[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 152 (Wednesday, August 7, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 38616-38617]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-16852]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Project No. 77-285]
Mendocino County Inland Water Agency and Power Commission; Sonoma
County Water Agency; California Trout, Inc.; County of Humboldt,
California
Notice of Continuation of Relicensing Proceeding
On June 28, 2019, Mendocino County Inland Water Agency and Power
Commission; Sonoma County Water Agency; California Trout, Inc.; and the
County of Humboldt, California (NOI Parties) filed a Notice of Intent
(NOI) to File an Application for a New License for the Potter Valley
Project.
The 9.4-megawatt project is located on the Eel River and the East
Branch Russian River in Mendocino and Lake Counties, California, about
15 miles northeast of the city of Ukiah. Project features include Lake
Pillsbury, a 2,300-acre storage reservoir impounded by Scott Dam; 106-
acre Van Arsdale Reservoir, impounded by the Cape Horn Diversion Dam;
and a tunnel and penstock across a natural divide to the project's
powerhouse located in the headwaters of the Russian River Basin.
The Potter Valley Project is currently licensed to the Pacific Gas
and Electric Company (PG&E) and the license expires on April 14, 2022.
On April 6, 2017, PG&E filed a NOI to relicense the project and a pre-
application document (PAD) and initiated the pre-filing steps of the
Integrated Licensing Process (ILP). On January 25, 2019, PG&E filed a
notice of withdrawal of its NOI and PAD, indicating it was
discontinuing its efforts to relicense the project. The withdrawal
became effective on February 11, 2019. On March 1, 2019, the Commission
issued a Notice Soliciting Applications, establishing a deadline of 120
days from the date of the notice (i.e., July 1, 2019) for interested
applicants, other than PG&E, to file NOIs, PADs, and requests to
complete the pre-filing stages of the licensing process.
The NOI Parties propose to continue the ILP initiated by PG&E.
According to the proposed pre-filing process plan and schedule, the NOI
Parties propose to complete a feasibility study in April 2020, consult
on the need for additional studies, and file \1\ a final license
application by April 14, 2022.
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\1\ The NOI Parties are proxies for a new Regional Entity that
ultimately would be the license applicant for the project. The
Regional Entity has not yet been formed under California law, but
once formed the Regional Entity would supplant the NOI Parties in
this ILP proceeding.
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[[Page 38617]]
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 of the National Historic
Preservation Act, and the implementing regulations of the Advisory
Council on Historic Preservation at 36 CFR part 800.
With this notice, we are designating the NOI Parties as the
Commission's non-federal representative for carrying out informal
consultation, pursuant to section 7 of the Endangered Species Act and
section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act.
Questions concerning this notice should be directed to Alan
Mitchnick at (202) 502-6074 or [email protected].
Dated: August 1, 2019.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2019-16852 Filed 8-6-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P