[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 56 (Tuesday, March 24, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15591-15592]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-06628]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CD15-20-000]


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

    On March 4, 2015, the Nevada 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 Loma Rica Hydroelectric Station In-Conduit Hydroelectric 
Project would have an installed capacity of 1,440 kilowatts (kW) and 
would be located on the existing Banner-Cascade Pipeline System, which 
transports water for agricultural and municipal consumption. The 
project would be located near the Town of Grass Valley in Nevada 
County, California.
    Applicant Contact: Gary King, Engineering Manager, Nevada 
Irrigation District, 1036 West Main Street, Grass Valley, CA 95945-
5424, Phone No. (530) 273-6185.
    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 105-foot-long, 36-inch-
diameter pipe that connects to a proposed 30-foot-long, 24-inch-
diameter pipe that delivers water to the powerhouse; (2) a

[[Page 15592]]

proposed 1,000-square-foot powerhouse that contains one turbine-
generator unit with a total installed capacity of 1,440 kW; (3) an 
existing flow-split structure that distributes water to either the Loma 
Rica Water Treatment Plant or the Elizabeth George Water Treatment 
Plant; (4) a proposed 50-foot-long, 60-inch-diameter bypass pipe to the 
existing Loma Rica Flow Control Facility for use when the proposed 
project is not in operation; and (5) appurtenant facilities. The 
proposed project would have an estimated annual generating capacity of 
3,980 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
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                                                                                                    Satisfies (Y/
              Statutory Provision                                   Description                          N)
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FPA 30(a)(3)(A), as amended by HREA............  The conduit the facility uses is a tunnel, canal,            Y
                                                  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 HREA.........  The facility is constructed, operated, or                    Y
                                                  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 by HREA........  The facility has an installed capacity that does             Y
                                                  not exceed 5 megawatts.
FPA 30(a)(3)(C)(iii), as amended by HREA.......  On or before August 9, 2013, the facility is not             Y
                                                  licensed, or exempted from the licensing
                                                  requirements of Part I of the FPA.
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    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., CD15-20-000) 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: March 17, 2015.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2015-06628 Filed 3-23-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P