[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 107 (Tuesday, June 4, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 25797-25798]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-11595]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 2934-029]


New York State Electric & Gas Corporation; Notice of Application 
Accepted for Filing and Soliciting Motions To Intervene and Protests

    Take notice that the following hydroelectric application has been 
filed with the Commission and is available for public inspection.
    a. Type of Application: New Major License.
    b. Project No.: 2934-029.
    c. Date filed: April 1, 2019.
    d. Applicant: New York State Electric & Gas Corporation (NYSEG).
    e. Name of Project: Upper Mechanicville Hydroelectric Project.
    f. Location: The existing project is located on the Hudson River, 
in Saratoga and Rensselaer Counties, New York. The project does not 
occupy any federal lands.
    g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act, 16 U.S.C. 791(a)-825(r).
    h. Applicant Contact: Hugh J. Ives, Manager, NYSEG Hydro 
Operations, 89 East Avenue, Rochester, NY 14649; (585) 724-8209; 
[email protected].
    i. FERC Contact: Jody Callihan, (202) 502-8278 or 
[email protected].
    j. Deadline for filing motions to intervene and protests: 60 days 
from the issuance date of this notice.
    The Commission strongly encourages electronic filing. Please file 
motions to intervene and protests using the Commission's eFiling system 
at http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/efiling.asp. 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 P-2934-029.
    The Commission's Rules of Practice require all intervenors filing 
documents with the Commission to serve a copy of that document on each 
person on the official service list for the project. Further, if an 
intervenor 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.
    k. This application has been accepted for filing, but is not ready 
for environmental analysis at this time.
    l. The existing Upper Mechanicville Hydroelectric Project consists 
of: (1) A 700-foot-long concrete gravity dam with a crest elevation of 
66.6 feet National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929 (NGVD29); (2) 3 
spillway bays each extending 222 feet across the length of the dam and 
separated by a 7.5-foot to 10.5-foot-wide concrete pier, with each 
spillway bay containing 12 pneumatic Obermeyer crest gates that are 6 
feet high; (3) a 1.8-mile-long impoundment with a 380-acre surface area 
and gross storage capacity of 10,735 acre-feet at a normal pool 
elevation of 72.6 feet NGVD29; (4) an intake channel with two 
reinforced guide walls and three 35-foot-diameter cofferdam walls 
constructed of sheet piling; (5) a 20-foot-wide and 7.5-foot-high 
intake bypass sluice gate; (6) a 105.5-foot-long by 122-foot-wide 
powerhouse containing two 12,780 horsepower Kaplan turbines and two 
Siemens-Allis generators each having a rated capacity of 8,265 
kilowatts; (7) a tailrace approximately 1,200 feet long and 120 feet 
wide with a bi-level bottom designed to minimize cross-currents; (8) 
one 1.10-mile-long, 34.5-kilovolt transmission line; and (9) 
appurtenant facilities.
    During the non-navigation season (typically from December 1 through 
April 30), NYSEG operates the project in a run-of-river (ROR) mode and 
maintains the impoundment at an elevation of 72.6 feet NGVD29. During 
the navigation season (typically May 1 through November 30), NYSEG

[[Page 25798]]

periodically spills water to lower the impoundment up to 3 feet below 
full pool, as directed by the New York State Canal Corporation, to 
accommodate navigation at lock C-3, and uses all available remaining 
inflow (that is not used to support navigation) for generation 
purposes. NYSEG proposes to continue operating the project as it does 
currently, to support both generation and navigation. In addition, 
NYSEG proposes to enhance fish passage at the project by: (1) 
Installing upstream passage for American eel (4 years post-license); 
(2) developing an agreement with the New York State Canal Corporation 
to modify lock operations to accommodate the upstream passage of 
blueback herring and American shad (commencing 2 years post-license); 
and (3) modifying the project's intake bypass sluice gate to provide an 
additional route of downstream fish passage from April 1 through 
November 30. The project currently generates an annual average of 
88,537 megawatt-hours.
    m. A copy of the application is available for review at the 
Commission in the Public Reference Room or may be viewed on the 
Commission's website at 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] or toll-free at 1-
866-208-3676, or for TTY, (202) 502-8659. A copy is also available for 
inspection and reproduction at the Mechanicville District Public 
Library located at 190 North Main Street, Mechanicville, NY 12118 and 
the A.E. Diver Memorial Library located at 136 Main Street, 
Schaghticoke, NY 12154.
    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, contact FERC 
Online Support.
    n. Anyone may submit 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 
protests or motions to intervene must be received on or before the 
specified comment date for the particular application.
    All filings must: (1) Bear in all capital letters the title 
``PROTEST'' or ``MOTION TO INTERVENE;'' (2) set forth in the heading 
the name of the applicant and the project number 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. 
Agencies may obtain copies of the application directly from the 
applicant. A copy of any protest or motion to intervene must be served 
upon each representative of the applicant specified in the particular 
application.
    o. Procedural Schedule:
    The application will be processed according to the following Hydro 
Licensing Schedule. Revisions to the schedule may be made as 
appropriate.

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                 Milestone                           Target date
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Filing of motions to intervene and protests  July 2019.
Issuance of Ready for Environmental          October 2019.
 Analysis notice.
Filing of recommendations, preliminary       December 2019.
 terms and conditions, and preliminary
 fishway prescriptions.
Reply comments due.........................  February 2020.
Commission Issues EA.......................  April 2020.
Comments on EA.............................  May 2020.
Modified terms and conditions due..........  July 2020.
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    Dated: May 28, 2019.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2019-11595 Filed 6-3-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6717-01-P