[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 245 (Monday, December 22, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 76324-76325]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-29880]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CD15-3-000]


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 Foxglove Check on Westside Main Canal In-Conduit 
Hydroelectric Project would have an installed capacity of 665 kilowatts 
(kW) and would be located on the existing Westside Main Canal. This 
conduit transports water for irrigation, municipal, and industrial 
purposes. The project would be located near the city of Edgar 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) One proposed 77-foot-long, 49.3-foot-wide 
concrete box intake structure with 3 10-foot-wide gates; (2) a proposed 
15-by-55-foot powerhouse containing three turbine generator units with 
a total installed capacity of 665 kW; (3) the proposed 81-foot-long, 
49.3-foot-wide concrete box tailrace structure which returns the water 
into the Westside Main Canal; and (4) appurtenant facilities. The 
proposed project would have an estimated annual generating capacity of 
3,685 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
------------------------------------------------------------------------
      Statutory Provision            Description       Satisfies  (Y/N)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
FPA 30(a)(3)(A), as amended by   The conduit the     Y
 HREA.                            facility 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   The facility is     Y
 by 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    Y
 by HREA.                         an installed
                                  capacity that
                                  does not exceed 5
                                  megawatts.
FPA 30(a)(3)(C)(iii), as         On or before        Y
 amended by HREA.                 August 9, 2013,
                                  the facility is
                                  not licensed, or
                                  exempted from the
                                  licensing
                                  requirements of
                                  Part I of the FPA.
------------------------------------------------------------------------


[[Page 76325]]

    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., CD15-3-000) 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 11, 2014.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2014-29880 Filed 12-19-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P