TransCanada Hydro Northeast Inc.; FirstLight Hydro Generating Company; 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, 929-931 [2013-00015]

Download as PDF 929 Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 4 / Monday, January 7, 2013 / Notices wide radial gates, two 9-foot-high by 11foot-wide vertical lift trash gates, and Federal Energy Regulatory four abandoned siphons in two spillway Commission bays. The east side of the project, from west [Project No. 485–065] to east, consists of: (1) A 915-foot-long, Georgia Power Company; Notice of 125-foot-high, earth-fill embankment Application Tendered for Filing With dam; (2) a 650-foot-long intake canal the Commission and Establishing leading to a 177-foot-long concrete Procedural Schedule for Licensing and gravity intake structure; (3) two Deadline for Submission of Final penstocks; and (4) a powerhouse with Amendments two vertical Francis turbines rated at 54 MW each, with a total installed capacity Take notice that the following of 108 MW. hydroelectric application has been filed The project is operated in a peaking with the Commission and is available mode, and is coordinated with the for public inspection. peaking operations at the U.S. Army a. Type of Application: New Major Corps of Engineers’ upstream West License. Point Dam. The project is normally b. Project No.: 485–065. operated between elevations 518.16 and c. Date Filed: December 14, 2012. 520.16 feet msl (or 519.0 and 521.0 PD), d. Applicant: Georgia Power with normal daily average fluctuations Company. of about 3⁄4 foot. The project has an e. Name of Project: Bartletts Ferry average annual generation of Hydroelectric Project. approximately 395,577 megawatt-hours. f. Location: The existing project is located on the Chattahoochee River, l. Locations of the Application: A along the Georgia-Alabama border, in copy of the application is available for Harris County, Georgia, and Lee and review at the Commission in the Public Chambers counties, Alabama. The Reference Room or may be viewed on project does not affect federal lands. the Commission’s Web site at https:// g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power www.ferc.gov using the ‘‘eLibrary’’ link. Act, 16 U.S.C. 791 (a)–825(r). Enter the docket number excluding the h. Applicant Contact: George A. last three digits in the docket number Martin, Hydro Relicensing Project field to access the document. For Manager, Georgia Power Company, 241 assistance, contact FERC Online Ralph McGill Blvd., NE., BIN 10221, Support at Atlanta, GA 30308; Telephone—(404) FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov, or toll506–1357; Email— free at 1–866–208–3676, or for TTY, gamartin@southernco.com. (202) 502–8659. A copy is also available i. FERC Contact: Allan Creamer, (202) for inspection and reproduction at the 502–8365, or allan.creamer@ferc.gov. address in item (h) above. j. This application is not ready for m. You may also register online at environmental analysis at this time. https://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/ k. The Project Description: The project esubscription.asp to be notified via consists of a 2,052-foot-long dam, two email of new filings and issuances powerhouses, and a 5,850-acre reservoir related to this or other pending projects. (Bartletts Ferry Reservoir or Lake For assistance, contact FERC Online Harding) at a normal water surface Support. elevation of 520.16 feet mean sea level n. Procedural Schedule: The (msl; or 521.0 Plant Datum). application will be processed according The west side of the project, from to the following preliminary Hydro west to east, consists of: (1) A 1,230Licensing Schedule. Revisions to the foot-long, 11.25-foot-high, 22-bay schedule may be made as appropriate. auxiliary labyrinth spillway; (2) a 286foot-long, 35-foot-high, earth-fill Milestone Target date embankment dam; (3) a 92-foot-long by 94-foot-high concrete gravity intake Notice of Acceptance/NoApril 2013. structure, equipped with four vertical tice of Ready for Environmental Analysis. lift steel intake gates, connected to the Filing of recommendations, June 2013. west powerhouse by four 15-foot preliminary terms and diameter penstocks; (4) a powerhouse conditions, and fishway containing three vertical Francis prescriptions. turbines rated at 15 megawatts (MW) Commission issues Draft December 2013. each and a fourth vertical Francis EA or EIS. turbine rated at 20 MW, with a total Comments on Draft EA or January 2014. installed capacity of 65 MW; and (5) a EIS. 634-foot-long concrete gravity spillway Modified Terms and Condi- March 2014. tions. with nineteen 21-foot-high by 25-foot- wreier-aviles on DSK7SPTVN1PROD with DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY VerDate Mar<15>2010 15:16 Jan 04, 2013 Jkt 229001 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 Milestone Commission Issues Final EA or EIS. Target date May 2014. o. Final amendments to the application must be filed with the Commission no later than 30 days from the issuance date of the notice of ready for environmental analysis. Dated: December 21, 2012. Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary. [FR Doc. 2013–00014 Filed 1–4–13; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6717–01–P DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Federal Energy Regulatory Commission [Project Nos. P–1892–026, P–1855–045 and P–1904–073; Project Nos. P–1889–081 and P–2485–063] TransCanada Hydro Northeast Inc.; FirstLight Hydro Generating Company; 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 Nos.: P–1892–026, P–1855– 045, P–1904–073, P–1889–081, and P– 2485–063. c. Dated Filed: October 31, 2012. d. Submitted By: TransCanada Hydro Northeast Inc. (P–1892–026, P–1855– 045, and P–1904–073); FirstLight Hydro Generating Company (P–1889–081, and P–2485–063). e. Names of Projects: Wilder Project (P–1892–026), Bellows Falls Project (P– 1855–045), Vernon Project (P–1904– 073), Turners Falls Project (P–1889– 081), Northfield Mountain Pumped Storage Project (P–2485–063). f. Location: The Wilder Project is located on the Connecticut River in Orange and Windsor Counties, Vermont (VT) and Grafton County, New Hampshire (NH). The Bellows Falls Project is located on the Connecticut River in Windham County, VT and Cheshire County, NH. The Vernon Project is located on the Connecticut River in Windsor and Windham Counties, VT and Sullivan and Cheshire Counties, NH. The Turners Falls Project and Northfield Mountain Pumped Storage E:\FR\FM\07JAN1.SGM 07JAN1 wreier-aviles on DSK7SPTVN1PROD with 930 Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 4 / Monday, January 7, 2013 / Notices Project are located on the Connecticut River in Franklin County, Massachusetts (MA), Windham County, VT and Cheshire County, NH. The Turners Falls impoundment on the Connecticut River is also the lower reservoir for the Northfield Mountain Pumped Storage Project. The Turners Falls Project is the only project that includes federal lands. Approximately 20 acres of federallyowned lands are associated with the Department of the Interior’s U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Conte Laboratory, located within the Turners Falls project boundary. g. Filed Pursuant to: 18 CFR part 5 of the Commission’s Regulations. h. Applicant Contacts: Wilder, Bellows Falls, and Vernon Projects— John Ragonese, Relicensing Project Manager, TransCanada Hydro Northeast Inc., 4 Park Street, Suite 402, Concord, NH 03301, (603) 498–2851, or email John_Ragonese@transcanada.com. Turners Falls and Northfield Mountain Pumped Storage Projects— John S. Howard, Director—FERC Hydro Compliance, FirstLight Hydro Generating Company, Northfield Mountain Station, 99 Millers Falls Road, Northfield, MA 01360, (413) 659–4489 or email John.Howard@gdfsuezna.com. i. FERC Contact: Ken Hogan at (202) 502–8434 or email at Kenneth.Hogan@ferc.gov. 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 State Historic Preservation Officer, as required by section 106, National Historical 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 TransCanada Hydro Northeast Inc., and FirstLight Hydro Generating Company as the Commission’s non-federal representatives for carrying out informal consultation, pursuant to section 7 of the Endangered Species Act and section VerDate Mar<15>2010 15:16 Jan 04, 2013 Jkt 229001 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act for their respective projects. m. Both TransCanada Hydro Northeast Inc., and FirstLight Hydro Generating Company filed with the Commission a Pre-Application Documents (PAD; including a proposed process plan and schedule), pursuant to 18 CFR 5.6 of the Commission’s regulations. n. Copies of the PADs are available for review at the Commission in the Public Reference Room or may be viewed on the Commission’s Web site (https:// www.ferc.gov), using the ‘‘eLibrary’’ link. Enter the project specific 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 toll free at 1–866–208–3676, or for TTY, (202) 502–8659. A copy is also available for inspection and reproduction at the addresses in paragraph h. Register online at https:// www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/ esubscription.asp to be notified via email of new filing and issuances related to these or other pending projects. For assistance, contact FERC Online Support. o. With this notice, we are soliciting comments on the PADs and the Commission’s staff Scoping Document 1 (SD1), as well as study requests. All comments on the PAD and SD1, and study requests should be sent to the addresses 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. Documents may be filed electronically via the Internet. See 18 CFR § 385.2001(a)(1)(iii) and the instructions on the Commission’s Web site https://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 https:// 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. Although the Commission strongly encourages electronic filing, documents may also be paper-filed. To paper-file, mail an original and seven copies to: Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE., Washington, DC 20426. All filings with the Commission must clearly identify the following on the first PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 page as appropriate: Wilder Project No. 1892–026, Bellows Falls Project No. 1855–045, Vernon Project No. 1904– 073, Turners Falls Project No. 1889– 081), and/or Northfield Mountain Pumped Storage Project No. 2485–063, and 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 by March 1, 2013. p. Scoping Process: The Commission intends to prepare a multi-project Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the projects’ licensing in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The EIS will consider both site-specific and cumulative environmental impacts and reasonable alternatives to the proposed actions. Scoping Meetings Commission staff will hold six project specific scoping meetings in the vicinity of each project at the times and places noted below. The daytime meetings will focus on resource agency, Indian tribes, and non-governmental organization concerns, while the evening meetings are primarily for receiving input from the public. We invite all interested individuals, organizations, and agencies to attend one or both of the meeting types, and to assist staff in identifying particular study needs, as well as the scope of environmental issues to be addressed in the environmental document. The times and locations of these meetings are as follows: Wilder Project—Evening Scoping Meeting Date & Time: Monday January 28, 2013 at 7:00 p.m. Location: Kilton Public Library, 80 Main Street, West Lebanon, NH 03784, 603–298–8544. For directions please visit: https:// www.leblibrary.com/getting-here. Wilder & Bellows Falls Projects—Joint Daytime Scoping Meeting Date & Time: Tuesday, January 29, 2013 at 9:00 a.m. Location: Kilton Public Library, 80 Main Street, West Lebanon, NH 03784, 603–298–8544. For directions please visit: https:// www.leblibrary.com/getting-here. E:\FR\FM\07JAN1.SGM 07JAN1 Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 4 / Monday, January 7, 2013 / Notices Bellows Falls—Evening Scoping Meeting Date & Time: Tuesday, January 29, 2013 at 7:00 p.m. Location: Bellows Falls Middle School, 15 School St., Bellows Falls, VT 05101. For directions please call Bev Baldasaro at (802) 463–4366. Vernon, Northfield Mountain, and Turners Falls Projects—Joint Daytime Scoping Meeting Date & Time: Wednesday, January 30, 2013 at 9:00 a.m. Location: Great Falls Discovery Center, 2 Avenue A., Turners Falls, MA 01376, (413) 863–3221. For directions please visit: https:// www.greatfallsma.org/. Vernon Project—Evening Scoping Meeting Date & Time: Wednesday, January 30, 2013 at 7:00 p.m. Location: Marlboro College Graduate School, 28 Vernon Street, Brattleboro, VT 05301, Grad School Common Area, 1st Floor, (802) 258–9200. For directions please visit: https:// gradschool.marlboro.edu/contact/. wreier-aviles on DSK7SPTVN1PROD with Northfield Mountain and Turners Falls Projects—Joint Scoping Evening Meeting Date & Time: Thursday, January 31, 2013 at 6:00 p.m. Location: Great Falls Discovery Center, 2 Avenue A., Turners Falls, MA 01376, (413) 863–3221. For directions please visit: https:// www.greatfallsma.org/. In addition to the six project specific scoping meetings identified above, we will hold a public scoping meeting specifically to identify cumulatively effected resources and to help identify the incremental effect of licensing these five Connecticut River projects with other past, present and reasonably foreseeable future actions within the Connecticut River Basin. We invite all interested agencies, Indian tribes, NGOs, and individuals to attend the Cumulative Effects scoping meeting to assist us in identifying cumulatively effected resources and the associated geographic scope that should be analyzed in the EIS. The time and location of that meeting is: Connecticut River Projects’ Cumulative Effects—Daytime Scoping Meeting Date & Time: Thursday, January 31, 2013 at 9:00 a.m. Location: Great Falls Discovery Center, 2 Avenue A., Turners Falls, MA 01376, (413) 863–3221. For directions please visit: https:// www.greatfallsma.org/. Scoping Document 1 (SD1), which outlines the subject areas to be VerDate Mar<15>2010 15:16 Jan 04, 2013 Jkt 229001 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 https://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. 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 prefiling 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. Environmental Site Review An environmental site review is typically held in conjunction with the Commission’s NEPA scoping meetings. However, Commission staff anticipated that access to some project facilities would be limited by winter weather conditions during the early part of 2013 when scoping for these projects was scheduled. For this reason, and to provide all interested stakeholders an opportunity to view the projects’ facilities, the Commission hosted the environmental site reviews in October 2012, before the onset of winter. Public notice of the environmental site reviews was issued on August 3, 2012, and published in eight newspapers from the Connecticut River projects’ region. The site visits were widely attended by PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 931 individuals representing, local, state, and federal government agencies, NGOs, and members of the public. At this time, the Commission does not intend to host any future environmental site reviews for these five Connecticut River projects. Dated: December 21, 2012. Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary. [FR Doc. 2013–00015 Filed 1–4–13; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6717–01–P DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Federal Energy Regulatory Commission [Project No. 2686–074] Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC; Notice of Application Accepted For Filing, Soliciting Comments, Motions To Intervene, and Protests Take notice that the following hydroelectric application has been filed with the Commission and is available for public inspection: a. Application Type: Shoreline Management Plan. b. Project No: 2686–074. c. Date Filed: June 29, 2012. d. Applicant: Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC. e. Name of Project: West Fork Project. f. Location: The West Fork Project is located on the West Fork of the Tuckasegee River in Jackson County, North Carolina. The project does not occupy any federal lands. g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act, 16 U.S.C. 791a–825r. h. Applicant Contact: Dennis J. Whitaker, Manager, Northern Region, Duke Energy Lake Services, Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC, P.O. Box 1006,1 Charlotte, NC 28201; Phone: (704) 382– 1594. i. FERC Contact: Jade Alvey at (202) 502–6864, or email: jade.alvey@ferc.gov. j. Deadline for filing comments, motions to intervene, and protests: January 22, 2013. All documents may be filed electronically via the Internet. See 18 CFR 385.2001(a)(1)(iii) and the instructions on the Commission’s Web site at https://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 https:// 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 FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov or toll E:\FR\FM\07JAN1.SGM 07JAN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 4 (Monday, January 7, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 929-931]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-00015]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project Nos. P-1892-026, P-1855-045 and P-1904-073; Project Nos. P-
1889-081 and P-2485-063]


TransCanada Hydro Northeast Inc.; FirstLight Hydro Generating 
Company; 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 Nos.: P-1892-026, P-1855-045, P-1904-073, P-1889-081, 
and P-2485-063.
    c. Dated Filed: October 31, 2012.
    d. Submitted By: TransCanada Hydro Northeast Inc. (P-1892-026, P-
1855-045, and P-1904-073); FirstLight Hydro Generating Company (P-1889-
081, and P-2485-063).
    e. Names of Projects: Wilder Project (P-1892-026), Bellows Falls 
Project (P-1855-045), Vernon Project (P-1904-073), Turners Falls 
Project (P-1889-081), Northfield Mountain Pumped Storage Project (P-
2485-063).
    f. Location: The Wilder Project is located on the Connecticut River 
in Orange and Windsor Counties, Vermont (VT) and Grafton County, New 
Hampshire (NH).
    The Bellows Falls Project is located on the Connecticut River in 
Windham County, VT and Cheshire County, NH.
    The Vernon Project is located on the Connecticut River in Windsor 
and Windham Counties, VT and Sullivan and Cheshire Counties, NH.
    The Turners Falls Project and Northfield Mountain Pumped Storage

[[Page 930]]

Project are located on the Connecticut River in Franklin County, 
Massachusetts (MA), Windham County, VT and Cheshire County, NH. The 
Turners Falls impoundment on the Connecticut River is also the lower 
reservoir for the Northfield Mountain Pumped Storage Project.
    The Turners Falls Project is the only project that includes federal 
lands. Approximately 20 acres of federally-owned lands are associated 
with the Department of the Interior's U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) 
Conte Laboratory, located within the Turners Falls project boundary.
    g. Filed Pursuant to: 18 CFR part 5 of the Commission's 
Regulations.
    h. Applicant Contacts: Wilder, Bellows Falls, and Vernon Projects--
John Ragonese, Relicensing Project Manager, TransCanada Hydro Northeast 
Inc., 4 Park Street, Suite 402, Concord, NH 03301, (603) 498-2851, or 
email John_Ragonese@transcanada.com.
    Turners Falls and Northfield Mountain Pumped Storage Projects--John 
S. Howard, Director--FERC Hydro Compliance, FirstLight Hydro Generating 
Company, Northfield Mountain Station, 99 Millers Falls Road, 
Northfield, MA 01360, (413) 659-4489 or email 
John.Howard@gdfsuezna.com.
    i. FERC Contact: Ken Hogan at (202) 502-8434 or email at 
Kenneth.Hogan@ferc.gov.
    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 State Historic 
Preservation Officer, as required by section 106, National Historical 
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 TransCanada Hydro Northeast 
Inc., and FirstLight Hydro Generating Company as the Commission's non-
federal representatives for carrying out informal consultation, 
pursuant to section 7 of the Endangered Species Act and section 106 of 
the National Historic Preservation Act for their respective projects.
    m. Both TransCanada Hydro Northeast Inc., and FirstLight Hydro 
Generating Company filed with the Commission a Pre-Application 
Documents (PAD; including a proposed process plan and schedule), 
pursuant to 18 CFR 5.6 of the Commission's regulations.
    n. Copies of the PADs are available for review at the Commission in 
the Public Reference Room or may be viewed on the Commission's Web site 
(https://www.ferc.gov), using the ``eLibrary'' link. Enter the project 
specific 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 toll free at 1-866-208-
3676, or for TTY, (202) 502-8659. A copy is also available for 
inspection and reproduction at the addresses in paragraph h.
    Register online at https://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/esubscription.asp to be notified via email of new filing and issuances 
related to these or other pending projects. For assistance, contact 
FERC Online Support.
    o. With this notice, we are soliciting comments on the PADs and the 
Commission's staff Scoping Document 1 (SD1), as well as study requests. 
All comments on the PAD and SD1, and study requests should be sent to 
the addresses 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. 
Documents may be filed electronically via the Internet. See 18 CFR 
Sec.  385.2001(a)(1)(iii) and the instructions on the Commission's Web 
site https://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 https://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. Although the Commission strongly encourages electronic filing, 
documents may also be paper-filed. To paper-file, mail an original and 
seven copies to: Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory 
Commission, 888 First Street NE., Washington, DC 20426.
    All filings with the Commission must clearly identify the following 
on the first page as appropriate: Wilder Project No. 1892-026, Bellows 
Falls Project No. 1855-045, Vernon Project No. 1904-073, Turners Falls 
Project No. 1889-081), and/or Northfield Mountain Pumped Storage 
Project No. 2485-063, and 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 by 
March 1, 2013.
    p. Scoping Process: The Commission intends to prepare a multi-
project Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the projects' 
licensing in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act 
(NEPA). The EIS will consider both site-specific and cumulative 
environmental impacts and reasonable alternatives to the proposed 
actions.

Scoping Meetings

    Commission staff will hold six project specific scoping meetings in 
the vicinity of each project at the times and places noted below. The 
daytime meetings will focus on resource agency, Indian tribes, and non-
governmental organization concerns, while the evening meetings are 
primarily for receiving input from the public. We invite all interested 
individuals, organizations, and agencies to attend one or both of the 
meeting types, and to assist staff in identifying particular study 
needs, as well as the scope of environmental issues to be addressed in 
the environmental document. The times and locations of these meetings 
are as follows:

Wilder Project--Evening Scoping Meeting

    Date & Time: Monday January 28, 2013 at 7:00 p.m.
    Location: Kilton Public Library, 80 Main Street, West Lebanon, NH 
03784, 603-298-8544.
    For directions please visit: https://www.leblibrary.com/getting-here.

Wilder & Bellows Falls Projects--Joint Daytime Scoping Meeting

    Date & Time: Tuesday, January 29, 2013 at 9:00 a.m.
    Location: Kilton Public Library, 80 Main Street, West Lebanon, NH 
03784, 603-298-8544.
    For directions please visit: https://www.leblibrary.com/getting-here.

[[Page 931]]

Bellows Falls--Evening Scoping Meeting

    Date & Time: Tuesday, January 29, 2013 at 7:00 p.m.
    Location: Bellows Falls Middle School, 15 School St., Bellows 
Falls, VT 05101.
    For directions please call Bev Baldasaro at (802) 463-4366.

Vernon, Northfield Mountain, and Turners Falls Projects--Joint Daytime 
Scoping Meeting

    Date & Time: Wednesday, January 30, 2013 at 9:00 a.m.
    Location: Great Falls Discovery Center, 2 Avenue A., Turners Falls, 
MA 01376, (413) 863-3221.
    For directions please visit: https://www.greatfallsma.org/.

Vernon Project--Evening Scoping Meeting

    Date & Time: Wednesday, January 30, 2013 at 7:00 p.m.
    Location: Marlboro College Graduate School, 28 Vernon Street, 
Brattleboro, VT 05301, Grad School Common Area, 1st Floor, (802) 258-
9200.
    For directions please visit: https://gradschool.marlboro.edu/contact/.

Northfield Mountain and Turners Falls Projects--Joint Scoping Evening 
Meeting

    Date & Time: Thursday, January 31, 2013 at 6:00 p.m.
    Location: Great Falls Discovery Center, 2 Avenue A., Turners Falls, 
MA 01376, (413) 863-3221.
    For directions please visit: https://www.greatfallsma.org/.
    In addition to the six project specific scoping meetings identified 
above, we will hold a public scoping meeting specifically to identify 
cumulatively effected resources and to help identify the incremental 
effect of licensing these five Connecticut River projects with other 
past, present and reasonably foreseeable future actions within the 
Connecticut River Basin. We invite all interested agencies, Indian 
tribes, NGOs, and individuals to attend the Cumulative Effects scoping 
meeting to assist us in identifying cumulatively effected resources and 
the associated geographic scope that should be analyzed in the EIS. The 
time and location of that meeting is:

Connecticut River Projects' Cumulative Effects--Daytime Scoping Meeting

    Date & Time: Thursday, January 31, 2013 at 9:00 a.m.
    Location: Great Falls Discovery Center, 2 Avenue A., Turners Falls, 
MA 01376, (413) 863-3221.
    For directions please visit: https://www.greatfallsma.org/.
    Scoping Document 1 (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 
https://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.

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.

Environmental Site Review

    An environmental site review is typically held in conjunction with 
the Commission's NEPA scoping meetings. However, Commission staff 
anticipated that access to some project facilities would be limited by 
winter weather conditions during the early part of 2013 when scoping 
for these projects was scheduled. For this reason, and to provide all 
interested stakeholders an opportunity to view the projects' 
facilities, the Commission hosted the environmental site reviews in 
October 2012, before the onset of winter. Public notice of the 
environmental site reviews was issued on August 3, 2012, and published 
in eight newspapers from the Connecticut River projects' region. The 
site visits were widely attended by individuals representing, local, 
state, and federal government agencies, NGOs, and members of the 
public. At this time, the Commission does not intend to host any future 
environmental site reviews for these five Connecticut River projects.

    Dated: December 21, 2012.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2013-00015 Filed 1-4-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.