Tom Papsidero, (202) 502-6002.
    i. Deadline for filing comments, protests, and motions to 
intervene: 60 days from the issuance date of this notice.
    All documents (original and eight copies) should be filed with 
Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 
First Street, NE., Washington, DC 20426. Comments, protests and 
interventions may be filed electronically via the Internet in lieu of 
paper; see 18 CFR 385.2001(a)(1)(iii) and the instructions on the 
Commission's Web site under the ``e-Filing'' link. The Commission 
strongly encourages electronic filings. Please include the project 
number (P-12784-000) on any comments or motions filed.
    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 in the official service list

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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, they must also 
serve a copy of the document on that resource agency.
    j. Description of Existing Facilities and Proposed Project: The 
proposed pumped storage project would be comprised of four 
developments, each with a powerhouse and an upper and lower reservoir. 
The proposed project would be constructed in four stages as follows:
    (1) Stage 1 of the project would consist of the following features: 
(a) A new upper reservoir on a 60 acre site excavated through quarrying 
operation and having a surface area of 45 acres to be constructed on an 
upland site, a 60 acre tract west of Mount Hope Lake. The upper 
reservoir would provide total storage of 3,400 to 4,100 acre-feet. 
During operation, the normal maximum water surface elevation in the 
upper reservoir would be 900 feet msl. The upper reservoir would be 
filled with water pumped out of the Mount Hope Mine Complex. The Mt. 
Hope inactive mine would provide access to the lower reservoir located 
at 1,000 feet below the ground surface comprised of underground 
caverns; (b) a reinforced concrete intake/outtake structure capable of 
discharging 1,500 cubic feet per second (cfs); (c) a 10-foot-diameter, 
1,300-foot-long reinforced concrete vertical intake shaft; (d) a 300-
foot-long, 8-foot-diameter concrete-lined steel underground penstock; 
(e) a powerhouse machine hall approximately 1,300 feet below ground 
level containing one reversible pump turbine with a total installed 
generating capacity of 250 megawatts (MW); (f) a transformer hall; (g) 
a lower reservoir; (h) a ventilation shaft and ventilation building at 
the northern end of the lower reservoir; and (i) various ancillary 
access shafts and tunnels.
    (2) Stage 2 of the project would consist of the following features: 
(a) The lower reservoir utilized in Stage 1, located 1,000 feet below 
the ground surface, would serve as the upper reservoir in Stage 2, and 
would have a total storage capacity of 4,900 to 5,800 acre-feet. During 
operation, the normal maximum water surface elevation in the upper 
reservoir would be 900 feet below the ground surface, and the normal 
minimum water surface elevation would be 1,000 feet below the ground 
surface. The upper reservoir would be partially filled with water 
pumped out of the Mount Hope Mine Complex; (b) the Mt. Hope inactive 
mine would provide access to the lower reservoir, comprised of 
underground caverns, located 1,700 feet below the ground surface; (c) a 
reinforced concrete intake/outtake structure capable of discharging 
1,500 cfs; (d) a 10-foot-diameter, 1,000-foot-long reinforced concrete 
vertical intake structure; (e) a 300-foot-long, 8-foot-diameter 
concrete-lined underground penstock; (f) a powerhouse machine hall 
approximately 2,000 feet below ground level containing one reversible 
pump turbine with a total installed generating capacity of 250 MW; (g) 
a transformer hall; (h) a lower reservoir; (i) a ventilation shaft and 
ventilation building at the northern end of the lower reservoir; and 
(j) various ancillary access shafts and tunnels.
    (3) Stage 3 of the project would consist of the following features: 
(a) An upper reservoir which would consist of the lower reservoir used 
in Stage 2, located 1,700 feet below the ground surface. The upper 
reservoir would be partially filled with water pumped out of the Mount 
Hope Mine and would have a total storage capacity of 4,250 to 4,900 
acre-feet. The upper reservoir would have a maximum water surface 
elevation of 1,600 feet below the ground surface, and the normal 
minimum water surface elevation would be 1,700 feet below the ground 
surface; (b) the Mr. Hope inactive mine would provide access to the 
lower reservoir, comprised of underground caverns, located 2,500 feet 
below the ground surface; (c) a reinforced concrete intake/outtake 
structure capable of discharging 1,500 cfs; (d) a 10-foot-diameter, 
1,100-foot-long reinforced concrete vertical intake shaft; (e) a 300-
foot-long, 8-foot-diameter concrete-lined underground penstock; (f) a 
powerhouse machine hall approximately 2,800 feet below ground 
containing a reversible pump turbine with a total installed generating 
capacity of 250 MW; (g) a transformer hall; (h) a lower reservoir; (i) 
a ventilation shaft and ventilation building at the northern end of the 
lower reservoir; and (j) various ancillary access shafts and tunnels.
    (4) Stage 4 of the project would consist of the following features: 
(a) An upper reservoir which would consist of the lower reservoir of 
Stage 2, located 1,700 feet below the ground surface. The upper 
reservoir would be filled to its full capacity with water pumped out of 
the Mount Hope Mine Complex and would provide total storage capacity of 
4,250 to 4,900 acre-feet. During operation, the normal maximum water 
surface elevation in the upper reservoir would be 1,600 feet below the 
ground surface, and the normal minimum water surface elevation would be 
1,700 feet below the ground surface; (b) the Mt. Hope inactive mine 
would provide access to the lower reservoir located at 2,500 feet below 
the ground surface and comprised of underground caverns; (c) a 
reinforced concrete intake/outtake structure capable of discharging 
1,500 cfs; (d) a 10-foot-diameter, 1,100 foot-long reinforced concrete 
vertical intake shaft; (e) a 300-foot-long, 8-foot-diameter concrete-
lined underground penstock; (f) a powerhouse machine hall approximately 
2,800 feet below ground containing a reversible pump turbine with a 
total installed generating capacity of 250 MW; (g) a transformer hall; 
(h) a lower reservoir; (i) a ventilation shaft and ventilation building 
at the northern end of the lower reservoir; and (j) various ancillary 
access shafts and tunnels.
    The rated capacity of the turbines and generators is one gigawatt. 
Upon completion of the four stages, the proposed project would generate 
a maximum of 2,080 gigawatt-hours annually. The proposed project would 
also include two parallel 10.60 mile-long, 500-kV transmission lines 
interconnecting with the proposed Jefferson Substation, located 
approximately 5.3 miles north-northwest of Mr. Hope Lake. The 
transmission line right-of-way would parallel an existing transmission 
line owned by Public Services Electric and Gas Company for 4.3 miles 
and would traverse mostly undeveloped forest lands, two lakes and five 
streams. The primary transmission line of the proposed project would be 
located in part on federal land. Specifically, the transmission line 
would traverse a portion of the northern and eastern edge of the U.S. 
Army's Picatinny Arsenal for a total of approximately 2.4 miles.
    k. Location of Applications: A copy of the application is available 
for inspection and reproduction 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 ``eLibrary'' link. Enter the docket number 
excluding the last three digits in the docket number field to access 
the document. For assistance, call toll-free 1-866-208-3676 or e-mail 
[email protected]. For TTY, call (202) 502-8659. A copy is 
also available for inspection and reproduction at the address in item g 
above.
    l. Individuals desiring to be included on the Commission's mailing 
list should so indicate by writing to the Secretary of the Commission.
    m. Competing Preliminary Permit--Anyone desiring to file a 
competing application for preliminary permit for a

[[Page 19925]]

proposed project must submit the competing application itself, or a 
notice of intent to file such an application, to the Commission on or 
before the specified comment date for the particular application (see 
18 CFR 4.36). Submission of a timely notice of intent allows an 
interested person to file the competing preliminary permit application 
no later than 30 days after the specified comment date for the 
particular application. A competing preliminary permit application must 
conform with 18 CFR 4.30(b) and 4.36.
    n. Competing Development Application--Any qualified development 
applicant desiring to file a competing development application must 
submit to the Commission, on or before a specified comment date for the 
particular application, either a competing development application or a 
notice of intent to file such an application. Submission of a timely 
notice of intent to file a development application allows an interested 
person to file the competing application no later than 120 days after 
the specified comment date for the particular application. A competing 
license application must conform with 18 CFR 4.30(b) and 4.36.
    o. Notice of Intent--A notice of intent must specify the exact 
name, business address, and telephone number of the prospective 
applicant, and must include an unequivocal statement of intent to 
submit, if such an application may be filed, either a preliminary 
permit application or a development application (specify which type of 
application). A notice of intent must be served on the applicant(s) 
named in this public notice.
    p. Proposed Scope of Studies under Permit--A preliminary permit, if 
issued, does not authorize construction. The term of the proposed 
preliminary permit would be 36 months. The work proposed under the 
preliminary permit would include economic analysis, preparation of 
preliminary engineering plans, and a study of environmental impacts. 
Based on the results of these studies, the Applicant would decide 
whether to proceed with the preparation of a development application to 
construct and operate the project.
    q. Comments, Protests, or Motions to Intervene--Anyone may submit 
comments, a protest, or a motion to intervene in accordance with the 
requirements of Rules of Practice and Procedure, 18 CFR 385.210, .211, 
.214. In determining the appropriate action to take, the Commission 
will consider all protests or other comments 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 comments, protests, or 
motions to intervene must be received on or before the specified 
comment date for the particular application.
    r. Filing and Service of Responsive Documents--Any filings must 
bear in all capital letters the title ``COMMENTS'', ``NOTICE OF INTENT 
TO FILE COMPETING APPLICATION'', ``COMPETING APPLICATION'', 
``PROTEST'', or ``MOTION TO INTERVENE'', as applicable, and the Project 
Number of the particular application to which the filing refers. Any of 
the above-named documents must be filed by providing the original and 
the number of copies provided by the Commission's regulations to: The 
Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street, NE., 
Washington, DC 20426. An additional copy must be sent to Director, 
Division of Hydropower Administration and Compliance, Federal Energy 
Regulatory Commission, at the above-mentioned address. A copy of any 
notice of intent, competing application or motion to intervene must 
also be served upon each representative of the Applicant specified in 
the particular application.
    s. Agency Comments--Federal, state, and local agencies are invited 
to file comments on the described application. A copy of the 
application may be obtained by agencies directly from the Applicant. If 
an agency does not file comments within the time specified for filing 
comments, it will be presumed to have no comments. One copy of an 
agency's comments must also be sent to the Applicant's representatives.

Philis J. Posey,
Deputy Secretary.
 [FR Doc. E7-7514 Filed 4-19-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P