[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 120 (Friday, June 23, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 28646-28648]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-13092]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 2368-056]


Algonquin Northern Maine Generating Company; Notice of Intent to 
File License Application, Filing of Pre-Application Document (Pad), 
Intent To Waive Certain Procedural Matters, Commencement of Pre-Filing 
Process, and Scoping; Request for Comments on the Pad and Scoping 
Document, and Identification of Issues and Associated Study Requests

    a. Type of Filing: Notice of Intent to File License Application for 
a New License and Commencing Pre-filing Process.
    b. Project No.: 2368-056.
    c. Dated Filed: May 1, 2017.
    d. Submitted By: Algonquin Northern Maine Generating Company 
(Algonquin).
    e. Name of Project: Squa Pan Hydroelectric Project.
    f. Location: On Scopan Stream near the town of Masardis in 
Aroostook

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County, Maine. The project does not occupy federal land.
    g. Filed Pursuant to: 18 CFR part 5 of the Commission's 
Regulations.
    h. Potential Applicant Contact: Alain Basakay, Project Manager, 
Algonquin Northern Maine Generating Company, 84 Water Street, Caribou, 
Maine 04736, [email protected] or 905-465-7059
    i. FERC Contact: John Baummer at (202) 502-6837 or email at 
[email protected].
    j. Cooperating agencies: Federal, state, local, and tribal agencies 
with jurisdiction and/or special expertise 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 item 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: 
(a) The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and/or NOAA Fisheries under 
section 7 of the Endangered Species Act and the joint agency 
regulations thereunder at 50 CFR, part 402 and (b) the State Historic 
Preservation Officer, as required by section 106, National Historic 
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 Algonquin 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. The current license for the Squa Pan Project was issued with an 
effective date of December 4, 1991, for a term of 30 years and expires 
on December 3, 2021. Section 5.5(d) of the Commission's regulations 
provides that an existing licensee must file its Notice of Intent (NOI) 
no later than five years before the expiration of the license; 
therefore the date for Algonquin to file its NOI was December 3, 2016. 
Algonquin filed a Notice of Intent to File License Application (NOI) on 
December 8, 2016, along with a request for an extension until August 
2017 to file a Pre-Application Document (PAD). No other entity filed an 
NOI or PAD.
    On January 5, 2017 the Commission issued a Notice of Existing 
Licensee's Failure to File Notice of Intent to File a New License 
Application. The notice set a deadline of 120 days from the issuance 
date for Algonquin and competing applicants to file NOIs, PADs and 
requests to use an alternative licensing process. The notice also 
denied Algonquin's request for an extension until August 2017 to file a 
PAD because it would unreasonably shorten the time available for 
preparation of a license application and/or conducting necessary 
studies.
    On May 1, 2017, Algonquin filed an updated NOI and PAD, pursuant to 
18 CFR 5.6 of the Commission's regulations. No other entity filed an 
NOI, PAD or request to use an alternative licensing process.
    Because the licensee states its unequivocal intent to submit an 
application for a new license for Project No. 2368, and no other entity 
has filed an NOI, PAD, or request for an alternative licensing process, 
the Commission intends to waive section 16.24(a) of the Commission's 
regulations, and allow Algonquin to file an application for a new 
license for the project. The Commission's process plan and schedule for 
relicensing Project No. 2368 can be found in Appendix B of Scoping 
Document 1, issued concurrently with this notice.
    n. A copy of the PAD is 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 the docket 
number, excluding the last three digits in the docket number field to 
access the document. For assistance, contact FERC Online Support at 
[email protected], (866) 208-3676 (toll free), or (202) 502-
8659 (TTY). 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 filing and issuances 
related to this or other pending projects. For assistance, contact FERC 
Online Support.
    o. With this notice we are soliciting comments on the PAD and 
Commission's staff Scoping Document 1 (SD1), as well as study requests. 
All comments on the PAD and SD1, 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.
    The Commission strongly encourages electronic filing. Please file 
all documents 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]. 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-2368-056.
    All filings with the Commission must 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 August 29, 
2017.
    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, this meeting will 
satisfy the NEPA scoping requirements, irrespective of whether an EA or 
EIS is issued by the Commission.

Scoping Meetings

    Commission staff will hold two scoping meetings in the vicinity of 
the project at the time and place noted below. The daytime meeting will 
focus on resource agency, Indian tribes, and non-governmental 
organization concerns, while the evening meeting is primarily for 
receiving input from the public. We invite all interested individuals, 
organizations, and agencies to attend one or both of the meetings, 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 times and locations of these meetings are as follows:

Daytime Scoping Meeting

    Date: Thursday, July 27, 2017.
    Time: 1:00 p.m.
    Location: Hampton Inn, 768 Main Street, Presque Isle, ME 04736.
    Phone: (207) 760-9292.

Evening Scoping Meeting

    Date: Wednesday, July 26, 2017.
    Time: 7:00 p.m.
    Location: Hampton Inn, 768 Main Street, Presque Isle, ME 04736.

[[Page 28648]]

    Phone: (207) 760-9292.
    Scoping Document 1 (SD1), which outlines the subject areas to be 
addressed in the environmental document, was mailed to the individuals 
and entities on the Commission's mailing list. Copies of SD1 will be 
available at the scoping meetings, 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, 
identified through the scoping process.

Environmental Site Review

    The potential applicant and Commission staff will conduct an 
Environmental Site Review of the project on Thursday, July 27, 2017, 
starting at 9:00 a.m. All participants should meet at the Squa Pan Dam, 
located at Squapan Hydro Road, Masardis, Maine 04732. All participants 
are responsible for their own transportation. Anyone with questions 
about the site visit should contact Mr. James Veil of Algonquin at 
(207-551-9881) on or before July 13, 2017.

Meeting Objectives

    At the scoping meetings, 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; (4) review and 
discuss the process plan and schedule for pre-filing activity that 
incorporates the time frames provided for in Part 5 of the Commission's 
regulations and, to the extent possible, maximizes coordination of 
federal, state, and tribal permitting and certification processes; and 
(5) discuss the appropriateness of any federal or state agency or 
Indian tribe acting as a cooperating agency for development of an 
environmental document.
    Meeting participants should come prepared to discuss their issues 
and/or concerns. Please review the PAD in preparation for the scoping 
meetings. Directions on how to obtain a copy of the PAD and SD1 are 
included in item n. of this document.

Meeting Procedures

    The meetings will be recorded by a stenographer and will be placed 
in the public records of the project.

    Dated: June 16, 2017.
Nathaniel J. Davis, Sr.,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2017-13092 Filed 6-22-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6717-01-P