[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 23 (Thursday, February 4, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5995-5996]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-02111]


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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 
potential environmental impacts of DOE's proposed Federal action of 
issuing a Presidential permit to Northern Pass LLC (the Applicant) to 
construct, operate, maintain, and connect a new electric transmission 
line across the U.S./Canada border in northern New Hampshire.
    The U.S. Forest Service--White Mountain National Forest (USFS), the 
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers--New England District (USACE), the U.S. 
Environmental Protection Agency--Region 1 (EPA), and the New Hampshire 
Office of Energy and Planning (NHOEP) are cooperating agencies in the 
preparation of the EIS.
    The New Hampshire Site Evaluation Committee (SEC) was established 
by the New Hampshire legislature for the review, approval, monitoring 
and enforcement of compliance in the planning, siting, construction and 
operation of energy facilities in the State of New Hampshire.
    On October 19, 2015, Northern Pass Transmission, LLC and Public 
Service Company of New Hampshire d/b/a Eversource Energy (collectively 
Applicant), filed an Application for a Certificate of Site and Facility 
(Application) seeking the issuance of a Certificate of Site and 
Facility approving the siting, construction, and operation of a 192-
mile transmission line and associated facilities with a capacity rating 
of up to 1,090 MW from the Canadian border in Pittsburg in Coos County 
to Deerfield in Rockingham County (Project). New Hampshire law, R.S.A. 
Section 162-H:10(I-c), requires that within 90 days after acceptance of 
an application for a certificate, that the New Hampshire Site 
Evaluation Committee shall hold at least one public hearing in each 
county where the proposed facility will be located.

DATES: The public review period to receive comments on the Draft EIS 
closes on April 4, 2016, see the Public Participation section for more 
information about submitting comments.
    DOE and the cooperating agencies and the New Hampshire SEC will 
conduct joint public hearings to receive oral and written comments 
concerning the project on March 7 and March 10, 2016. DOE and the 
cooperating agencies will conduct public hearings to receive oral and 
written comments on the Draft EIS at the following locations commencing 
at the times identified:

Colebrook: Monday March 7, 2016, 5:00 p.m., Colebrook Elementary 
School, Gymnasium, Colebrook, NH
Waterville Valley: Wednesday March 9, 2016, 5:00 p.m., Waterville 
Valley Conference and Event Center, Waterville Room, Waterville Valley, 
NH 03215
Concord: Thursday March 10, 2016, 5:00 p.m., Grappone Conference 
Center, Granite Ballroom, 70 Constitution Avenue, Concord, NH 03301
Whitefield: Friday March 11, 2016, 5:00 p.m., Mountain View Grand 
Resort and Spa, Presidential Room, 101 Mountain View Road, Whitefield, 
NH 03598


ADDRESSES: 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].
    Comments on the Draft EIS can be submitted verbally during public 
hearings or in writing to Mr. Brian Mills at: Office of Electricity 
Delivery and Energy Reliability (OE-20), U.S. Department of Energy, 
1000 Independence Avenue SW.,

[[Page 5996]]

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/.

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

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Public Participation

    Comments: 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.
    The public comment period on the Draft EIS 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.
    The public review period to receive comments on the Draft EIS 
closes on April 4, 2016. Please mark envelopes and electronic mail 
subject lines as ``NP Draft EIS Comments.'' Written comments should be 
submitted by April 4, 2016. 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 submitted 
(e.g., postmarked) after that date will be considered to the extent 
practicable.
    Public Hearings: When requesting to pre-register to provide oral 
comments at a public hearing (see the DATES section for times and 
locations), please include your full name and email address, and 
specify the location you request to speak at. Please state in the 
subject line, ``NP Draft EIS Public Hearing Speaker Request.'' Please 
submit your request by, February 25, 2016; 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.

Availability of the Draft EIS

    The documents are 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 documents may be obtained by contacting Mr. 
Mills at the above address.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on January 29, 2016.
Meghan Conklin,
Deputy Assistant Secretary, National Electricity Delivery, Office of 
Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability.
[FR Doc. 2016-02111 Filed 2-3-16; 8:45 am]
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