[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 80 (Thursday, April 26, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20844-20845]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-7986]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 12455-003]


Beltzville Hydroelectric Project; Notice of Application Accepted 
for Filing and Soliciting Motions To Intervene and Protests

April 20, 2007.
    Take notice that the following hydroelectric application has been 
filed with the Commission and is available for public inspection.
    a. Type of Application: Original License.
    b. Project No.: 12455-003.
    c. Date filed: December 29, 2006.
    d. Applicant: Borough of Leighton, Pennsylvania.
    e. Name of Project: Beltzville Hydroelectric Project.
    f. Location: The project would be connected to the U.S. Army Corps 
of Engineers' Beltzville Dam, located on Pohopoco Creek, in the Borough 
of Leighton, Carbon County, Pennsylvania.
    g. Filed Pursuant to: The Federal Power Act, 16 U.S.C. 791(a)-
825(r).
    h. Applicant Contact: Mr. John Hanosek, P.E., Borough Manager, P.O. 
Box 29, Municipal Building, Second and South Street, Leighton, PA 
18235, (610) 377-4002.
    i. FERC Contact: Jack Hannula, (202) 502-8917 or 
[email protected].
    j. Deadline for filing motions to intervene and protests: 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.
    The Commission's Rules of Practice and Procedures require all 
intervenors filing documents with the Commission to serve a copy of 
that document on each person 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, they must also serve 
a copy of the document on that resource agency.
    Motions to intervene and protests 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.
    k. This application has been accepted for filing, but is not ready 
for environmental analysis at this time.
    l. Description of Project: The project would be located at the 
existing Corps of Engineers Beltzville Dam which is a 175-foot-high, 
4,600-foot-long earth-fill dam with a 23-foot-high, 2,000-foot-long un-
gated concrete spillway. The reservoir has 949 surface acres at a 
normal water surface elevation of 628.0 feet, mean sea level (msl).
    The proposed Beltzville Hydroelectric Project would consist of: (1) 
A new, approximately 150-foot-long penstock connected to the downstream 
side of Beltsville Dam via an existing outlet conduit that would be 
modified to include a 78-inch diameter steel pipe

[[Page 20845]]

liner, a new 78-inch butterfly valve, Y-branch, and 84-inch slide gate: 
(2) The penstock would lead to a new 60-foot-long, 30-foot-wide 
powerhouse which would contain two generating units, a 1,700 kilowatt 
(kW) unit and a 900 kW generating unit; and (3) a 300-foot-long, 12-
kilovolt transmission line. The estimated average annual generation 
would be 9,470 megawatt hours (MWh).
    m. 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 ``eLibrary'' 
link. Enter the docket number (e.g., P-12455) 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.
    You may also register online at http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/esubscription.asp to be notified via e-mail of new filings and 
issuances related to this or other pending projects. For assistance, 
contact FERC Online Support.
    n. Any qualified applicant desiring to file a competing application 
must submit to the Commission, on or before the specified deadline date 
for the particular application, a competing development application, or 
a notice of intent to file such an application. Submission of a timely 
notice of intent allows an interested person to file the competing 
development application no later than 120 days after the specified 
deadline date for the particular application. Applications for 
preliminary permits will not be accepted in response to this notice.
    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.
    o. Anyone may submit a protest or a motion to intervene in 
accordance with the requirements of Rules of Practice and Procedure, 18 
CFR 385.210, 385.211, 385.214. 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 comment date for 
the particular application.
    When the application is ready for environmental analysis, the 
Commission will issue a public notice requesting comments, 
recommendations, terms and conditions, or prescriptions.
    All filings must (1) bear in all capital letters the title 
``PROTEST'' or ``MOTION TO INTERVENE'', ``NOTICE OF INTENT TO FILE 
COMPETING APPLICATION'' or COMPETING APPLICATION;'' (2) set forth in 
the heading the name of the applicant and the project number of the 
application to which the filing responds; (3) furnish the name, 
address, and telephone number of the person protesting or intervening; 
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 directly from the applicant. A copy of any 
protest or motion to intervene must be served upon each representative 
of the applicant specified in the particular application.
    p. Procedural Schedule: The Commission staff proposes to issue one 
Environmental Assessment (EA) rather than a draft and final EA. Staff 
intend to allow 30 days for entities to comment on the EA, and will 
take into consideration all comments received on the EA before final 
action is taken on the application.
    The application will be processed according to the following 
schedule. Revisions to the schedule will be made as appropriate.

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                 Action                                Date
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Issuing Scoping document...............  May 2007.
Notice the Application is ready for      July 2007.
 environmental analysis.
Notice availability of EA..............  January 2008.
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Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E7-7986 Filed 4-25-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P