[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 64 (Wednesday, April 3, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13035-13036]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-06460]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project Nos. 1957-58; 1979-064; 1999-074; 2476-034; 2113-257; 2161-
038; 2180-044; 2239-044]


Wisconsin Public Service Corporation; Wisconsin Valley 
Improvement Company; Specialty Papers Acquisition, LLC; PCA Hydro, 
Inc.; Tomahawk Pulp and Power Company; Notice of Applications Accepted 
for Filing, Soliciting Comments, Protests and Motions To Intervene

    Take notice that the following hydroelectric applications have been 
filed with the Commission and are available for public inspection:
    a. Type of Proceeding: Extension of License Terms (Northern Basin).
    b. Project Nos.: P-1957-058, P-1979-064, P-1999-074, P-2476-034, P-
2113-257, P-2161-038, P-2180-044, and P-2239-044.
    c. Date Filed: January 31, 2019.
    d. Licensees: Wisconsin Public Service Corporation, Wisconsin 
Valley Improvement Company, Specialty Papers Acquisition, LLC, PCA 
Hydro, Inc., and Tomahawk Pulp and Power Company.
    e. Names and Locations of the Projects: Otter Rapids (P-1957-058), 
Alexander (P-1979-064), Wausau (P-1999-074), Jersey (P-2476-034), 
Rhinelander (P-2161-038), Grandmother Falls (P-2180-044), and Kings Dam 
(P-2239-044) hydroelectric projects and the Wisconsin River Headwaters 
Project (P-2113-257), all located on the Wisconsin River, in Lincoln, 
Marathon, Oneida, and Vilas counties, Wisconsin and Gogebic County, 
Michigan.
    f. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act, 16 U.S.C. 791a-825r.
    g. Licensees Contact Information: (P-1957-058, P-1979-064, P-1999-
074 & P-2476-034) Mr. Jamie Nuthals, Principal Environmental 
Consultant, WEC Business Services LLC, 700 North Adams Street, Green 
Bay, WI 54301, (920) 433-1460, [email protected]; (P-
2113-257) Mr. Ben E. Niffenegger, Manager of Environmental Affairs, 
Wisconsin Valley Improvement Company, 2301 North Third Street, Wausau, 
WI 54403, (715) 848-2976, Ext. 304, [email protected]; (P-2180-044) Ms. 
Kristy Neumann, Environmental Manager, Packaging Corporation of 
America, N9090 County Road E, Tomahawk, WI 54487, (715) 453-2131 Ext. 
238, [email protected]; (P-2161-038) Mr. Kevin Dean, 515 West

[[Page 13036]]

Davenport Street, Rhinelander, WI 54501, (715) 369-4231, 
munksjo.com">kevin.dean@ahlstrom-munksjo.com; (P-2239-044) Mr. Alfred Morganroth, 
Chief Executive Officer, Tomahawk Power and Pulp Company, N10099 Kings 
Road, Tomahawk, WI 54487, (310) 490-4101, [email protected].
    h. FERC Contact: Mr. Ashish Desai, (202) 502-8370, 
[email protected].
    i. Deadline for filing comments, motions to intervene and protests 
is 30 days from the issuance date of this notice by the Commission. 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, for example, ``P-1957-058''.
    Note that you can file comments, motions to intervene, and protects 
in response to all of the projects identified in the notice together 
(i.e., one response for all projects) or you can respond to each 
project individually, or do a combination of both.
    j. Description of Proceeding: On January 31, 2019, Wisconsin Public 
Service Corporation, Wisconsin Valley Improvement Company, Specialty 
Papers Acquisitions, LLC, PCA Hydro, Inc., and the Tomahawk Pulp and 
Power Company filed requests to extend the license terms for their 
eight respective projects located in the northern sub-basin of the 
Wisconsin River. The projects include: (1) The Otter Rapids (P-1957), 
Alexander (P-1979), Wausau (P-1999), and Jersey (P-2476) projects 
licensed to the Wisconsin Public Service Corporation; (2) the Wisconsin 
River Headwaters Project No. 2113 licensed to the Wisconsin Valley 
Improvement Company; (3) the Rhinelander Project No. 2161 licensed to 
Specialty Papers Acquisitions, LLC; (4) the Grandmother Falls Project 
No. 2180 licensed to PCA Hydro, Inc.; and (5) the Kings Dam Project No. 
2239 licensed to the Tomahawk Pulp and Power Company.
    Currently, the 30-year licenses for the Alexander, Rhinelander, and 
Grandmother Falls Projects expire, respectively, on February 28, 2025, 
July 31, 2033, and December 31, 2034. The 30-year licenses for the 
Wisconsin River Headwaters, Kings Dam, Wausau, and Jersey Projects 
expire on June 30, 2026. The 40-year license for the Otter Rapids 
Project expires on June 30, 2030. The licensees seek Commission 
approval to extend the license terms for the above eight projects so 
they all expire on June 30, 2035. The licensees say the extensions 
would assist with the comprehensive study and analysis of the projects' 
cumulative environmental impact and would reduce stakeholder burden by 
integrating the relicensing consultation process. Additionally, the 
licensees say that aligning the license expiration dates would 
eliminate redundancies during relicensing for all involved parties as 
the projects in the northern sub-basin have similar vegetation, land 
cover, hydrology, and resource management concerns.
    The licensees' requests are part of a broader proposal to align the 
license expiration dates for 20 projects on the Wisconsin River into 
three groupings based on each project's location to facilitate 
comprehensive study and analysis and coordinate relicensing as 
discussed above. This public notice covers eight projects in the 
northern sub-basin of the Wisconsin River. The Commission is issuing 
two other public notices--one for 10 projects in the central sub-basin 
of the Wisconsin River that would align these expiration dates so they 
expire on June 30, 2038 and another public notice for two projects in 
the southern sub-basin of the Wisconsin River that would align the 
license expiration dates to expire on June 30, 2041.
    k. This notice is available for review and reproduction at the 
Commission in the Public Reference Room, Room 2A, 888 First Street NE, 
Washington, DC 20426. The filing may also be viewed on the Commission's 
website at http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/elibrary.asp. Enter the 
Docket number (for example, P-1957-058) excluding the last three digits 
in the docket number field to access the notice. 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, call toll-free 1-866-208-3676 
or email [email protected]. For TTY, call (202) 502-8659.
    l. Individuals desiring to be included on the Commission's mailing 
list should so indicate by writing to the Secretary of the Commission.
    m. Comments, Protests, or Motions to Intervene: 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, 
and .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.
    n. Filing and Service of Responsive Documents: Any filing must (1) 
bear in all capital letters the title COMMENTS, PROTEST, or MOTION TO 
INTERVENE as applicable; (2) set forth in the heading the name of the 
applicant(s) and the project number(s) 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, motions 
to intervene, or protests must set forth their evidentiary basis and 
otherwise comply with the requirements of 18 CFR 4.34(b). All comments, 
motions to intervene, or protests should relate to the requests to 
extend the license terms. Agencies may obtain copies of the 
applications directly from the applicants. A copy of any protest or 
motion to intervene must be served upon each representative of the 
applicant specified in the particular application. If an intervener 
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. A copy of all other filings in reference to these 
applications 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.

    Dated: March 28, 2019.
Nathaniel J. Davis, Sr.,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2019-06460 Filed 4-2-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6717-01-P