[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 46 (Friday, March 7, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12405-12406]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-4499]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

 [Project No. 2309-017]


Jersey Central Power and Light and PSEG Fossil LLC; Notice of 
Intent To File License Application, Filing of Pre-Application Document, 
Commencement of Licensing Proceeding, Scoping Meetings, Solicitation of 
Comments on the Pad and Scoping Document, and Identification Issues and 
Associated Study Requests

February 29, 2008.
    a. Type of Filing: Notice of Intent to File License Application for 
a New License and Commencing Licensing Proceeding.
    b. Project No.: 2309-017.
    c. Dated Filed: January 11, 2008.
    d. Submitted By: Jersey Central Power and Light and PSEG Fossil 
LLC.
    e. Name of Project: Yards Creek Pumped Storage Project.
    f. Location: On Yards Creek, in the townships of Hardwick and 
Blairstown, Warren County, New Jersey. No federal lands are involved.
    g. Filed Pursuant to: 18 CFR Part 5 of the Commission's 
Regulations.
    h. Potential Applicant Contact: Anthony Skicki, First Energy 
Service Company, Environmental Department, 2800 Pottsville Pike, P.O. 
Box 16001 Reading, PA 19612, (610) 921-6908.
    i. FERC Contact: Steve Kartalia, [email protected], (202) 
502-6131.
    j. 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 cooperating status should 
follow the instructions for filing comments described in paragraph o 
below. Cooperating agencies should note the Commission's policy that 
agencies that cooperate in the preparation of the environmental 
document cannot also intervene. See, 94 FERC ] 61,076 (2001).
    k. With this notice, we are initiating informal consultation with: 
(a) The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and/or NOAA Fisheries under 
section 7 of the Endangered Species Act and the joint agency 
regulations thereunder at 50 CFR Part 402; and (b) the State Historic 
Preservation Officer, as required by section 106, National Historical 
Preservation Act, and the implementing regulations of the Advisory 
Council on Historic Preservation at 36 CFR 800.2.
    l. With this notice, we are designating Jersey Central Power and 
Light and PSEG Fossil LLC as the Commission's non-federal 
representatives for carrying out informal consultation, pursuant to 
section 7 of the Endangered Species Act and Section 106 of the National 
Historic Preservation Act.
    m. Jersey Central Power and Light and PSEG Fossil LLC filed a Pre-
Application Document (PAD; including a proposed process plan and 
schedule) with the Commission, pursuant to 18 CFR 5.6 of the 
Commission's regulations. The Commission issued Scoping Document on 
February 28, 2008.
    n. A copy of the PAD and the scoping document are available for 
review at the Commission in the Public Reference Room or may be viewed 
on the Commission's Web site (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, contact FERC Online Support at [email protected] 
or toll free at 1-866-208-3676, of for TTY, (202) 502-8659. A copy is 
also available for inspection and reproduction at the address in 
paragraph h.
    Register online at http://ferc.gov/esubscribenow.htm to be notified 
via e-mail of new filing and issuances related to this or other pending 
projects. For assistance, contact FERC Online Support.
    o. With this notice, we are soliciting comments on the PAD and the 
scoping document, as well as study requests. All comments on the PAD 
and the scoping document, and study requests should be sent to the 
address above in paragraph h. In addition, all comments on the PAD and 
the scoping document, study requests, requests for cooperating agency 
status, and all communications to and from Commission staff related to 
the merits of the potential application (original and eight copies) 
must be filed with the Commission at the following address: Kimberly D. 
Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First 
Street, NE., Washington, DC 20426. All filings with the Commission must 
include on the first page, Yards Creek Pumped Storage Project) and 
number (P-2309-017), and bear the heading ``Comments on Pre-Application 
Document,'' ``Study Requests,'' ``Comments on Scoping Document 1,'' 
``Request for Cooperating Agency Status,'' or ``Communications to and 
from Commission Staff.'' Any individual or entity interested in 
submitting study requests, commenting on the PAD or the scoping 
document, and any agency requesting cooperating status must do so by 
May 12, 2008.
    Comments on the PAD and the scoping document, study requests, 
requests for cooperating agency status, and other permissible forms of 
communications with the Commission may be filed electronically via the 
Internet in lieu of paper. The Commission strongly encourages 
electronic filings. See 18 CFR 85.2001(a)(1)(iii) and the instructions 
on the Commission's Web site (http://www.ferc.gov) under the ``e-
filing'' link.
    p. Although our current intent is to prepare an environmental 
assessment (EA), there is the possibility that an Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS) will be required. Nevertheless, this meeting will 
satisfy the NEPA scoping requirements, irrespective of whether an EA or 
EIS is issued by the Commission.

Scoping Meetings

    Commission staff will hold two scoping meetings in the vicinity of 
the project at the time and place noted below. The daytime meeting will 
focus on resource agency, Indian tribes, and non-governmental 
organization concerns, while the evening meeting is primarily for 
receiving input from the public. We invite all interested

[[Page 12406]]

individuals, organizations, and agencies to attend one or both of the 
meetings, and to assist staff in identifying particular study needs, as 
well as the scope of environmental issues to be addressed in the 
environmental document. The times and locations of these meetings are 
as follows:

Daytime Scoping Meeting

Date: Wednesday April 2, 2008.
Time: 2 p.m.
Location: Blairstown Municipal Building, 106 Route 94, Blairstown, NJ 
07825, (908) 362-6663.

Evening Scoping Meeting

Date: Wednesday April 2, 2008.
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: Blairstown Municipal Building, 106 Route 94, Blairstown, NJ 
07825, (908) 362-6663.

    The scoping document, which outlines the subject areas to be 
addressed in the environmental document, was mailed to the individuals 
and entities on the Commission's mailing list. Copies of the scoping 
document will be available at the scoping meetings, or may be viewed on 
the web at http://www.ferc.gov, using the ``eLibrary'' link. Follow the 
directions for accessing information in paragraph n. Depending on the 
extent of comments received, Scoping Document 2 may or may not be 
issued.

Site Visit

    JCPL and PSEG will conduct a site visit of the project at 9 a.m. on 
Wednesday, April 2, 2008. All participants should meet at the plant 
entrance on Mount Vernon Rd., Blairstown, NJ. All participants are 
responsible for their own transportation. Anyone with questions about 
the site visit should contact Timothy Oakes at (717) 687-7211.

Scoping Meeting Objectives

    At the scoping meetings, staff will: (1) Initiate scoping of the 
issues; (2) review and discuss existing conditions and resource 
management objectives; (3) review and discuss existing information and 
identify preliminary information and study needs; (4) review and 
discuss the process plan and schedule for pre-filing activity that 
incorporates the time frames provided for in Part 5 of the Commission's 
regulations and, to the extent possible, maximizes coordination of 
federal, state, and tribal permitting and certification processes; and 
(5) discuss the appropriateness of any federal or state agency or 
Indian tribe acting as a cooperating agency for development of an 
environmental document.
    Meeting participants should come prepared to discuss their issues 
and/or concerns. Please review the PAD in preparation for the scoping 
meetings. Directions on how to obtain a copy of the PAD and the scoping 
document are included in item n of this document.

Meeting Procedures

    The meetings will be recorded by a stenographer and will become 
part of the formal record of the Commission proceeding on the project.

 Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
 [FR Doc. E8-4499 Filed 3-6-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P