[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 172 (Friday, September 4, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 53509-53510]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-21985]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 14655-000]


Cat Creek Energy, LLC; Notice of Preliminary Permit Application 
Accepted for Filing and Soliciting Comments, Motions To Intervene, and 
Competing Applications

    On December 12, 2014, Cat Creek Energy, LLC (Cat Creek) filed an 
application for a preliminary permit, pursuant to section 4(f) of the 
Federal Power Act, proposing to study the feasibility of the Cat Creek 
Energy Generation Facility Pumped Storage Hydroelectric Project (Cat 
Creek project). The project would be located at the US Bureau of 
Reclamation's (Reclamation) Anderson Ranch reservoir \1\ on the South 
Fork of the Boise River near Mountain Home in Elmore County, Idaho.
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    \1\ On November 24, 2014, Owyhee Hydro, LLC also filed a 
preliminary permit to use the Anderson Ranch reservoir as a lower 
reservoir for the Anderson Ranch Pumped Storage Hydroelectric 
Project (P-14648), and thus may be competing for the same water 
resource.
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    The sole purpose of a preliminary permit, if issued, is to grant 
the permit holder priority to file a license application during the 
permit term. A preliminary permit does not authorize the permit holder 
to perform any land-disturbing activities or otherwise enter upon lands 
or waters owned by others without the owners' express permission.
    On December 19, 2014, the Commission asked Reclamation to confirm 
that non-federal development is authorized at the Anderson Ranch site. 
On January 30, 2015, Reclamation responded stating that it retains 
jurisdiction over hydropower development at the Anderson Ranch dam, 
reservoir, and powerhouse, which are part of Reclamation's Boise 
Project. On June 8, 2015, the Commission responded and agreed with 
Reclamation's jurisdictional decision over hydropower development at 
the Boise Project's Anderson Ranch dam, powerhouse, and reservoir. 
However, the Commission would retain jurisdiction for hydropower 
facilities that would be located outside of Reclamation's development. 
Thus, an entity seeking to build a hydropower project that would use 
Reclamation's Boise Project facilities would need to obtain a lease of 
power privilege from Reclamation, but it also would need to obtain a 
license from the Commission for those facilities of the hydropower 
project that are not under Reclamation's jurisdiction.
    On August 21, 2015, Cat Creek filed minor revisions to the original 
Cat Creek project permit application. The revised Cat Creek project 
would use the existing Anderson Ranch reservoir, and would consist of 
the following new facilities: (1) A 3.4-mile-long, 80-foot-high earthen 
dam; (2) a 38,000-acre-foot impoundment as an upper reservoir; (3) two, 
5,600-foot-long, 22-foot-diameter steel penstocks; (4) two, 100-foot-
diameter concrete silos; (5) two, 200-megawatt vertical Francis 
turbines/generators; (6) an 8.0-mile-long, 230- kilovolt transmission 
line interconnecting with the existing Bonneville Power Administration 
Dixie Substation; (7) an approximately 3.6-mile-long access road; and 
(8) appurtenant facilities. The estimated annual generation of the Cat 
Creek project would be 1,401.6 gigawatt-hours.
    Applicant Contact for the Cat Creek project: Nicholas Josten, Cat 
Creek Energy, LLC, 1989 South 1875 East, Gooding, ID 83330; phone: 
(208) 954-5090.
    FERC Contact: Karen Sughrue; phone: (202) 502-8556.
    Deadline for filing comments, motions to intervene, competing 
applications (without notices of intent), or notices of intent to file 
competing applications: 60 days from the issuance of this notice. 
Competing applications and notices of intent must meet the requirements 
of 18 CFR 4.36.

[[Page 53510]]

    The Commission strongly encourages electronic filing. Please file 
comments, motions to intervene, notices of intent, and competing 
applications 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-14655-000.
    More information about this project, including a copy of the 
application, can be viewed or printed on the ``eLibrary'' link of 
Commission's Web site at http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/elibrary.asp. 
Enter the docket number (P-14655) in the docket number field to access 
the document. For assistance, contact FERC Online Support.

    Dated: August 28, 2015.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2015-21985 Filed 9-3-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P