[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 196 (Tuesday, October 11, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 70108-70109]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-24604]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 14680-002]


Water Street Land, LLC; Notice of Application Accepted for Filing 
With the Commission, Intent To Waive Scoping, Soliciting Motions To 
Intervene and Protests, Ready for Environmental Analysis, and 
Soliciting Comments, Terms and Conditions, and Recommendations, and 
Establishing an Expedited Schedule for Processing

    Take notice that the following hydroelectric application has been 
filed with the Commission and is available for public inspection.
    a. Type of Application: Exemption from Licensing
    b. Project No.: 14680-002
    c. Date filed: July 13, 2016
    d. Applicant: Water Street Land, LLC
    e. Name of Project: Natick Pond Dam Hydroelectric Project
    f. Location: On the Pawtuxet River, in the Towns of Warwick and 
West Warwick, Kent County, Rhode Island. No federal lands would be 
occupied by project works or located within the project boundary.
    g. Filed Pursuant to: Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 
1978, 16 U.S.C. 2705, 2708 (2012), amended by the Hydropower Regulatory 
Efficiency Act of 2013, Public Law 113-23, 127 Stat. 493 (2013).
    h. Applicant Contact: Mr. Rob Cioe, Water Street Land, LLC, P.O. 
Box 358, North Kingstown, RI 02852; (480) 797-3077.
    i. FERC Contact: John Ramer, (202) 502-8969, or email at 
[email protected].
    j. Deadline for filing motions to intervene and protests, comments, 
terms and conditions, and recommendations: Due to the small size and 
location of this project and the close coordination with state and 
federal agencies during preparation of the application, the 60- day 
timeframe in 18 CFR 4.34(b) is shortened. Instead, motions to intervene 
and protests, comments, terms and conditions, and recommendations are 
due 30 days from the issuance date of this notice. All reply comments 
must be filed with the Commission within 45 days from the issuance date 
of this notice.
    The Commission strongly encourages electronic filing. Please file 
motions to intervene, protests, comments, and recommendations 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-14680-002.
    The Commission's Rules of Practice require all intervenors filing 
documents with the Commission to serve a copy of that document on each 
person on the official service list for the project. Further, if an 
intervenor files comments or documents with the Commission relating to 
the merits of an issue that may affect the responsibilities of a 
particular resource agency, they must also serve a copy of the document 
on that resource agency.
    k. This application has been accepted for filing and is now ready 
for environmental analysis.
    l. The proposed Natick Pond Dam Hydroelectric Project would consist 
of: (1) An existing 265-foot-long granite block dam with a 19.3-foot-
high, 166-foot-long spillway; (2) an existing 58-foot to 125.3-foot-
wide, 1-foot- to 28-foot-deep earth embankment; (3) an existing 44-
foot-long, 4-foot- to 20-foot-high south granite block training wall; 
(4) an existing 1,244-foot-long, 18-foot- to 41.25-foot-high granite 
block and cobble stone north training wall; (5) an existing 4-foot-
wide, 6-foot-high granite

[[Page 70109]]

block low level outlet; (6) an existing 46.0-acre impoundment (Natick 
Pond) with a normal surface elevation of about 48.5 feet North American 
Vertical Datum of 1988; (7) a new 97-foot-long, 32.2-foot-wide, 6.6-
foot-deep concrete intake channel; (8) four new 7.6-foot-high, 11.1-
foot-wide steel sluice gates each with new 8.3-foot-high, 32.2-foot-
wide steel trashracks with 6-inch clear bar spacing; (9) a new 20.8-
foot-high, 23.7-foot-long, 27.7-foot-wide concrete powerhouse; (10) two 
new 12-foot-high, 92-foot-long, 28-foot-wide concrete turbine bays 
containing two 42.7-foot-long, 9.2-foot-diameter Archimedes screw 
turbine-generator units each rated at 180 kilowatts (kW) for a total 
installed capacity of 360 kW; (11) a new 43-foot long, 29-foot-wide, 5-
foot-deep tailrace; (12) a new 54-foot-long, 4.5-foot-wide aluminum eel 
passage facility; (13) a new water-level sensor and automatic sluice 
gate controller; (14) a new 40-foot-long, 480-volt below-ground 
transmission line connecting the powerhouse electrical panel to a new 
15-kilovolt-amp (kVA) step-up transformer connecting a new 220-foot-
long, 12.47-kilovolt above-ground transmission line to National Grid's 
distribution system; and (15) appurtenant facilities. The estimated 
annual generation of the proposed Natick Pond Dam Project would be 
about 1,800 megawatt-hours. The applicant proposes to operate the 
project in a run-of-river mode. There are no federal or state lands 
associated with the project.
    m. Due to the applicant's close coordination with federal and state 
agencies during the preparation of the application, completed studies 
during pre-filing consultation, and agency recommended preliminary 
terms and conditions, we intend to waive scoping and expedite the 
exemption process. Based on a review of the application, resource 
agency consultation letters including the preliminary 30(c) terms and 
conditions, and comments filed to date, Commission staff intends to 
prepare a single environmental assessment (EA). Commission staff 
determined that the issues that need to be addressed in its EA have 
been adequately identified during the pre-filing period, which included 
a public scoping meeting and site visit, and no new issues are likely 
to be identified through additional scoping. The EA will consider 
assessing the potential effects of project construction and operation 
on geology and soils, aquatic, terrestrial, threatened and endangered 
species, recreation and land use, aesthetic, and cultural and historic 
resources.
    n. A copy of the application is available for review at the 
Commission in the Public Reference Room or may be viewed on the 
Commission's Web site at http://www.ferc.gov using the ``eLibrary'' 
link. Enter the docket number excluding the last three digits in the 
docket number field to access the document. For assistance, contact 
FERC Online Support. For assistance, contact FERC Online Support. A 
copy is also available for inspection and reproduction at the address 
in item h above.
    You may also 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. Any qualified applicant desiring to file a competing application 
must submit to the Commission, on or before the specified intervention 
deadline date, a competing development application, or a notice of 
intent to file such an application. Submission of a timely notice of 
intent allows an interested person to file the competing development 
application no later than 120 days after the specified intervention 
deadline date. Applications for preliminary permits will not be 
accepted in response to this notice.
    A notice of intent must specify the exact name, business address, 
and telephone number of the prospective applicant, and must include an 
unequivocal statement of intent to submit a development application. A 
notice of intent must be served on the applicant(s) named in this 
public notice.
    Anyone may submit comments, a protest, or a motion to intervene in 
accordance with the requirements of Rules of Practice and Procedure, 18 
CFR 385.210, .211, .214. In determining the appropriate action to take, 
the Commission will consider all protests or other comments filed, but 
only those who file a motion to intervene in accordance with the 
Commission's Rules may become a party to the proceeding. Any comments, 
protests, or motions to intervene must be received on or before the 
specified comment date for the particular application.
    All filings must (1) bear in all capital letters the title 
``PROTEST'', ``MOTION TO INTERVENE'', ``NOTICE OF INTENT TO FILE 
COMPETING APPLICATION,'' ``COMPETING APPLICATION,'' ``COMMENTS,'' 
``REPLY COMMENTS,'' ``RECOMMENDATIONS,'' or ``TERMS AND CONDITIONS;'' 
(2) set forth in the heading the name of the applicant and the project 
number of the application to which the filing responds; (3) furnish the 
name, address, and telephone number of the person protesting or 
intervening; and (4) otherwise comply with the requirements of 18 CFR 
385.2001 through 385.2005. All comments, recommendations, terms and 
conditions or prescriptions must set forth their evidentiary basis and 
otherwise comply with the requirements of 18 CFR 4.34(b). Agencies may 
obtain copies of the application directly from the applicant. A copy of 
any protest or motion to intervene must be served upon each 
representative of the applicant specified in the particular 
application. 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.
    p. Procedural Schedule: The application will be processed according 
to the following procedural schedule. Revisions to the schedule may be 
made as appropriate.

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               Milestone                           Target date
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Notice of the availability of the EA...  February 2017.
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    Dated: October 5, 2016.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2016-24604 Filed 10-7-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6717-01-P