[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 21 (Tuesday, February 2, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5432-5433]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-01810]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 2322-060]


Brookfield White Pine Hydro LLC; Notice of Intent To File License 
Application, Filing of Pre-Application Document (PAD), Commencement of 
Pre-Filing Process, and Scoping; Request for Comments on the Pad and 
Scoping Document, and Identification of Issues and Associated Study 
Requests; and Scoping Meeting

    a. Type of Filing: Notice of Intent to File License Application for 
a New License and Pre-Application Document (PAD) (including a proposed 
process plan and schedule), pursuant to 18 CFR 5.6 of the Commission's 
regulations.
    b. Project No.: 2322-060.
    c. Date Filed: September 21, 2015.
    d. Submitted By: Brookfield White Pine Hydro LLC (White Pine 
Hydro).
    e. Name of Project: Shawmut Hydroelectric Project.
    f. Location: On the Kennebec River in the towns of Skowhegan, 
Fairfield, Clinton, and Benton, within Kennebec and Somerset Counties, 
Maine. The project does not occupy United States lands.
    g. Filed Pursuant to: 18 CFR part 5 of the Commission's 
Regulations.
    h. Potential Applicant Contact: Frank Dunlap, Licensing Specialist, 
Brookfield White Pine Hydro LLC, 150 Main St., Lewiston, ME 04240; 
(207) 755-5603; [email protected].
    i. FERC Contact: Dustin Wilson at (202) 502-6528, or email at 
[email protected].
    j. Cooperating agencies: Federal, state, local, and tribal agencies 
with jurisdiction and/or special expertise

[[Page 5433]]

with respect to environmental issues that wish to cooperate in the 
preparation of the environmental document should follow the 
instructions for filing such requests described in paragraph o. below. 
Cooperating agencies should note the Commission's policy that agencies 
that cooperate in the preparation of the environmental document cannot 
also intervene. See 94 FERC ] 61,076 (2001).
    k. With this notice, we are initiating informal consultation with: 
(1) The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and/or the National Marine 
Fisheries Service under section 7 of the Endangered Species Act and the 
joint agency regulations thereunder at 50 CFR, Part 402; and (2) the 
State Historic Preservation Officer, as required by section 106, 
National Historical Preservation Act, and the implementing regulations 
of the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation at 36 CFR 800.2.
    l. With this notice, we are designating White Pine Hydro as the 
Commission's non-federal representative for carrying out informal 
consultation, pursuant to section 7 of the Endangered Species Act and 
section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act.
    m. Commission staff issued a Scoping Document 1 (SD1) on November 
20, 2015, which also asked for study requests.
    n. A copy of the PAD and SD1 are available for review at the 
Commission in the Public Reference Room, or may be viewed on the 
Commission's Web site (http://www.ferc.gov) using the ``eLibrary'' 
link. Enter P-2322 in the docket number field to access the document. 
For assistance, contact FERC Online Support at 
[email protected], or toll free at 1-866-208-3676, or for TTY, 
(202) 502-8659. A copy is also available for inspection and 
reproduction at the address in paragraph h.
    Register online at http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/esubscription.asp to be notified via email of new filings and issuances 
related to this or other pending projects. For assistance, contact FERC 
Online Support.
    o. With this notice, we are soliciting public comments on the PAD 
and the SD1, as well as on issues and associated study requests. All 
comments and study requests should be sent to the address above in 
paragraph h. In addition, all comments on the PAD and SD1, study 
requests, requests for cooperating agency status, and all 
communications to and from Commission staff related to the merits of 
the potential application must be filed with the Commission. Documents 
may be filed electronically via the Internet. See 18 CFR 
385.2001(a)(1)(iii) and the instructions on the Commission's Web site 
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. Although the Commission strongly encourages electronic filing, 
documents may also be paper-filed. To paper-file, mail an original and 
five copies to: Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory 
Commission, 888 First Street NE., Washington, DC 20426.
    All filings with the Commission must include on the first page, the 
project name (Shawmut Hydroelectric Project) and number (P-2322-060), 
and bear the appropriate heading: ``Comments on Pre-Application 
Document,'' ``Study Requests,'' ``Comments on Scoping Document 1,'' 
``Request for Cooperating Agency Status,'' or ``Communications to and 
from Commission Staff.'' Any individual or entity interested in 
submitting study requests, commenting on the PAD or SD1, and any agency 
requesting cooperating status must do so by March 21, 2016.
    Study requests and comments on the PAD or SD1 that have been filed 
previously are part of the relicensing record and do not need to be 
refiled.
    p. Although our current intent is to prepare an environmental 
assessment (EA), there is the possibility that an Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS) will be required. Nevertheless, the scoping meetings 
held December 16, 2015, and the scoping meeting to be held February 9, 
2016, will satisfy the NEPA scoping requirements, irrespective of 
whether an EA or EIS is issued by the Commission.

Scoping Meeting

    Commission staff held scoping meetings December 16, 2015. The 
transcripts for the meetings are in the public record for this project, 
and are available for review through the Commission's Web site, using 
the ``eLibrary'' link.
    Commission staff will hold a third scoping meeting in the vicinity 
of the project at the time and place noted below. All interested 
individuals and entities, particularly those who were unable to attend 
the December 16 scoping meetings, are invited to attend the meeting, 
and to assist staff in identifying particular study needs, as well as 
the scope of environmental issues to be addressed in the environmental 
document. The time and location of the meeting is as follows:

Evening Scoping Meeting

    Date: Tuesday, February 9, 2016.
    Time: 6:00 p.m.
    Location: Skowhegan Community Center, 39 Poulin Dr., Skowhegan, 
Maine 04976.
    Phone: (207) 474-6901.
    As noted in item m. of this notice, SD1 was mailed to the 
individuals and entities on the Commission's mailing list. Copies of 
SD1 will be available at the scoping meeting, or may be viewed on the 
web at http://www.ferc.gov, using the ``eLibrary'' link. Follow the 
directions for accessing information in paragraph n. Based on all oral 
and written comments, a Scoping Document 2 (SD2) may be issued. SD2 may 
include a revised process plan and schedule, as well as a list of 
issues.

Meeting Objectives

    At the scoping meeting, Commission staff will: (1) Initiate scoping 
of the issues; (2) review and discuss existing conditions and resource 
management objectives; (3) review and discuss existing information and 
identify preliminary information and study needs; and (4) review and 
discuss the process plan and schedule for pre-filing activities.
    Meeting participants should come prepared to discuss their issues 
and/or concerns. Please review the PAD in preparation for the scoping 
meeting. Directions on how to obtain a copy of the PAD and SD1 are 
included in item n. of this notice.

Meeting Procedures

    The meeting will be recorded by a stenographer. The transcript will 
be placed in the public record for the project.

    Dated: January 21, 2016.
Nathaniel J. Davis, Sr.,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2016-01810 Filed 2-1-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6717-01-P