[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 212 (Wednesday, November 4, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Page 57165]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-26473]



[[Page 57165]]

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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 12478-003]


Gibson Dam Hydro Company, LLC; Notice Soliciting Scoping Comments

DATES: October 28, 2009.

    Take notice that the following hydroelectric application has been 
filed with the Commission and is available for public inspection.
    a. Type of Application: Major Project--Existing Dam.
    b. Project No.: P-12478-003.
    c. Date filed: August 28, 2009.
    d. Applicant: Gibson Dam Hydro Company, LLC.
    e. Name of Project: Gibson Dam Hydroelectric Project.
    f. Location: On the Sun River, near the towns of Augusta and 
Fairfield, Lewis and Clark and Teton Counties, Montana. The project 
would occupy 95.34 acres of Federal land administered by the U. S. 
Forest Service and 19.39 acres of Federal land administered by the U. 
S. Bureau of Land Management for a total of 114.73 acres of Federal 
land.
    g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act 16 USC 791 (a)-825(r).
    h. Applicant Contact: Steve C. Marmon and Thom A. Fischer, 
Whitewater Engineering Corporation, 3633 Alderwood Ave., Bellingham, WA 
98225, (360) 738-9999.
    i. FERC Contact: Matt Cutlip, (503) 552-2762 or 
[email protected].
    j. Deadline for filing scoping comments: January 26, 2010.
    All documents may be filed electronically via the Internet. See 18 
CFR 385.2001(a)(1)(iii) and the instructions on the Commission's Web 
site (http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/ferconline.asp) under the 
``eFiling'' link. For a simpler method of submitting text only 
comments, click on ``Quick Comment.'' For assistance, please contact 
FERC Online Support at: [email protected]; call toll-free at 
(866) 208-3676; or, for TTY, contact (202) 502-8659. Although the 
Commission strongly encourages electronic filing, documents may also be 
paper-filed. To paper-file, mail an original and eight copies to: 
Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 
First Street, NE., Washington, DC 20426.
    The Commission's Rules of Practice 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.
    k. This application is not ready for environmental analysis at this 
time.
    l. The proposed project would utilize the existing facilities of 
the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation's Gibson dam including the reservoir, 
existing valve house, and two existing dam outlet pipes; and would 
consist of the following new facilities: (1) Two new 72-inch-diameter 
penstocks extending 40 feet from the existing outlet pipes to the 
powerhouse; (2) a new powerhouse located near the toe of the dam with 
four turbine/generating units with total installed capacity of 15 
megawatts; (3) a new 25.8-mile, 34.5/69 kV overhead and underground 
transmission line from the powerhouse to an interconnection point with 
Sun River Electric Cooperative, Inc.'s existing 69 kV transmission line 
at Jackson's Corner; (4) a new 34.5/69 kV step-up substation; (5) a new 
maintenance building located approximately 1,400 feet downstream of the 
powerhouse adjacent to existing Gibson Dam operations facilities; and 
(6) appurtenant facilities. The average annual generation is estimated 
to be 40 gigawatt-hours.
    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 excluding the last three digits in the 
docket number field to addess the document. For assistance, contact 
FERC Online Support. A copy is available for inspection and 
reproduction at the address in Item H above.
    n. 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.
    o. Scoping Process
    Commission staff intend to prepare a draft and final Environmental 
Assessment (EA) for the Gibson Dam Hydroelectric Project in accordance 
with the National Environmental Policy Act. The EA will consider both 
site-specific and cumulative environmental impacts and reasonable 
alternatives to the proposed action.
    The project as proposed in the license application differs from 
Gibson Dam Hydro Company's proposals described in Scoping Document 1 
and Scoping Document 2, filed on March 9, 2006, and February 8, 2007, 
respectively. Therefore, to support and assist our environmental 
review, we are conducting additional paper scoping on the current 
proposal to ensure that all pertinent issues and alternatives are 
identified and analyzed, and that the EA is thorough and balanced. 
Commission staff does not propose to conduct any on-site scoping 
meetings at this time. Instead, we are soliciting comments, 
recommendations, and information, on the Scoping Document (SD) issued 
on October 28, 2009.
    Copies of the SD outlining the subject areas to be addressed in the 
EA were distributed to the parties on the Commission's mailing list and 
the applicant's distribution list. Copies of the SD may be viewed on 
the Web 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 1-866-208-3676 or 
for TTY, (202) 502-8659.

Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E9-26473 Filed 11-3-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P