[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 167 (Friday, August 28, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Page 52268]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-21317]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

[OE Docket No. PP-371]


Notice of Public Hearings for the Draft Northern Pass 
Transmission Line Project Environmental Impact Statement (DOE/EIS-0463)

AGENCY: U.S. Department of Energy.

ACTION: Notice of public hearings.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announces public hearings 
to receive comments on the Draft EIS. The Draft EIS evaluates the 
environmental impacts of DOE's proposed Federal action of issuing a 
Presidential permit to the Applicant: Northern Pass LLC, to construct, 
operate, maintain, and connect a new electric transmission line across 
the U.S./Canada border in northern New Hampshire.

DATES: Written comments on the Draft EIS must be received by October 
29, 2015. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for the dates and times of the 
public hearings.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be sent to:

Mr. Brian Mills, Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability 
(OE-20), U.S. Department of Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue SW., 
Washington, DC 20585.
Via email to: [email protected]
By facsimile to: (202) 586-8008
Or through the project Web site at: http://www.northernpasseis.us/

    See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for the locations of the public 
hearings.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Brian Mills at the addresses 
above, or at 202-586-8267.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: DOE will conduct public hearings to receive 
oral comments on the draft EIS at the following locations commencing at 
the times identified:

Concord: Tuesday October 06, 2015, 6:00 p.m., Grappone Conference 
Center, Granite Ballroom, 70 Constitution Avenue, Concord, NH 03301.
Whitefield: Wednesday October 07, 2015, 1:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m., 
Mountain View Grand Resort and Spa, Presidential Room, 101 Mountain 
View Road, Whitefield, NH 03598.
Plymouth: Thursday October 08, 2015, 6:00 p.m., Plymouth State 
University, Ice Arena Welcome Center, 129 NH Route 175A, Holderness, NH 
03245.

    Requests to pre-register to provide oral comments at a public 
hearing should be addressed to the Northern Pass EIS Team at this email 
address: [email protected]. Please include your full name and 
email address, and specify the location you request to speak at. For 
the Whitefield, NH meeting, please indicate which meeting time you wish 
to speak at. Please state in the subject line, ``NP Draft EIS Public 
Hearing Speaker Request.'' Please submit your request by September 30, 
2015; requests received by that date will be given priority in the 
speaking order. However, requests to speak may also be made at the 
hearing. The speaking order will be as follows: (1) Elected Officials; 
(2) Pre-registered speakers (order determined on a first-come, first-
served basis); (3) Speakers registering at the meeting. Pre-registered 
speakers who have requested to speak at a specific time will be 
accommodated as possible. Requests to provide oral comments at the 
public hearings may be made at the time of the hearing(s).
    DOE invites interested Members of Congress, state and local 
governments, other Federal agencies, American Indian tribal 
governments, organizations, and members of the public to provide 
comments on the Draft EIS during the 90-day public comment period. The 
public comment period started on July 31, 2015, with the publication in 
the Federal Register by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency of its 
Notice of Availability of the Draft EIS, and will continue until 
October 29, 2015.
    Comments on the draft EIS can be submitted verbally during public 
hearings or in writing to Mr. Brian Mills using the methods set out in 
the ADDRESSES section. Please mark envelopes and electronic mail 
subject lines as ``NP Draft EIS Comments.'' Written and oral comments 
will be given equal weight and all comments received or postmarked by 
that date will be considered by DOE in preparing the Final EIS. 
Comments received or postmarked after that date will be considered to 
the extent practicable.
    Availability of the Draft EIS The document is available online at 
http://www.northernpasseis.us/. Copies of the draft EIS are also 
available at a number of public libraries and town halls (a list of 
locations is found here: http://media.northernpasseis.us/media/DraftEIS_Hard_Copy_Locations.pdf) Printed copies of the document may be 
obtained by contacting Mr. Mills at the above address.

    Issued in Washington, DC on August 19, 2015.
Patricia A. Hoffman,
Assistant Secretary, Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy 
Reliability.
[FR Doc. 2015-21317 Filed 8-27-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6450-01-P