[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 87 (Tuesday, May 6, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 25861-25863]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-10312]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Project No. 2280-018]
Seneca Generation, LLC; Notice of Application Accepted for
Filing, Soliciting Motions To Intervene and Protests, Ready for
Environmental Analysis, and Soliciting Comments, Recommendations,
Preliminary Terms and Conditions, and Preliminary Fishway Prescriptions
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.: 2280-018.
c. Date filed: December 2, 2013.
d. Applicant: Seneca Generation, LLC.
e. Name of Project: Kinzua Pumped Storage Hydroelectric Project.
f. Location: The existing project is located on the Allegheny River
in Warren, Pennsylvania. The project is located on 226.7 acres of
federal lands; 212.1 acres of which is administered by the U.S. Forest
Service and 14.6 acres administered by the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers.
g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act 16 U.S.C. 791 (a)-825(r).
h. Applicant Contact: Kathy French, P.E., Assistant VP,
Environmental, Health and Safety, Seneca Generation, LLC, 1700
Broadway, 35th Floor, New York, NY 10019; Telephone (212) 547-4381.
i. FERC Contact: Gaylord Hoisington, Telephone (202) 502-6032, and
email [email protected].
[[Page 25862]]
j. Deadline for filing motions to intervene and protests, comments,
recommendations, preliminary terms and conditions, and preliminary
prescriptions: 60 days from the issuance date of this notice; reply
comments are due 105 days from the issuance date of this notice.
The Commission strongly encourages electronic filing. Please file
motions to intervene, protests, comments, recommendations, preliminary
terms and conditions, and preliminary fishway prescriptions using the
Commission's eFiling system at 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], (866) 208-3676 (toll free), or (202) 502-
8659 (TTY). In lieu of electronic filing, please send a paper copy to:
Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE.,
Washington, DC 20426. The first page of any filing should include
docket number P-2280-018.
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 has been accepted for filing and is now ready
for environmental analysis.
l. The existing Kinzua Pumped Storage Project utilizes the existing
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Kinzua Dam and Reservoir (known as the
Allegheny Reservoir), and consists of the following existing
facilities: (1) The Allegheny Reservoir intake structure at the Kinzua
Dam; (2) the upper reservoir, located on the plateau adjacent to the
dam, which includes an emergency spillway and has a useable storage of
5,697 acre-feet at elevation 2,072,0 feet National Geodetic Vertical
Datum 1929 (NGVD29); (3) a powerhouse, located immediately downstream
of the southern (left facing downstream) abutment of the dam, that
houses two reversible pump-turbines and one conventional hydro unit
having a total installed capacity of 451,800 kilowatts; (4) water
conveyance tunnels and penstocks between the Allegheny Reservoir and
the powerhouse, between the powerhouse and the upper reservoir, and
between the powerhouse and the Allegheny River downstream of the dam;
(5) a transmission line between the powerhouse and the Glade substation
(non-project structure); and (6) appurtenant equipment necessary for
the operation of the project. The average annual generation is
estimated to be 559.059 gigawatt-hours.
The licensee proposes to: (1) Increase the useable storage of the
upper reservoir by increasing the maximum normal storage elevation by 1
foot equating to 110 acre-feet of storage; (2) automate the existing
Allegheny intake bulkhead gates, Unit 2 discharge butterfly valve, and
Corps' sluice gates in the dam; (3) refurbish the Unit 2 discharge
valve; (4) utilize Unit 2 to discharge to the Allegheny River
downstream of the dam more frequently than in the past; (5) construct
an Americans with Disabilities-accessible (ADA) fishing platform at the
existing Corps' boat launch downstream of the dam; and (7) install an
educational kiosk near the upper reservoir.
The licensee proposes to modify the project boundary by adding some
lands and removing other lands. Specifically, the licensee proposes to:
(1) Add a small area for the proposed ADA-fishing access near the
existing Corps' boat ramp; (2) remove several areas including: (a) The
public road providing access to the project powerhouse; (b) a portion
of State Road 59 and adjacent land that currently overlap the project;
and (c) two areas near the upper reservoir, one of which had previously
contained a weir that no longer exists, and the other of which
underlies non-project-related communication equipment. The proposed
project boundary would include 220.1 acres of federal lands; 209.8
acres of U.S. Forest Service lands and 10.3 acres of U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers' lands.
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 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.
n. 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, and .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,'' ``COMMENTS,'' ``REPLY COMMENTS,''
``RECOMMENDATIONS,'' ``PRELIMINARY TERMS AND CONDITIONS,'' or
``PRELIMINARY FISHWAY PRESCRIPTIONS;'' (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, terms and conditions or prescriptions 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.
o. Procedural Schedule:
The application will be processed according to the following
revised Hydro Licensing Schedule. Revisions to the schedule may be made
as appropriate.
Milestone Target date
Filing of recommendations, June 28, 2014.
preliminary terms and conditions,
and preliminary fishway
prescriptions.
Commission issues EA................ October 26, 2014.
[[Page 25863]]
Comments on EA...................... November 25, 2014.
Modified terms and conditions....... January 24, 2015.
p. Final amendments to the application must be filed with the
Commission no later than 30 days from the issuance date of this notice.
q. A license applicant must file no later than 60 days following
the date of issuance of the notice of acceptance and ready for
environmental analysis provided for in 5.22: (1) A copy of the water
quality certification; (2) a copy of the request for certification,
including proof of the date on which the certifying agency received the
request; or (3) evidence of waiver of water quality certification.
Dated: April 29, 2014.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2014-10312 Filed 5-5-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P