[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 210 (Tuesday, October 30, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 65676-65678]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-26591]


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 DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 14447-000]


L.S. Starrett Company; Notice of Application Accepted for Filing 
With the Commission, Intent To Waive Scoping, Soliciting Motions To 
Intervene and Protests, Ready for Environmental Analysis, Soliciting 
Comments, Terms and Conditions, and Recommendations, and Establishing 
An Expedited Schedule for Processing

    Take notice that the following hydroelectric application has been 
filed with the Commission and is available for public inspection.
    a. Type of Application: Exemption from Licensing.
    b. Project No.: P-14447-000.

[[Page 65677]]

    c. Date filed: August 15, 2012.
    d. Applicant: L.S. Starrett Company.
    e. Name of Project: Crescent Street Dam Hydroelectric Project.
    f. Location: On Millers River, in the Town of Athol, Worcester 
County, Massachusetts. The project would not occupy lands of the United 
States.
    g. Filed Pursuant to: Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 
1978, 16 U.S.C. 2705, 2708.
    h. Applicant Contact: Steve Walsh, L.S. Starrett Company, 121 
Crescent Street, Athol, MA 01331; (978) 249-3551 ext. 229.
    i. FERC Contact: Tom Dean, (202) 502-6041, [email protected].
    j. Deadline for filing motions to intervene and protests, comments, 
terms and conditions, and recommendations: Due to the small size and 
particular location of this existing project and the close coordination 
with state and federal agencies during the preparation of the 
application, the 60-day timeframe in 18 CFR 4.34(b) is shortened. 
Instead, motions to intervene and protests, comments, terms and 
conditions, and recommendations will be due 30 days from the issuance 
date of this notice. All reply comments must be filed with the 
Commission within 45 days from the date of this notice.
    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/efiling.asp. Commenters can submit 
brief comments up to 6,000 characters, without prior registration, 
using the eComment system at http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/ecomment.asp. You must include your name and contact information at the 
end of your comments. For assistance, please contact FERC Online 
Support at [email protected] or toll free at 1-866-208-3676, 
or for TTY, (202) 502-8659. Although the Commission strongly encourages 
electronic filing, documents may also be paper-filed. To paper-file, 
mail an original and seven 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. The application has been accepted for filing and is now ready 
for environmental analysis.
    l. The proposed Crescent Street Dam Hydroelectric Project consists 
of: (1) An existing 28-foot-high, 127-foot-long concrete and masonry 
dam with a 98-foot-long spillway topped with a 3-foot-high bascule 
gate; (2) an existing 4.5-acre impoundment with a normal water surface 
elevation of 541.3 feet National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929; (3) 
existing generation facilities on the right side of the dam that 
include: (a) an intake structure equipped with a 7-foot-high, 7-foot-
wide head gate and a 14-foot-high, 17.5-feet-wide trashrack with 1.25-
inch clear bar spacing; (b) a 25-foot-long, 7-foot-diameter penstock; 
(c) a 44-foot-long, 28-foot-wide powerhouse containing a 250 kilowatt 
(kW) turbine generating unit; (d) a 7-foot-diameter, 47-foot-long 
bypass outlet conduit equipped with a 7-foot-high, 7-foot-wide gate; 
(e) a 16-foot-wide, 4-foot-deep, 200-foot-long tailrace; and (f) three 
existing 180-foot-long, 600 volt transmission lines; (4) existing 
generation facilities on the left side of the dam that include: (a) an 
18-foot-long weir equipped with a 6-foot-high, 6-foot-wide slide gate 
and a 12-foot-high, 13.5-foot-wide trashrack with [frac34]-inch clear 
bar spacing; (b) a 55-foot-long, 6-foot-diameter penstock; (c) a 37-
foot-long, 37-foot-wide powerhouse containing a 198 kW turbine 
generating unit; (d) a 14-foot-wide, 9-foot-deep, 100-foot-long 
tailrace; and (e) six 900-foot-long, 600 volt transmission lines; and 
(5) appurtenant facilities. The project would have an estimated average 
annual generation of 1,729.2 megawatt-hours. The applicant proposes to 
construct downstream and upstream fish passage facilities, a plunge 
pool, and upstream eel passage facility if required by fish and 
wildlife agencies, and operate the project in a run-of-river mode.
    m. Due to the project works already existing and the limited scope 
of proposed modifications to the project site described above, the 
applicant's close coordination with federal and state agencies during 
the preparation of the application, and agency recommended preliminary 
terms and conditions, we intend to waive scoping and expedite the 
exemption process. Based on a review of the application, resource 
agency consultation letters, Commission staff intends to prepare a 
single environmental assessment (EA). Commission staff determined that 
the issues that need to be addressed in the EA have been adequately 
identified during the pre-filing period, which included a public 
meeting and site visit, and no new issues are likely to be identified 
through additional scoping. The EA will consider assessing the 
potential effects of project construction and operation on aquatic, 
terrestrial, threatened and endangered species, recreation and land 
use, aesthetic, and cultural and historic resources.
    n. 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. A copy is also available for inspection and 
reproduction at the address in item h above.
    Register online at http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/esubscription.asp to be notified via email of new filings and issuances 
related to this or other pending projects. For assistance, contact FERC 
Online Support.
    o. Any qualified applicant desiring to file a competing application 
must submit to the Commission, on or before the specified intervention 
deadline date, 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 intervention 
deadline date. 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 a development application. A 
notice of intent must be served on the applicant(s) named in this 
public notice.
    Anyone may submit comments, a protest, or a motion to intervene in 
accordance with the requirements of Rules of Practice and Procedure, 18 
CFR 385.210, .211, .214. In determining the appropriate action to take, 
the Commission will consider all protests or other comments 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 comments, 
protests, or motions to intervene must be received on or before the 
specified comment date for the particular application.
    All filings must: (1) Bear in all capital letters the title 
``PROTEST'', ``MOTION TO INTERVENE'', ``NOTICE OF INTENT TO FILE 
COMPETING APPLICATION,'' ``COMPETING

[[Page 65678]]

APPLICATION,'' ``COMMENTS,'' ``REPLY COMMENTS,'' ``RECOMMENDATIONS,'' 
or ``TERMS AND CONDITIONS;'' (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, or terms and conditions 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. A copy of all other filings in reference to 
this application must be accompanied by proof of service on all persons 
listed in the service list prepared by the Commission in this 
proceeding, in accordance with 18 CFR 4.34(b) and 385.2010.
    p. Procedural schedule: The application will be processed according 
to the following procedural schedule. Revisions to the schedule may be 
made as appropriate.

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                 Milestone                           Target date
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Notice of the availability of the EA.......  March 2013
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    Dated: October 23, 2012.
Kimberly D. Bose,
 Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2012-26591 Filed 10-29-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P