[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 180 (Tuesday, September 16, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 53414-53415]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-21580]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No.: 516-459]


South Carolina Electric & Gas Company; Notice of Application 
Tendered for Filing With the Commission, Soliciting Additional Study 
Requests, and Establishing Procedural Schedule for Relicensing and a 
Deadline for Submission of Final Amendments

September 10, 2008.
    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.: P-516-459.
    c. Date Filed: August 28, 2008.
    d. Applicant: South Carolina Electric & Gas Company.
    e. Name of Project: Saluda Hydroelectric Project.
    f. Location: On the Saluda River, in Lexington, Richland, Newberry, 
and Saluda Counties, South Carolina. The project does not occupy any 
federal lands.
    g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act 16 U.S.C. 791(a)-825(r)
    h. Applicant Contact: Mr. James M. Landreth, Vice President, 
Fossil/Hydro Operations South Carolina Electric & Gas Company, 111 
Research Drive, Columbia, South Carolina 29203; or Mr. William R. 
Argentieri, P.E., Manager--Civil Engineering, South Carolina Electric & 
Gas Company, 111 Research Drive, Columbia, South Carolina 29203; (803) 
217-7224; [email protected].
    i. FERC Contact: Lee Emery, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 
888 First Street, NE., Washington, DC 20426; (202) 502-8379; 
[email protected].
    j. 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 cooperating 
status should follow the instructions for filing such requests 
described in item l 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. Pursuant to section 4.32(b)(7) of 18 CFR of the Commission's 
regulations, if any resource agency, Indian Tribe, or person believes 
that an additional scientific study should be conducted in order to 
form an adequate factual basis for a complete analysis of the 
application on its merit, the resource agency, Indian Tribe, or person 
must file a request for a study with the Commission not later than 60 
days from the date of filing of the application, and serve a copy of 
the request on the applicant.
    l. Deadline for filing additional study requests and requests for 
cooperating agency status: October 27, 2008.
    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.
    Additional study requests and 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

[[Page 53415]]

385.2001(a)(1)(iii) and the instructions on the Commission's Web site 
(http://www.ferc.gov) under the ``e-Filing'' link.
    m. This application is not ready for environmental analysis at this 
time.
    n. The existing 207.3-megawatt Saluda Project consists of: (1) A 
7,800-foot-long, 213-foot-high earth-fill dam (Saluda dam), with South 
Carolina State Highway 6 (Highway 6) running along the top of the dam; 
(2) a dike that extends 2,550 feet from the north end of the dam, 
running parallel with Highway 6; (3) a 2,900-foot-long emergency 
spillway, with six steel Tainter gates, that is located 500 feet from 
the south end of Saluda dam, and a spillway channel that reconnects 
with the Saluda River about \3/4\ mile downstream from the Saluda 
powerhouse; (4) a 2,300 foot-long, 213-foot-high roller compacted 
concrete backup dam located along the downstream toe of the Saluda dam, 
with (i) a crest elevation of 372.0 feet National Geodetic Vertical 
Datum (NGVD), and (ii) rock fill embankment sections on the north and 
south ends of the backup dam, having a combined length of 5,700 feet; 
(5) a 41-mile-long, 50,900-acre reservoir (Lake Murray) at a full pool 
elevation of 358.5 NGVD, with a total usable storage of approximately 
635,000 acre-feet; (6) five 223-foot-high intake towers and associated 
penstocks; (7) a concrete and brick powerhouse containing four vertical 
Francis turbine generating units (three at 32.5 MW and one at 42.3 MW), 
and a fifth vertical Francis turbine generating unit (67.5 MW), which 
is enclosed in a weather-tight housing located on a concrete deck 
attached to the south end of the main powerhouse; (8) a 150-foot-long 
tailrace; and (9) appurtenant facilities. There is no transmission line 
or bypassed reach associated with the project.
    o. 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 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.
    p. With this notice, we are initiating consultation with the South 
Carolina State Historic Preservation Officer, as required by section 
106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, and the regulations of 
the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, 36 CFR 800.4.
    q. Procedural schedule and final amendments: The application will 
be processed according to the following Hydro Licensing Schedule. 
Revisions to the schedule will be made as appropriate.

Issue Acceptance or Deficiency Letter--November 2008
Request Additional Information--November 2008
Issue Acceptance Letter--February 2009
Issue Scoping Document 1 for comments--March 2009
Request Additional Information (if necessary)--May 2009
Issue Scoping Document 2 (if necessary)--July 2009
Notice of application is ready for environmental analysis--July 2009
Notice of the availability of the draft EA--January 2010
Notice of the availability of the final EA--April 2010

    Final amendments to the application must be filed with the 
Commission no later than 30 days from the issuance date of the notice 
of ready for environmental analysis.

Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E8-21580 Filed 9-15-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P