[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 158 (Thursday, August 17, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 39117-39118]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-17351]



[[Page 39117]]

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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CD17-18-000]


Village of Waterbury; Notice of Preliminary Determination of a 
Qualifying Conduit Hydropower Facility and Soliciting Comments and 
Motions To Intervene

    On August 4, 2017, the Village of Waterbury 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 Guptil Road 4.0 kW In-conduit Hydroelectric Net-Metered 
Project (Guptil Road Project) would have an installed capacity of 4 
kilowatts (kW), and would be located along a 12-inch diameter potable 
water pipeline. The project would be located near the Village of 
Waterbury in Washington County, Vermont.
    Applicant Contact: William Shepeluk, Municipal Manager, Village of 
Waterbury, 28 North Main Street, Waterbury, VT 05676; Phone No. (802) 
244-7033
    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 4 foot-long, 1.5-inch diameter 
intake pipe off of the 12-inch diameter potable water pipeline, (2) one 
generating unit with an installed capacity of four kW located within an 
existing 8-foot-long by 12-foot-wide pressure reducing vault; (3) a new 
4-foot-long, 2-inch diameter outlet pipe returning water to the 12-inch 
diameter water main; and (4) appurtenant facilities. The proposed 
project would have an estimated annual generation of 35.6 megawatt-
hours.
    A qualifying conduit hydropower facility is one that is determined 
or deemed to meet all of the criteria shown in the table below.

      Table 1--Criteria for Qualifying Conduit Hydropower Facility
------------------------------------------------------------------------
      Statutory provision            Description        Satisfies (Y/N)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
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         The facility has an    Y
 amended by HREA.                installed capacity
                                 that does not exceed
                                 5 megawatts.
FPA 30(a)(3)(C)(iii), as        On or before August    Y
 amended by HREA.                9, 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 
utilize an existing potable water pipeline, the primary purpose of 
which is to convey drinking water to the Village of Waterbury. The 
addition of the Guptil Road Project will not alter the conduit'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 (2017).
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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., CD17-18) 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.


[[Page 39118]]


    Dated: August 10, 2017.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2017-17351 Filed 8-16-17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE P6717-01-P