[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 242 (Wednesday, December 17, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 75144-75145]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-29539]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CD15-12-000]


Imperial Irrigation District; Notice of Preliminary Determination 
of a Qualifying Conduit Hydropower Facility and Soliciting Comments and 
Motions To Intervene

    On November 26, 2014, the Imperial Irrigation District filed a 
notice of intent to construct a qualifying conduit hydropower facility, 
pursuant to section 30 of the Federal Power Act (FPA), as amended by 
section 4 of the Hydropower Regulatory Efficiency Act of 2013 (HREA). 
The proposed Drop 2 on Central Drain In-Conduit Hydroelectric Project 
would have an installed capacity of 300 kilowatts (kW) and would be 
located on the existing Central Drain approximately 250 feet upstream 
from its convergence with the Alamo River. This conduit transports 
water for irrigation, municipal, and industrial purposes. The project 
would be located near the city of Holtville in Imperial County, 
California.
    Applicant Contact: Carl Stills, 1651 West Main Street, El Centro, 
CA 92243, Phone No. (760) 339-9701.
    FERC Contact: Robert Bell, Phone No. (202) 502-6062, email: 
[email protected].
    Qualifying Conduit Hydropower Facility Description: The proposed 
project would consist of: (1) A proposed 27.21-foot-long, 14-foot-wide 
open concrete canal intake structure with one 10-foot wide gate; (2) a 
proposed 15- by 20-foot powerhouse containing one turbine generator 
unit with an installed capacity of 300 kW; (3) the proposed

[[Page 75145]]

200-foot-long, 14-foot-wide open canal tailrace structure which returns 
the water into the Alamo River approximately 150 feet downstream of the 
convergence of the Central Drain and Alamo River; and (4) appurtenant 
facilities. The proposed project would have an estimated annual 
generating capacity of 1,292 megawatt-hours.
    A qualifying conduit hydropower facility is one that is determined 
or deemed to meet all of the criteria shown in the table below.

      Table 1--Criteria for Qualifying Conduit Hydropower Facility
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                              Satisfies
       Statutory provision                Description           (Y/N)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
FPA 30(a)(3)(A), as amended by     The conduit the facility           Y
 HREA.                              uses is a tunnel,
                                    canal, pipeline,
                                    aqueduct, flume, ditch,
                                    or similar manmade
                                    water conveyance that
                                    is operated for the
                                    distribution of water
                                    for agricultural,
                                    municipal, or
                                    industrial consumption
                                    and not primarily for
                                    the generation of
                                    electricity.
FPA 30(a)(3)(C)(i), as amended by  The facility is                    Y
 HREA.                              constructed, operated,
                                    or maintained for the
                                    generation of electric
                                    power and uses for such
                                    generation only the
                                    hydroelectric potential
                                    of a non-federally
                                    owned conduit.
FPA 30(a)(3)(C)(ii), as amended    The facility has an                Y
 by HREA.                           installed capacity that
                                    does not exceed 5
                                    megawatts.
FPA 30(a)(3)(C)(iii), as amended   On or before August 9,             Y
 by HREA.                           2013, the facility is
                                    not licensed, or
                                    exempted from the
                                    licensing requirements
                                    of Part I of the FPA.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Preliminary Determination: Based upon the above criteria, 
Commission staff preliminarily determines that the proposal satisfies 
the requirements for a qualifying conduit hydropower facility, which is 
not required to be licensed or exempted from licensing.
    Comments and Motions to Intervene: Deadline for filing comments 
contesting whether the facility meets the qualifying criteria is 45 
days from the issuance date of this notice.
    Deadline for filing motions to intervene is 30 days from the 
issuance date of this notice.
    Anyone may submit comments or a motion to intervene in accordance 
with the requirements of Rules of Practice and Procedure, 18 CFR 
385.210 and 385.214. Any motions to intervene must be received on or 
before the specified deadline date for the particular proceeding.
    Filing and Service of Responsive Documents: All filings must (1) 
bear in all capital letters the ``COMMENTS CONTESTING QUALIFICATION FOR 
A CONDUIT HYDROPOWER FACILITY'' or ``MOTION TO INTERVENE,'' as 
applicable; (2) state in the heading the name of the applicant and the 
project number of the application to which the filing responds; (3) 
state the name, address, and telephone number of the person filing; and 
(4) otherwise comply with the requirements of sections 385.2001 through 
385.2005 of the Commission's regulations.\1\ All comments contesting 
Commission staff's preliminary determination that the facility meets 
the qualifying criteria must set forth their evidentiary basis.
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    \1\ 18 CFR 385.2001-2005 (2014).
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    The Commission strongly encourages electronic filing. Please file 
motions to intervene and comments 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. 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.
    Locations of Notice of Intent: Copies of the notice of intent can 
be obtained directly from the applicant or such copies can be viewed 
and reproduced at the Commission in its Public Reference Room, Room 2A, 
888 First Street NE., Washington, DC 20426. The filing may also be 
viewed on the web at http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/elibrary.asp using 
the ``eLibrary'' link. Enter the docket number (e.g., CD15-12-000) in 
the docket number field to access the document. For assistance, call 
toll-free 1-866-208-3676 or email [email protected]. For TTY, 
call (202) 502-8659.

    Dated: December 10, 2014.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2014-29539 Filed 12-16-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P