Fall Creek Hydro, LLC; Notice Dismissing Filing as Deficient, 12171-12172 [E7-4716]
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Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 50 / Thursday, March 15, 2007 / Notices
should submit an original and 14 copies
of the protest or intervention to the
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission,
888 First Street, NE., Washington, DC
20426.
This filing is accessible on-line at
https://www.ferc.gov, using the
‘‘eLibrary’’ link and is 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
docket(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.
Comment Date: 5 p.m. eastern time on
March 23, 2007.
Philis J. Posey,
Acting Secretary.
[FR Doc. E7–4714 Filed 3–14–07; 8:45 am]
significantly affecting the quality of the
human environment.
The EA is attached to a Commission
order titled ‘‘Order Modifying and
Approving Non-Project Use of Project
Lands and Waters,’’ which was issued
February 22, 2007, and is available for
review and reproduction at the
Commission’s Public Reference Room,
located at 888 First Street, NE., Room
2A, Washington, DC 20426. The EA may
also be viewed on the Commission’s
Web site at https://www.ferc.gov using
the ‘‘elibrary’’ link. Enter the project
number (prefaced by P- and 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 (866) 208–3676, or for TTY,
contact (202) 502–8659.
Philis J. Posey,
Acting Secretary.
[FR Doc. E7–4718 Filed 3–14–07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
[Project No. 349–115—Alabama]
[Project No. 12617–001]
Alabama Power Company; Notice of
Availability of Environmental
Assessment
Fall Creek Hydro, LLC; Notice
Dismissing Filing as Deficient
rmajette on PROD1PC67 with NOTICES
March 9, 2007.
March 9, 2007.
In accordance with the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 and
the Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission’s (Commission)
regulations, 18 CFR Part 380 (Order No.
486, 52 FR 47897), the Office of Energy
Projects has reviewed an application for
non-project use of project lands and
waters at the Martin Dam Project (FERC
No. 349), and has prepared an
environmental assessment (EA) for the
proposal. The project is located on Lake
Martin near Dadeville, in Tallapoosa
County, Alabama.
In the application, Alabama Power
(licensee) requests Commission
authorization to permit The Pointe at
Sunset Pointe, LLC (The Pointe) to
install 30 boat slips as well as a pier/
platform and floating-dock structure on
Lake Martin, the project reservoir. These
structures would serve the residents of
condominiums that are located on
adjoining project lands. The EA
contains Commission staff’s analysis of
the potential environmental impacts of
the proposal and concludes that
approval of the proposal, as modified by
the staff-identified alternative, would
not constitute a major federal action
On January 10, 2007, Commission
staff issued an order dismissing Fall
Creek Hydro, LLC’s (Fall Creek)
application for a second three-year
preliminary permit to study the
proposed 4.7-megawattt Fall Creek
Hydroelectric Project No. 12617, to be
located at the existing U.S. Army Corps
of Engineers’ (Corps) Fall Creek Dam, on
Fall Creek in Lane County, Oregon. On
February 8, 2007, Fall Creek filed a
timely request for rehearing, seeking
reinstatement of its application.
Fall Creek’s rehearing request is
deficient because it fails to include a
Statement of Issues section separate
from its arguments, as required by Rule
713 of the Commission’s Rules of
Practice and Procedure.1 Rule 713(c)(2)
requires that a rehearing request must
VerDate Aug<31>2005
14:20 Mar 14, 2007
Jkt 211001
1 18 CFR 385.713(c)(2) (2006). See Revision of
Rules of Practice and Procedure Regarding Issue
Identification, Order No. 663, 70 FR 55,723
(September 23, 2005), FERC Statutes and
Regulations ¶ 31,193 (2005). See also, Order 663–
A, effective March 23, 2006, which amended Order
663 to limit its applicability to rehearing requests.
Revision of Rules of Practice and Procedure
Regarding Issue Identification, Order No. 663–A, 71
FR 14,640 (March 23, 2006), FERC Statutes and
Regulations ¶ 31,211 (2006).
PO 00000
Frm 00008
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
12171
include a separate section entitled
‘‘Statement of Issues’’ listing each issue
presented to the Commission in a
separately enumerated paragraph that
includes representative Commission
and court precedent on which the
participant is relying.2 Under Rule 713,
any issue not so listed will be deemed
waived. Accordingly, Fall Creek’s
rehearing request is dismissed.3
In any event, Fall Creek’s arguments
on rehearing are without merit. The
purpose of a preliminary permit is to
maintain priority of application for a
license during the term of the permit
while the permittee conducts
investigations and secures data
necessary to determine the feasibility of
the proposed project and, if the project
is found to be feasible, prepares an
acceptable development application.
While an applicant is not precluded
from seeking and obtaining a successive
preliminary permit for the same site, it
must demonstrate that, under the prior
permit, it pursued the proposal in good
faith and with due diligence.4 A
permittee seeking a successive permit is
therefore required to take certain
minimal steps, including filing sixmonth progress reports and consulting
with the appropriate federal and state
resource agencies.5
In October 2002, Commission staff
granted Fall Creek a three-year
preliminary permit to study its
proposed project.6 Upon expiration of
the first permit term, Fall Creek
immediately filed its application for a
second permit. Commission staff
dismissed Fall Creek’s application for a
successive permit, concluding that Fall
Creek failed to prosecute diligently the
requirements of its previous permit.
On rehearing, Fall Creek contends
that it has made substantial progress in
analyzing the proposed project’s
feasibility and completing the Pre2 As explained in Order No. 663, the purpose of
this requirement is to benefit all participants in a
proceeding by ensuring that the filer, the
Commission, and all other participants understand
the issues raised by the filer, and to enable the
Commission to respond to these issues. Having a
clearly articulated Statement of Issues ensures that
issues are properly raised before the Commission
and avoids the waste of time and resources
involved in litigating appeals regarding which the
courts of appeals lack jurisdiction because the
issues on appeal were not clearly identified before
the Commission. See Order No. 663 at P 3–4.
3 See, e.g., South Carolina Electric & Gas
Company, 116 FERC ¶ 61,218 (2006); and Duke
Power Company, LLC, 116 FERC ¶ 61,171 (2006).
4 See Little Horn Energy Wyoming, Inc., 58 FERC
¶ 61,132 (1992).
5 See Burke Dam Hydro Associates, 47 FERC ¶
61,449 (1989).
6 101 FERC ¶ 62,038 (2002).
E:\FR\FM\15MRN1.SGM
15MRN1
12172
Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 50 / Thursday, March 15, 2007 / Notices
application Document (PAD), 7 a step in
the license application process.8 As
evidence of its ‘‘substantial progress’’
and due diligence, Fall Creek states that
it made two site visits (November 2002
and July 2003) and held two meetings
(May 2006 and January 2007). It also
describes nine ‘‘consultations’’ made in
preparation of its PAD, all but one of
which occurred in a ten-day period after
the dismissal of its permit application.9
Finally it cites to 52 documents,
publications, and Web sites that it
reviewed in preparing its PAD. These
efforts are too little, too late.
Philis J. Posey,
Acting Secretary.
[FR Doc. E7–4716 Filed 3–14–07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
Notice of Application Accepted for
Filing and Soliciting Motions To
Intervene and Protests
March 9, 2007.
rmajette on PROD1PC67 with NOTICES
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.: 2242–078.
c. Date Filed: November 24, 2006.
d. Applicant: Eugene Water and
Electric Board.
e. Name of Project: Carmen-Smith
Hydroelectric Project.
f. Location: On the McKenzie River in
Lane and Linn Counties, near McKenzie
Bridge, Oregon. The project occupies
approximately 560 acres of the
Willamette National Forest.
g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power
Act 16 U.S.C. 791(a)–825(r).
7 The purpose of a PAD under the Commission’s
Integrated Licensing Process is to provide detailed
information about a proposed project to enable
interested entities to identify issues, develop study
requests and study plans, and prepare documents
analyzing any license application that may be filed.
See 18 CFR 5.6 (2006).
8 Fall Creek later filed its PAD and a notice of
intent to file a license application in a new
proceeding (docketed Project No. 12778–000) on
February 16, 2007, eight days after the filing of its
request for rehearing. Finding the PAD to be
deficient, partially because of Fall Creek’s failure to
consult with the National Marine Fisheries Service
and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, staff by
letter dated February 28, 2007, gave Fall Creek 75
days to file an updated PAD or an addendum to the
originally filed PAD.
9 The Corps is the only consulted federal entity
and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife the
only consulted resource agency.
VerDate Aug<31>2005
14:20 Mar 14, 2007
Jkt 211001
h. Applicant Contact: Randy L.
Berggren, General Manager, Eugene
Water and Electric Board, 500 East 4th
Avenue, P.O. Box 10148, Eugene, OR
97440, (541) 484–2411.
i. FERC Contact: Bob Easton, (202)
502–6045 or robert.easton@ferc.gov.
j. Deadline for filing motions to
intervene and protests: 60 days from the
issuance date of this notice.
All documents (original and eight
copies) should be filed with: Philis J.
Posey, Secretary, Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission, 888 First
Street, NE., Washington, DC 20426.
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.
Motions to intervene and protests may
be filed electronically via the 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 (https://www.ferc.gov) under the ‘‘eFiling’’ link.
k. This application has been accepted,
but is not ready for environmental
analysis at this time.
l. The Carmen-Smith Hydroelectric
Project consists of two developments,
the Carmen development and the Trail
Bridge development. The Carmen
development includes: (1) A 25-foothigh, 2,100-foot-long, and 10-foot-wide
earthen Carmen diversion dam with a
concrete weir spillway, (2) a 11,380foot-long by 9.5-foot-diameter concrete
Carmen diversion tunnel located on the
right abutment of the spillway, (3) a
235-foot-high, 1,100-foot-long, and 15foot-wide earthen Smith diversion dam
with a gated Ogee spillway, (4) a 7,275foot-long by 13.5 foot-diameter concretelined Smith power tunnel, (5) a 1,160foot-long by 13-foot-diameter steel
underground Carmen penstock, (6) a 86foot-long by 79-foot-wide Carmen
powerhouse, (7) two Francis turbines
each with a generating capacity of 52.25
megawatts (MW) for a total capacity of
104.50 MW, (8) a 19-mile, 115-kilovolt
(kV) transmission line that connects the
Carmen powerhouse to the Bonneville
Power Administration’s Cougar-Eugene
transmission line, and (9) appurtenant
facilities.
The Trail Bridge development
includes: (1) A 100-foot-high, 700-footlong, and 24-foot-wide earthen Trail
PO 00000
Frm 00009
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
Bridge dam section with a gated Ogee
spillway, (2) a 1,000-foot-long and 20foot-wide emergency spillway section,
(3) a 300-foot-long by 12-foot-diameter
concrete penstock at the intake that
narrows to a diameter of 7 feet, (4) a 66foot-long by 61-foot-wide Trail Bridge
powerhouse, (5) one Kaplan turbine
with a generating capacity of 9.975 MW,
and (6) a one-mile, 11.5-kV distribution
line that connects the Trail Bridge
powerhouse to the Carmen powerhouse.
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 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. A copy is also available
for inspection and reproduction at the
address in item h above.
You may also register online at
https://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,
385.211, and 385.214. In determining
the appropriate action to take, the
Commission will consider all protests
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 deadline 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
E:\FR\FM\15MRN1.SGM
15MRN1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 50 (Thursday, March 15, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12171-12172]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-4716]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Project No. 12617-001]
Fall Creek Hydro, LLC; Notice Dismissing Filing as Deficient
March 9, 2007.
On January 10, 2007, Commission staff issued an order dismissing
Fall Creek Hydro, LLC's (Fall Creek) application for a second three-
year preliminary permit to study the proposed 4.7-megawattt Fall Creek
Hydroelectric Project No. 12617, to be located at the existing U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers' (Corps) Fall Creek Dam, on Fall Creek in Lane
County, Oregon. On February 8, 2007, Fall Creek filed a timely request
for rehearing, seeking reinstatement of its application.
Fall Creek's rehearing request is deficient because it fails to
include a Statement of Issues section separate from its arguments, as
required by Rule 713 of the Commission's Rules of Practice and
Procedure.\1\ Rule 713(c)(2) requires that a rehearing request must
include a separate section entitled ``Statement of Issues'' listing
each issue presented to the Commission in a separately enumerated
paragraph that includes representative Commission and court precedent
on which the participant is relying.\2\ Under Rule 713, any issue not
so listed will be deemed waived. Accordingly, Fall Creek's rehearing
request is dismissed.\3\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ 18 CFR 385.713(c)(2) (2006). See Revision of Rules of
Practice and Procedure Regarding Issue Identification, Order No.
663, 70 FR 55,723 (September 23, 2005), FERC Statutes and
Regulations ] 31,193 (2005). See also, Order 663-A, effective March
23, 2006, which amended Order 663 to limit its applicability to
rehearing requests. Revision of Rules of Practice and Procedure
Regarding Issue Identification, Order No. 663-A, 71 FR 14,640 (March
23, 2006), FERC Statutes and Regulations ] 31,211 (2006).
\2\ As explained in Order No. 663, the purpose of this
requirement is to benefit all participants in a proceeding by
ensuring that the filer, the Commission, and all other participants
understand the issues raised by the filer, and to enable the
Commission to respond to these issues. Having a clearly articulated
Statement of Issues ensures that issues are properly raised before
the Commission and avoids the waste of time and resources involved
in litigating appeals regarding which the courts of appeals lack
jurisdiction because the issues on appeal were not clearly
identified before the Commission. See Order No. 663 at P 3-4.
\3\ See, e.g., South Carolina Electric & Gas Company, 116 FERC ]
61,218 (2006); and Duke Power Company, LLC, 116 FERC ] 61,171
(2006).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
In any event, Fall Creek's arguments on rehearing are without
merit. The purpose of a preliminary permit is to maintain priority of
application for a license during the term of the permit while the
permittee conducts investigations and secures data necessary to
determine the feasibility of the proposed project and, if the project
is found to be feasible, prepares an acceptable development
application. While an applicant is not precluded from seeking and
obtaining a successive preliminary permit for the same site, it must
demonstrate that, under the prior permit, it pursued the proposal in
good faith and with due diligence.\4\ A permittee seeking a successive
permit is therefore required to take certain minimal steps, including
filing six-month progress reports and consulting with the appropriate
federal and state resource agencies.\5\
In October 2002, Commission staff granted Fall Creek a three-year
preliminary permit to study its proposed project.\6\ Upon expiration of
the first permit term, Fall Creek immediately filed its application for
a second permit. Commission staff dismissed Fall Creek's application
for a successive permit, concluding that Fall Creek failed to prosecute
diligently the requirements of its previous permit.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\4\ See Little Horn Energy Wyoming, Inc., 58 FERC ] 61,132
(1992).
\5\ See Burke Dam Hydro Associates, 47 FERC ] 61,449 (1989).
\6\ 101 FERC ] 62,038 (2002).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
On rehearing, Fall Creek contends that it has made substantial
progress in analyzing the proposed project's feasibility and completing
the Pre-
[[Page 12172]]
application Document (PAD), \7\ a step in the license application
process.\8\ As evidence of its ``substantial progress'' and due
diligence, Fall Creek states that it made two site visits (November
2002 and July 2003) and held two meetings (May 2006 and January 2007).
It also describes nine ``consultations'' made in preparation of its
PAD, all but one of which occurred in a ten-day period after the
dismissal of its permit application.\9\ Finally it cites to 52
documents, publications, and Web sites that it reviewed in preparing
its PAD. These efforts are too little, too late.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\7\ The purpose of a PAD under the Commission's Integrated
Licensing Process is to provide detailed information about a
proposed project to enable interested entities to identify issues,
develop study requests and study plans, and prepare documents
analyzing any license application that may be filed. See 18 CFR 5.6
(2006).
\8\ Fall Creek later filed its PAD and a notice of intent to
file a license application in a new proceeding (docketed Project No.
12778-000) on February 16, 2007, eight days after the filing of its
request for rehearing. Finding the PAD to be deficient, partially
because of Fall Creek's failure to consult with the National Marine
Fisheries Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, staff by
letter dated February 28, 2007, gave Fall Creek 75 days to file an
updated PAD or an addendum to the originally filed PAD.
\9\ The Corps is the only consulted federal entity and the
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife the only consulted resource
agency.
Philis J. Posey,
Acting Secretary.
[FR Doc. E7-4716 Filed 3-14-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P