[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 126 (Monday, July 3, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30846-30847]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-13956]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CD17-14-000]


Three Sisters Irrigation District; Notice of Preliminary 
Determination of a Qualifying Conduit Hydropower Facility and 
Soliciting Comments and Motions To Intervene

    On June 22, 2017, Three Sisters Irrigation District filed a notice 
of intent to construct a qualifying conduit hydropower facility, 
pursuant to section 30 of the Federal Power Act (FPA), as amended by 
section 4 of the Hydropower Regulatory Efficiency Act of 2013 (HREA). 
The proposed McKenzie Reservoir Hydroelectric Facility Project would 
have an installed capacity of 300 kilowatts (kW), and would be located 
on the proposed 5.5-miles-long irrigation pipeline. The project would 
be located in the town of Sisters, Deschutes County, Oregon.
    Applicant Contact: Marc Thalacker, P.O. Box 2230, Sisters, OR 
97759, Phone No. (541) 549-8815.
    FERC Contact: Robert Bell, Phone No. (202) 502-6062, email: 
[email protected].
    Qualifying Conduit Hydropower Facility Description: The proposed 
project would consist of: (1) A new powerhouse, at the end of the 
proposed 42-inch-diameter irrigation pipe; (2) one new turbine/
generating unit with a total installed capacity of 300 kW; (3) a short 
tailrace emptying into McKenzie Reservoir, from which irrigation 
channels provide water to nearby farms; and (4) appurtenant facilities.
    The proposed project would have an annual generation capacity of 
1,300,000 kWh.
    A qualifying conduit hydropower facility is one that is determined 
or deemed to meet all of the criteria shown in the table below.

[[Page 30847]]



      Table 1--Criteria for Qualifying Conduit Hydropower Facility
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      Statutory provision              Description       Satisfies (Y/N)
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FPA 30(a)(3)(A), as amended by   The conduit the                      Y
 HREA.                            facility uses is a
                                  tunnel, canal,
                                  pipeline, aqueduct,
                                  flume, ditch, or
                                  similar manmade water
                                  conveyance that is
                                  operated for the
                                  distribution of water
                                  for agricultural,
                                  municipal, or
                                  industrial
                                  consumption and not
                                  primarily for the
                                  generation of
                                  electricity.
FPA 30(a)(3)(C)(i), as amended   The facility is                      Y
 by HREA.                         constructed,
                                  operated, or
                                  maintained for the
                                  generation of
                                  electric power and
                                  uses for such
                                  generation only the
                                  hydroelectric
                                  potential of a non-
                                  federally owned
                                  conduit.
FPA 30(a)(3)(C)(ii), as amended  The facility has an                  Y
 by HREA.                         installed capacity
                                  that does not exceed
                                  5 megawatts.
FPA 30(a)(3)(C)(iii), as         On or before August 9,               Y
 amended by HREA.                 2013, the facility is
                                  not licensed, or
                                  exempted from the
                                  licensing
                                  requirements of Part
                                  I of the FPA.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Preliminary Determination: The proposed hydroelectric project will 
be constructed along a penstock pipeline, which is being built to pass 
water from one reservoir to another for irrigation purposes. The 
construction of the hydroelectric facility will not alter the 
pipeline's primary purpose. Therefore, based upon the above criteria, 
Commission staff preliminarily determines that the proposal satisfies 
the requirements for a qualifying conduit hydropower facility, which is 
not required to be licensed or exempted from licensing.
    Comments and Motions to Intervene: Deadline for filing comments 
contesting whether the facility meets the qualifying criteria is 45 
days from the issuance date of this notice.
    Deadline for filing motions to intervene is 30 days from the 
issuance date of this notice.
    Anyone may submit comments or a motion to intervene in accordance 
with the requirements of Rules of Practice and Procedure, 18 CFR 
385.210 and 385.214. Any motions to intervene must be received on or 
before the specified deadline date for the particular proceeding.
    Filing and Service of Responsive Documents: All filings must (1) 
bear in all capital letters the COMMENTS CONTESTING QUALIFICATION FOR A 
CONDUIT HYDROPOWER FACILITY or MOTION TO INTERVENE, as applicable; (2) 
state in the heading the name of the applicant and the project number 
of the application to which the filing responds; (3) state the name, 
address, and telephone number of the person filing; and (4) otherwise 
comply with the requirements of sections 385.2001 through 385.2005 of 
the Commission's regulations.\1\ All comments contesting Commission 
staff's preliminary determination that the facility meets the 
qualifying criteria must set forth their evidentiary basis.
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    \1\ 18 CFR 385.2001-2005 (2016).
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    The Commission strongly encourages electronic filing. Please file 
motions to intervene and comments 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. 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.
    Locations of Notice of Intent: Copies of the notice of intent can 
be obtained directly from the applicant or such copies can be viewed 
and reproduced at the Commission in its Public Reference Room, Room 2A, 
888 First Street NE., Washington, DC 20426. The filing may also be 
viewed on the web at http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/elibrary.asp using 
the ``eLibrary'' link. Enter the docket number (i.e., CD17-14) in the 
docket number field to access the document. For assistance, call toll-
free 1-866-208-3676 or email [email protected]. For TTY, call 
(202) 502-8659.

    Dated: June 27, 2017.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2017-13956 Filed 6-30-17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P