[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