[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 62 (Thursday, April 2, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Page 14975]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-7345]



[[Page 14975]]

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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 2618-020]


Domtar Maine Corporation; Notice of Application Tendered for 
Filing With the Commission, Soliciting Additional Study Requests, and 
Establishing Procedual Schedule for Licensing and Deadline for 
Submission of Final Amendments

March 26, 2009.
    Take notice that the following hydroelectric application has been 
filed with the Commission and is available for public inspection.
    a. Type of Application: New License.
    b. Project No.: 2618-020.
    c. Date Filed: March 19, 2009.
    d. Applicant: Domtar Maine Corporation.
    e. Name of Project: West Branch Project.
    f. Location: On Grand Lake Stream, a tributary of the St. Croix 
River in Penobscot, Washington and Hancock Counties, Maine. 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: Mr. Scott Beal, Domtar Maine Corporation, 144 
Main Street, Baileyville, Maine 04694 (207) 427-4004.
    i. FERC Contact: John Costello, (202) 502-6119 or 
[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: May 18, 2009.
    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 
385.2001(a)(1)(iii) and the instructions on the Commission's Web site 
(http://www.ferc.gov) under the ``eFiling'' link.
    m. This application is not ready for environmental analysis at this 
time.
    n. The existing West Branch Project includes two developments 
(Sysladobsis and West Grand) comprising two dams and a dike. The 23,500 
acre impounded waters are comprised of West Grand, Junior, Pocumcus, 
Pug, Bottle, Norway, and Scraggly lakes.
    The Sysladobsis development includes the 250-foot-long by 9-foot-
high Sysladobsis Dam (the furthest upstream), an earth embankment 
structure with a timber gate and fish facility. The dam impounds the 
5,400-acres Sysladobsis Lake and discharges directly into the West 
Grand development.
    The approximately 487-foot-long West Grand Dam comprises a 105.9-
foot-long gate structure with five gates. A vertical slot design 
upstream fish passage facility is located adjacent to the dam's waste 
gate No.1.
    The approximately 535-foot-long by 15-foot-high Farm Cove Dike is 
located approximately 3.5 miles west of the main outlet dam to West 
Grand Lake. The dike comprises a 10-foot-wide by 30-foot-long fishway. 
The dike has no gates or other flow controls; the only flow passing 
capability is through the fishway.
    No new construction is planned.
    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 Maine 
State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO), as required by section 106, 
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. The Commission 
staff proposes to issue one environmental assessment rather than issue 
a draft and final EA. The assessment for Domtar's application for new 
license for the Forest City Project, P-2660-024, may be included with 
the West Branch EA. Comments, terms and conditions, recommendations, 
prescriptions, and reply comments, if any, will be addressed in an EA. 
Staff intends to give at least 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 license application.
    Issue Acceptance letter/Additional Information Requests--May 2009. 
Issue Scoping Document--June 2009. Additional Information Response 
due--September 2009. Notice of application is ready for environmental 
analysis--October 2009. Comments, recommendations, prescriptions due--
December 2009. Notice of availability of the EA--June 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. E9-7345 Filed 4-1-09; 8:45 am]
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