Northeast Generation Company; Notice of Availability of Environmental Assessment, 73226-73227 [E5-7141]

Download as PDF 73226 Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 236 / Friday, December 9, 2005 / Notices Any person desiring to intervene or to protest in any of the above proceedings must file in accordance with Rules 211 and 214 of the Commission’s Rules of Practice and Procedure (18 CFR 385.211 and 385.214) on or before 5 p.m. eastern time on the specified comment date. It is not necessary to separately intervene again in a subDocket related to a compliance filing if you have previously intervened in the same Docket. Protests will be considered by the Commission in determining the appropriate action to be taken, but will not serve to make protestants parties to the proceeding. Anyone filing a motion to intervene or protest must serve a copy of that document on the Applicant. In reference to filings initiating a new proceeding, interventions or protests submitted on or before the comment deadline need not be served on persons other and the Applicant. The Commission encourages electronic submission of protests and interventions in lieu of paper, using the FERC Online links at https:// www.ferc.gov. To facilitate electronic service, persons with Internet access who will eFile a document and/or be listed as a contact for an intervenor must create and validate an eRegistration account using the eRegistration link. Select the eFiling link to log on and submit the intervention or protests. Persons unable to file electronically should submit an original and 14 copies of the intervention or protest to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First St. NE., Washington, DC 20426. The filings in the above proceedings are accessible in the Commission’s eLibrary system by clicking on the appropriate link in the above list. They are also available for review in the Commission’s Public Reference Room in Washington, DC. There is an eSubscription link on the Web site that enables subscribers to receive e-mail notification when a document is added to a subscribed Dockets(s). For assistance with any FERC Online service, please e-mail FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov. or call (866) 208–3676 (toll free). For TTY, call (202) 502–8659. Magalie R. Salas, Secretary. [FR Doc. E5–7132 Filed 12–8–05; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6717–01–P DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Federal Energy Regulatory Commission [Project No. 12462–000–Massachusetts] Indian River Power Supply, LLC; Notice of Availability of Environmental Assessment 14:22 Dec 08, 2005 Jkt 208001 In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s regulations, 18 CFR part 380 (Order No. 486, 52 FR 47879), the Office of Energy Projects has reviewed the application for exemption from licensing for the Indian River Project, to be located on the Westfield River, in the Town of Russell, Hampden County, Massachusetts, and has prepared an Environmental Assessment (EA). In the EA, Commission staff analyze the potential environmental impacts of the project and conclude that exempting the project from licensing, with appropriate environmental measures, would not constitute a major Federal action significantly affecting the quality of the human environment. A copy of the EA is on file with the Commission and is available for public inspection. The EA may also be viewed on the Commission’s Web site at https://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 FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov or tollfree at 1–866–208–3676, or for TTY, (202) 502–8659. Any comments should be filed within 30 days from the issuance date of this notice, and should be addressed to the Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street, NE., Room 1–A, Washington, DC 20426. Please affix ‘‘Indian River Project No. 12462’’ to all comments. Comments may be filed electronically via Internet in lieu of paper. The Commission strongly encourages electronic filings. See 18 CFR 385.2001(a)(1)(iii) and the instructions on the Commission’s Web site under the ‘‘eFiling’’ link. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Michael Spencer at (202) 502–6093. Magalie R. Salas, Secretary. [FR Doc. E5–7139 Filed 12–8–05; 8:45 am] PO 00000 Frm 00033 Fmt 4703 Northeast Generation Company; Notice of Availability of Environmental Assessment December 2, 2005. December 2, 2005. BILLING CODE 6717–01–P VerDate Aug<31>2005 [Project No. 2485–028 Massachusetts] Sfmt 4703 In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended, and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (Commission) regulations (18 CFR part 380), Commission staff have reviewed the application, filed November 16, 2005, by the project licensee, Northeast Generation Company, for a temporary amendment of license for the Northfield Mountain Pumped Storage Project. The request is for a deviation from required project operating limits to allow additional operating flexibility this winter. The project is located on the east side of the Connecticut River, in the towns of Northfield and Erving, in Franklin County, Massachusetts. The proposal would modify the upper reservoir’s water surface elevation limits from 938 and 1000.5 feet mean sea level (msl), to 920 and 1004.5 feet msl, respectively, and allow a maximum daily generation of 10,465 megawatt hours (MWh) under certain ISO–NE emergency operating conditions from December 1, 2005, through March 31, 2006. At all other times, the upper reservoir would be operated within existing limits, and generation would be within the existing maximum limit of 8,475 MWh. The project uses the reservoir at the Turners Falls Project (FERC No. 1889) on the Connecticut River as its lower reservoir, and proposes no changes in its operating elevations. In the environmental assessment (EA), Commission staff has analyzed the probable environmental effects of the proposed amendment and has concluded that approval, with the addition of staff-recommended measures, would not constitute a major Federal action significantly affecting the quality of the human environment. A copy of the EA is attached to the Commission order titled ‘‘Order Granting Temporary Amendment of License,’’ issued November 30, 2005, and is available at the Commission’s Public Reference Room. A copy of the EA may also be viewed on the Commission’s Web site at https:// www.ferc.gov using the ‘‘elibrary’’ link. Enter the docket number (P–2485) in the docket number field to access the E:\FR\FM\09DEN1.SGM 09DEN1 Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 236 / Friday, December 9, 2005 / Notices document. For assistance, call (202) 502–8222, or (202) 502–8659 (for TTY). Magalie R. Salas, Secretary. [FR Doc. E5–7141 Filed 12–8–05; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6717–01–P DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Federal Energy Regulatory Commission [Docket No. CP06–17–000] Colorado Interstate Gas Company; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Sanford Station Abandonment Project and Request for Comments on Environmental Issues December 1, 2005. The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or Commission) will prepare an environmental assessment (EA) that will discuss the environmental impacts of the Sanford Station Abandonment Project involving abandonment by removal of facilities by Colorado Interstate Gas Company (CIG) in Hutchinson County, Texas.1 These facilities would consist of the abandonment by removal of three 880 horsepower (hp) reciprocal compressor units, and miscellaneous gas processing and sweetening facilities.2 This EA will be used by the Commission in its decision-making process to determine whether the project is in the public convenience and necessity. This notice announces the opening of the scoping period that will be used to gather environmental input from the public and interested agencies on the project. Please note that the scoping period will close on January 3, 2006. This notice is being sent to potentially affected landowners; federal, state, and local government agencies; elected officials; environmental and public interest groups; Native American Tribes; other interested parties; and local libraries and newspapers. State and local government representatives are asked to notify their constituents of this planned project and encourage them to comment on their areas of concern. 1 CIG’s application was filed with the Commission under section 7 of the Natural Gas Act and part 157 of the Commission’s regulations. 2 Gas ‘‘sweetening’’ refers to the processes utilized to remove impurities (primarily hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide) from certain natural gas supply streams. VerDate Aug<31>2005 14:22 Dec 08, 2005 Jkt 208001 Summary of the Proposed Project CIG wants to abandon by removal the following facilities at the Sanford Station in Hutchinson County, Texas: • Three 880 hp reciprocal compressor units yielding a total of 2,640 hp. • Miscellaneous gas processing and gas sweetening facilities. CIG states that it no longer requires the Sanford Station for natural gas service, because the transportation arrangements supported by and through the Sanford Station and related facilities terminated several years ago. Since CIG has no further need for the Sanford Station, CIG proposed to abandon and demolish the Station, restore the site, and return the land to the landowner. CIG states that the abandonment project would be conducted in full compliance with all federal and state safety regulations including those of the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Texas Railroad Commission. The location of the project facilities is shown in Appendix 1.3 Land Requirements for Construction Abandonment of the proposed facilities would affect about 19 acres of land that are currently leased to CIG by the Sanford Texas Ranch, Inc., a private landowner. The fenced compressor and amine buildings, meter houses, and associated appurtenant facilities currently occupy the entire site. The abandonment activity would require the removal of jurisdictional facilities as well as associated non-jurisdictional facilities located within the fence line of the station property. CIG also proposes that the site be restored to preconstruction conditions, as near as practicable, and the land be returned to the landowner. At the termination of the lease, CIG and the landowner would require the property to be free of any and all facilities (with the exception of monitoring and/or remediation-related wells) and that there be no adverse environmental conditions related to the CIG facilities, except those that may require on-going remediation. The EA Process The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires the Commission to take into account the environmental impacts that could result from an action 3 The appendices referenced in this notice are not being printed in the Federal Register. Copies of all appendices, other than Appendix 1 (maps), are available on the Commission’s Web site at the ‘‘eLibrary’’ link or from the Commission’s Public Reference Room, 888 First Street, NE., Washington, DC 20426, or call (202) 502–8371. For instructions on connecting to eLibrary refer to the last page of this notice. Copies of the appendices were sent to all those receiving this notice in the mail. PO 00000 Frm 00034 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 73227 whenever it considers the issuance of a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity. NEPA also requires us to discover and address concerns the public may have about proposals. This process is referred to as ‘‘scoping.’’ The main goal of the scoping process is to focus the analysis in the EA on the important environmental issues. By this Notice of Intent, the Commission staff requests public comments on the scope of the issues to address in the EA. All comments received are considered during the preparation of the EA. State and local government representatives are encouraged to notify their constituents of this proposed action and encourage them to comment on their areas of concern. In the EA we 4 will discuss impacts that could occur as a result of the construction and operation of the proposed project under these general headings: • Geology and soils • Land use • Water resources, fisheries, and wetlands • Cultural resources • Vegetation and wildlife • Air quality and noise • Endangered and threatened species • Hazardous waste • Public safety We will also evaluate possible alternatives to portions of the project, and make recommendations on how to lessen or avoid impacts on the various resource areas. Our independent analysis of the issues will be in the EA. Depending on the comments received during the scoping process, the EA may be published and mailed to federal, state, and local agencies, public interest groups, interested individuals, affected landowners, newspapers, libraries, and the Commission’s official service list for this proceeding. A comment period will be allotted for review if the EA is published. We will consider all comments on the EA before we make our recommendations to the Commission. To ensure your comments are considered, please carefully follow the instructions in the public participation below. Currently Identified Environmental Issues We have already identified several issues that we think deserve attention based on a preliminary review of the proposed facilities and the 4 ‘‘We’’, ‘‘us’’, and ‘‘our’’ refer to the environmental staff of the Office of Energy Projects (OEP). E:\FR\FM\09DEN1.SGM 09DEN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 236 (Friday, December 9, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 73226-73227]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E5-7141]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 2485-028 Massachusetts]


Northeast Generation Company; Notice of Availability of 
Environmental Assessment

December 2, 2005.
    In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, 
as amended, and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's (Commission) 
regulations (18 CFR part 380), Commission staff have reviewed the 
application, filed November 16, 2005, by the project licensee, 
Northeast Generation Company, for a temporary amendment of license for 
the Northfield Mountain Pumped Storage Project. The request is for a 
deviation from required project operating limits to allow additional 
operating flexibility this winter. The project is located on the east 
side of the Connecticut River, in the towns of Northfield and Erving, 
in Franklin County, Massachusetts.
    The proposal would modify the upper reservoir's water surface 
elevation limits from 938 and 1000.5 feet mean sea level (msl), to 920 
and 1004.5 feet msl, respectively, and allow a maximum daily generation 
of 10,465 megawatt hours (MWh) under certain ISO-NE emergency operating 
conditions from December 1, 2005, through March 31, 2006. At all other 
times, the upper reservoir would be operated within existing limits, 
and generation would be within the existing maximum limit of 8,475 MWh. 
The project uses the reservoir at the Turners Falls Project (FERC No. 
1889) on the Connecticut River as its lower reservoir, and proposes no 
changes in its operating elevations.
    In the environmental assessment (EA), Commission staff has analyzed 
the probable environmental effects of the proposed amendment and has 
concluded that approval, with the addition of staff-recommended 
measures, would not constitute a major Federal action significantly 
affecting the quality of the human environment.
    A copy of the EA is attached to the Commission order titled ``Order 
Granting Temporary Amendment of License,'' issued November 30, 2005, 
and is available at the Commission's Public Reference Room. A copy of 
the EA may also be viewed on the Commission's Web site at https://
www.ferc.gov using the ``elibrary'' link. Enter the docket number (P-
2485) in the docket number field to access the

[[Page 73227]]

document. For assistance, call (202) 502-8222, or (202) 502-8659 (for 
TTY).

Magalie R. Salas,
Secretary.
 [FR Doc. E5-7141 Filed 12-8-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P

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