[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 174 (Monday, September 9, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 55069-55071]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-21831]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

 [Project No. 14383-005]


Whitewater Green Energy, LLC; Notice of Intent to File License 
Application, Filing of Pre-Application Document (Pad), Commencement of 
Pre-Filing Process, and Scoping; Request for Comments on the Pad and 
Scoping Document, and Identification of Issues and Associated Study 
Requests

    a. Type of Filing: Notice of Intent to File License Application for 
an Original License and Commencing Pre-filing Process.
    b. Project No.: 14383-005.
    c. Dated Filed: July 8, 2013.
    d. Submitted By: Whitewater Green Energy, LLC.
    e. Name of Project: Whitewater Creek Hydroelectric Project.
    f. Location: On Whitewater and Russell creeks near Detroit, in 
Marion and Linn counties, Oregon. The project would be located entirely 
on federal lands administered by the U.S. Forest Service.
    g. Filed Pursuant to: 18 CFR Part 5 of the Commission's 
Regulations.
    h. Applicant Contact: David Harmon, Project Manager, Whitewater 
Green Energy, LLC, 601 7th Ave., Sweet Home, OR; Telephone: (541) 405-
5236.
    i. FERC Contact: Aaron Liberty at (202) 502-6862 or email at 
[email protected].
    j. Cooperating agencies: Federal, state, local, and tribal agencies 
with jurisdiction and/or special expertise with respect to 
environmental issues that wish to cooperate in the preparation of the 
environmental document should follow the instructions for filing such 
requests described in item n 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).

[[Page 55070]]

    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; (b) NOAA Fisheries under 
section 305(b) of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and 
Management Act and implementing regulations at 50 CFR 600.920; and (c) 
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. Whitewater Green Energy, LLC, filed with the Commission a Pre-
Application Document (PAD; including a proposed process plan and 
schedule), pursuant to 18 CFR 5.6 of the Commission's regulations.
    m. A copy of the PAD is 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, or for TTY, 
(202) 502-8659. A copy is also available for inspection and 
reproduction at the address in paragraph h.
    Register online at http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/esubscription.asp to be notified via email of new filing and issuances 
related to this or other pending projects. For assistance, contact FERC 
Online Support.
    n. With this notice, we are soliciting comments on the PAD and 
Commission's staff Scoping Document 1 (SD1), as well as study requests. 
All comments on the PAD and SD1, and study requests should be sent to 
the address above in paragraph h. In addition, all comments on the PAD 
and SD1, study requests, requests for cooperating agency status, and 
all communications to and from Commission staff related to the merits 
of the potential application must be filed with the Commission. 
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. Although the Commission strongly encourages electronic filing, 
documents may also be paper-filed. To paper-file, send documents to: 
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, 
project name (Whitewater Creek Hydroelectric Project) and number (P-
14383-005), and bear the appropriate 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 SD1, and any agency requesting cooperating status must do so by 
October 29, 2013.
    o. 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 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:

Evening Scoping Meeting

    Date and Time: Wednesday, September 18, 2013, 6:00 p.m. (PST).
    Location: Detroit Ranger Station, 44125 North Santiam Highway SE., 
Detroit, OR 97342.
    Phone Number: (541) 405-5236.

Daytime Scoping Meeting

    Date and Time: Thursday, September 19, 2013, 9:00 a.m. (PST).
    Location: Detroit Ranger Station, 44125 North Santiam Highway SE., 
Detroit, OR 97342.
    Phone Number: (541) 405-5236.
    Scoping Document 1 (SD1), 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 SD1 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 m. Based on all oral and written 
comments, a Scoping Document 2 (SD2) may be issued. SD2 may include a 
revised process plan and schedule, as well as a list of issues, 
identified through the scoping process.

Environmental Site Review

    The applicant and Commission staff will conduct an Environmental 
Site Review of the project on Thursday, September 19, 2013, immediately 
following the daytime scoping meeting. All participants should meet at 
the Detroit Ranger Station. All participants are responsible for their 
own transportation. Anyone with questions about the site visit should 
contact Mr. David Harmon of Whitewater Green Energy, LLC at (541) 405-
5236. Please notify Mr. Harmon by September 12, 2013 if you plan to 
attend the environmental site review.

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 SD1 are 
included in item m of this document.

Meeting Procedures

    The meetings will be recorded by a stenographer and will be placed 
in the public records of the project.


[[Page 55071]]


    Dated: August 30, 2013.
Kimberly D. Bose,
 Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2013-21831 Filed 9-6-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P