[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 5 (Monday, January 8, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 804-805]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-00127]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 5124-021]


Notice of Intent To File License Application, Filing of Pre-
Application Document (Pad), Commencement of Pre-Filing Process, and 
Scoping; Request for Comments on the Pad and Scoping Document, and 
Identification of Issues and Associated Study Requests; Washington 
Electric Cooperative, Inc.

    a. Type of Filing: Notice of Intent to File License Application for 
a New License and Commencing Pre-filing Process.
    b. Project No.: 5124-021.
    c. Dated Filed: October 30, 2017.
    d. Submitted By: Washington Electric Cooperative, Inc.
    e. Name of Project: North Branch No. 3 Hydroelectric Project.
    f. Location: On the North Branch Winooski River, in Washington 
County, Vermont. The project does not occupy lands of the United 
States.
    g. Filed Pursuant to: 18 CFR part 5 of the Commission's 
Regulations.
    h. Potential Applicant Contact: Ms. Patricia Richards, General 
Manager, Washington Electric Cooperative, Inc., P.O. Box 8, 40 Church 
Street East Montpelier, Vermont 05651; phone: (802) 223-5245 or email 
at [email protected].
    i. FERC Contact: Michael Tust at (202) 502-6522 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 Washington Electric 
Cooperative, Inc. (WEC) as the Commission's non-federal representatives 
for carrying out informal consultation, pursuant to section 7 of the 
Endangered Species Act and section 106 of the National Historic 
Preservation Act.
    m. WEC filed a Pre-Application Document (PAD; including a proposed 
process plan and schedule) with the Commission, pursuant to 18 CFR 5.6 
of the Commission's regulations.
    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 website 
(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-5124-021.
    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 60 days 
following the date of issuance of this notice.
    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.

[[Page 805]]

Scoping Meetings

    Commission staff will hold two scoping meetings in the vicinity of 
the project at the times and places 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:

Evening Scoping Meeting

    Date: Wednesday, January 24, 2018.
    Time: 6:00 p.m. (EST).
    Location: Capitol Plaza Hotel and Conference Center, 100 State 
Street, Montpelier, VT 05602.
    Phone: (802) 223-5252.

Daytime Scoping Meeting

    Date: Thursday, January 25, 2018.
    Time: 9:00 a.m. (EST).
    Location: Capitol Plaza Hotel and Conference Center, 100 State 
Street, Montpelier, VT 05602.
    Phone: (802) 223-5252.

    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 (site visit) of the project on Wednesday, 
January 24, 2018, starting at 1:00 p.m. and ending at or about 3:00 
p.m. All participants should meet at the base of Wrightsville Dam near 
the intersection of Mill Road and Corry Road in Montpelier, Vermont 
05602. Participants are responsible for their own transportation. 
Persons with questions about the site visit should contact Dan Weston 
(802-223-5245; [email protected]) or Mark Wamser (603-428-4960; 
[email protected]).

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: December 29, 2017.
Nathaniel J. Davis, Sr.,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2018-00127 Filed 1-5-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6717-01-P