[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 152 (Wednesday, August 7, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 38618-38619]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-16847]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Project No. 2600-087]
Bangor-Pacific Hydro Associates; 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
a. Type of Filing: Notice of Intent to File License Application for
a New License and Commencing Pre-filing Process.
b. Project No.: 2600-087.
c. Dated Filed: May 31, 2019.
d. Submitted By: Bangor-Pacific Hydro Associates (BPHA).
e. Name of Project: West Enfield Project.
f. Location: On the Penobscot River in Penobscot County, Maine. The
project does not occupy any federal land.
g. Filed Pursuant to: 18 CFR part 5 of the Commission's
Regulations.
h. Potential Applicant Contact: Randy Dorman, Brookfield Renewable,
150 Main Street, Lewiston, ME 04240; phone at (207) 755-5605, or email
at [email protected].
i. FERC Contact: Erin Kimsey at (202) 502-8621 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 Maine State
Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO) and Penobscot Nation Tribal
Historic Preservation Officer (THPO), as required by section 106 of the
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 Bangor-Pacific Hydro
Associates as the Commission's non-federal representative for carrying
out informal consultation, pursuant to section 7 of the Endangered
Species Act, section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, and
section 305(b) of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and
Management Act.
m. Bangor-Pacific Hydro Associates filed with the Commission a Pre-
Application Document (PAD; including a proposed process plan and
schedule), 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). Copies are also available by request from Mr. Randy Dorman
of Brookfield Renewable at (207) 755-5605 or via email at
[email protected].
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, please
contact FERC Online Support.
o. With this notice, we are soliciting comments on the PAD and
Commission staff's 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-2600-087.
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 within 60 days
of the date 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. The scoping process will satisfy the
NEPA scoping requirements, irrespective of whether an EA or EIS is
issued by the Commission.
Scoping Meetings
Commission staff will hold two scoping meetings in the vicinity of
the project at the time and place noted below. The daytime meeting will
focus on resource agency, Indian tribe, 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
[[Page 38619]]
addressed in the environmental document. The times and locations of
these meetings are as follows:
Daytime Scoping Meeting
Date: Wednesday, August 28, 2019.
Time: 10:00 a.m.
Location: Enfield Town Office, 789 Hammett Road, Enfield, ME 04493.
Phone: (207) 732-4270.
Evening Scoping Meeting
Date: Wednesday, August 28, 2019.
Time: 6:00 p.m.
Location: Enfield Town Office, 789 Hammett Road, Enfield, ME 04493.
Phone: (207) 732-4270.
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 licensee and Commission staff will conduct an environmental
site review of the project on Tuesday, August 27, 2019, starting at
1:00 p.m. All participants should meet at the project, located at 94
Dam Road, West Enfield, ME 04493.
If you plan to attend the environmental site review, please contact
Randy Dorman of Brookfield Renewable at (207) 755-5605, or via email at
[email protected] on or before August 19, 2019, and
indicate how many participants will be attending with you.
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: July 30, 2019.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2019-16847 Filed 8-6-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P