Amended Application for Presidential Permit; Northern Pass Transmission LLC, 50405-50406 [2013-20129]

Download as PDF Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 160 / Monday, August 19, 2013 / Notices Notice of Open Teleconference Meeting. ACTION: This notice announces a meeting of the Advanced Scientific Computing Advisory Committee (ASCAC). The Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92–463, 86 Stat. 770) requires that public notice of these meetings be announced in the Federal Register. DATES: Tuesday, September 3, 2013, 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. ADDRESSES: The meeting is open to the public. To access the call: 1. Dial Toll-Free Number: 866–740– 1260 (U.S. & Canada) 2. International participants dial: https://www.readytalk.com/intl 3. Enter access code 8083012, followed by ‘‘#’’ To ensure we have sufficient access lines for the public, we request that members of the public notify the DFO, Christine Chalk that you intend to callinto the meeting via email at: christine.chalk@science.doe.gov. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Melea Baker, Office of Advanced Scientific Computing Research; SC–21/ Germantown Building; U. S. Department of Energy; 1000 Independence Avenue SW; Washington, DC 20585–1290; Telephone (301)–903–7486; Email: Melea.Baker@science.doe.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Purpose of the Meeting: The purpose of this meeting is to discuss progress of the subcommittee for the exascale challenges charge. Tentative Agenda: Agenda will include discussion of the following: • Exascale Challenges Workshop and preliminary list of most critical challenges, and technical approaches to resolving these. Public Participation: The teleconference meeting is open to the public. If you would like to file a written statement with the Committee, you may do so either before or after the meeting. If you would like to make oral statements regarding any of the items on the agenda, you should contact Melea Baker via FAX at 301–903–4846 or via email at: (Melea.Baker@ science.doe.gov). You must make your request for an oral statement at least five business days prior to the meeting. Reasonable provisions will be made to include the scheduled oral statements on the agenda. The Chairperson of the Committee will conduct the meeting to facilitate the orderly conduct of business. Public comment will follow the 10-minute rule. Minutes: The minutes of this meeting will be available for public review and TKELLEY on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES SUMMARY: VerDate Mar<15>2010 17:51 Aug 16, 2013 Jkt 229001 50405 copying within 60 days by contacting Melea Baker at the address or email listed above. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Issued in Washington, DC on August 13, 2013. LaTanya R. Butler, Deputy Committee Management Officer. Amended Application for Presidential Permit; Northern Pass Transmission LLC [FR Doc. 2013–20135 Filed 8–16–13; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6450–01–P High Energy Physics Advisory Panel Office of Science, Department of Energy. AGENCY: Notice of Intent to Renew. Pursuant to Section 14(a)(2)(A) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act, (Pub. L. 92–463), and in accordance with Title 41 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Section 102.3.65(a), and following consultation with the Committee Management Secretariat, General Services Administration, notice is hereby given that the High Energy Physics Advisory Panel will be renewed for a two-year period beginning on August 12, 2013. The Panel will provide advice and recommendations to the Director, Office of Science (DOE), and the Assistant Director, Mathematical & Physical Sciences Directorate (NSF), on longrange planning and priorities in the national high-energy physics program. Additionally, the renewal of the HEPAP has been determined to be essential to conduct business of the Department of Energy and to be in the public interest in connection with the performance of duties imposed upon the Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation and, by law and agreement. The Panel will continue to operate in accordance with the provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee Act, adhering to the rules and regulations in implementation of that Act. SUMMARY: FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. John Kogut at (301) 903–1298. Issued in Washington DC on August 12, 2013. LaTanya R. Butler, Deputy Committee Management Officer. [FR Doc. 2013–20123 Filed 8–16–13; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6450–01–P PO 00000 Frm 00033 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability, DOE. ACTION: Notice of Amended Application. AGENCY: Northern Pass Transmission LLC (Northern Pass) has submitted an amended application for a Presidential permit to construct, operate, maintain, and connect an electric transmission line across the United States border with Canada. DATES: Comments or requests to intervene should be submitted on or before September 18, 2013. ADDRESSES: Comments or requests to intervene should be addressed as follows: Christopher Lawrence, Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability (OE–20), U.S. Department of Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20585. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Christopher Lawrence (Program Office) at 202–586–5260 or via electronic mail at Christopher.Lawrence@hq.doe.gov, or Katherine L. Konieczny (AttorneyAdviser) at 202–586–0503 or via electronic mail at Katherine.Konieczny@ hq.doe.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The construction, operation, maintenance, and connection of facilities crossing the international border of the United States for the transmission of electric energy between the United States and a foreign country is prohibited in the absence of a Presidential permit issued pursuant to Executive Order (EO) 10485, as amended by EO 12038. On October 14, 2010, Northern Pass filed an application with the Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability of the Department of Energy (DOE) for a Presidential permit. Northern Pass, which has its principal place of business in Manchester, NH, is a special purpose entity created for the purpose of this proposed project. Northern Pass is wholly owned by NU Transmission Ventures, Inc., a whollyowned subsidiary of Northeast Utilities, a publicly-held public utility holding company. On November 16, 2010, DOE published a Notice of Application in the Federal Register. On February 15, 2011, Northern Pass submitted an Addendum to Application that updated and supplemented its Presidential permit application. SUMMARY: DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY ACTION: [OE Docket No: PP–371] E:\FR\FM\19AUN1.SGM 19AUN1 TKELLEY on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES 50406 Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 160 / Monday, August 19, 2013 / Notices On April 12, 2011, Northern Pass sent a letter to DOE ‘‘withdraw[ing] its support for certain alternatives,’’ and ‘‘request[ing] a 60-day extension of the [NEPA] scoping period to allow Northern Pass time to explore whether there might be additional routing alternatives, particularly in the North Country, that would meet the needs of the Project.’’ On July 1, 2013, Northern Pass submitted an amended application that is meant to replace the application that Northern Pass originally submitted on October 14, 2010, and supplemented on February 15, 2011, and April 12, 2011. In the amended application, Northern Pass proposes to construct and operate a primarily overhead high-voltage direct current (HVDC) electric transmission line that would originate at an HVDC converter station to be constructed at ´ the Des Cantons Substation in Quebec, Canada, then would be converted from HVDC to alternating current (AC) in Franklin, NH, and would continue to its southern terminus in Deerfield, NH (collectively the ‘‘Project’’). The proposed facilities would be capable of transmitting up to 1200 megawatts (MW) of power. The New Hampshire portion of the proposed Project would be a single circuit 300 kilovolt (kV) HVDC transmission line of approximately 153 miles from the U.S. border crossing with Canada near the community of Pittsburg, NH, to a new HVDC-to-AC transformer facility to be constructed in Franklin, NH. From Franklin, NH, to the Project terminus at the Public Service Company of New Hampshire’s existing Deerfield Substation located in Deerfield, NH, the Project would consist of 34 miles of 345-kV AC electric transmission line. The total Project length would be approximately 187 miles. The amended proposed route for the Project remains largely unchanged from the application submitted on October 14, 2010, for the Central and Southern sections, but has been substantially reconfigured for the Northern section. The amended proposed route continues to maximize the use of the existing right-of-way (ROW) in all sections. The majority of the Northern section of the amended proposed route has been moved to a less populated area on properties that Renewable Properties Inc., an affiliate of Northern Pass, has purchased, leased, or obtained an easement on from landowners. The amended proposed route includes the use of additional existing ROW in the towns of Dummer, Stark, and Northumberland, NH. It also includes two underground segments: 2,300 feet VerDate Mar<15>2010 17:51 Aug 16, 2013 Jkt 229001 and 7.5 miles in the towns of Pittsburg/ Clarksville and Clarksville/ Stewartstown, NH, respectively. In the Southern section, Northern Pass previously indicated that a deviation from the existing ROW would be necessary if the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requirements could not be met to locate the proposed transmission line in the existing ROW around Concord Airport. Since filing the original application, Northern Pass has determined that the Project can meet the necessary requirements and the amended proposed route reflects that the proposed transmission line would follow the existing ROW near the Concord Airport. The amended application also notes key developments since the Project’s original application filing, including information about the potential environmental, historical, and cultural impacts of the proposed Project, information about the transmission structure locations and heights along the entire proposed route, and discussion of certain alternatives suggested through public comment. Procedural Matters: Any person may comment on this application by filing such comment at the address provided above. Comments requested in this Notice of Amended Application, such as those related to reliability matters, should not be confused with scoping comments that continue to be solicited through a separate process pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) regulations. Scoping comments may be submitted at https:// www.northernpasseis.us/comment/. Any person seeking to become a party to this proceeding should file a request to intervene at the address provided above in accordance with Rule 214 of FERC’s Rules of Practice and Procedure (18 CFR 385.214). Additional copies of such requests to intervene should also be filed directly with: Anne Bartosewicz, Northeast Utilities, 107 Selden Street, Berlin, CT 06037. Mary Anne Sullivan, Hogan Lovells, LLP, 555 13th St. NW., Washington, DC 20004. Persons who filed a request to intervene following notice of the original application (October 14, 2010) will continue to be considered parties to this proceeding and need not reapply. Before a Presidential permit may be issued, DOE must determine whether issuance of the permit would be consistent with the public interest. In making that determination, DOE considers the potential environmental impacts of the proposed project pursuant to NEPA, determines the project’s impact on electric reliability by PO 00000 Frm 00034 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 ascertaining whether the proposed project would adversely affect the operation of the U.S. electric power supply system under normal and contingency conditions, and considers any other factors that may also be relevant to the public interest. DOE must also obtain the favorable recommendations of the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Defense before issuing a Presidential permit. Copies of the amended application will be made available, upon request, for public inspection by accessing the program Web site at https://energy.gov/ oe/services/electricity-policycoordination-and-implementation/ international-electricity-regulatio-2 or by emailing Angela Troy at angela.troy@ hq.doe.gov. Issued in Washington, DC, on August 12, 2013. Patricia Hoffman, Assistant Secretary, Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability. [FR Doc. 2013–20129 Filed 8–16–13; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6450–01–P DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Combined Notice of Filings #1 Take notice that the Commission received the following electric rate filings: Docket Numbers: ER13–1851–001. Applicants: ISO New England Inc. Description: 2013–2014 Emergency Winter Amendments to be effective 9/6/ 2013. Filed Date: 8/9/13. Accession Number: 20130809–5118. Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 8/19/13. Docket Numbers: ER13–1953–001. Applicants: Midcontinent Independent System Operator, Inc. Description: 08–08–2013 BREC–KU T–T IA Revised Concurrence to be effective 9/3/2013. Filed Date: 8/9/13. Accession Number: 20130809–5000. Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 8/30/13. Docket Numbers: ER13–2134–000. Applicants: Nevada Power Company. Description: Rate Schedule No. 136 APS Mead-Phoenix Project Concurrence to be effective 4/22/2013. Filed Date: 8/8/13. Accession Number: 20130808–5150. Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 8/29/13. Docket Numbers: ER13–2135–000. Applicants: Liberty Utilities (CalPeco Electric) LLC. Description: Notice of Succession to be effective 8/9/2013. E:\FR\FM\19AUN1.SGM 19AUN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 160 (Monday, August 19, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 50405-50406]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-20129]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

[OE Docket No: PP-371]


Amended Application for Presidential Permit; Northern Pass 
Transmission LLC

AGENCY: Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability, DOE.

ACTION: Notice of Amended Application.

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

SUMMARY: Northern Pass Transmission LLC (Northern Pass) has submitted 
an amended application for a Presidential permit to construct, operate, 
maintain, and connect an electric transmission line across the United 
States border with Canada.

DATES: Comments or requests to intervene should be submitted on or 
before September 18, 2013.

ADDRESSES: Comments or requests to intervene should be addressed as 
follows: Christopher Lawrence, Office of Electricity Delivery and 
Energy Reliability (OE-20), U.S. Department of Energy, 1000 
Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20585.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Christopher Lawrence (Program Office) 
at 202-586-5260 or via electronic mail at 
Christopher.Lawrence@hq.doe.gov, or Katherine L. Konieczny (Attorney-
Adviser) at 202-586-0503 or via electronic mail at 
Katherine.Konieczny@hq.doe.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The construction, operation, maintenance, 
and connection of facilities crossing the international border of the 
United States for the transmission of electric energy between the 
United States and a foreign country is prohibited in the absence of a 
Presidential permit issued pursuant to Executive Order (EO) 10485, as 
amended by EO 12038.
    On October 14, 2010, Northern Pass filed an application with the 
Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability of the Department 
of Energy (DOE) for a Presidential permit. Northern Pass, which has its 
principal place of business in Manchester, NH, is a special purpose 
entity created for the purpose of this proposed project. Northern Pass 
is wholly owned by NU Transmission Ventures, Inc., a wholly-owned 
subsidiary of Northeast Utilities, a publicly-held public utility 
holding company.
    On November 16, 2010, DOE published a Notice of Application in the 
Federal Register. On February 15, 2011, Northern Pass submitted an 
Addendum to Application that updated and supplemented its Presidential 
permit application.

[[Page 50406]]

    On April 12, 2011, Northern Pass sent a letter to DOE 
``withdraw[ing] its support for certain alternatives,'' and 
``request[ing] a 60-day extension of the [NEPA] scoping period to allow 
Northern Pass time to explore whether there might be additional routing 
alternatives, particularly in the North Country, that would meet the 
needs of the Project.''
    On July 1, 2013, Northern Pass submitted an amended application 
that is meant to replace the application that Northern Pass originally 
submitted on October 14, 2010, and supplemented on February 15, 2011, 
and April 12, 2011. In the amended application, Northern Pass proposes 
to construct and operate a primarily overhead high-voltage direct 
current (HVDC) electric transmission line that would originate at an 
HVDC converter station to be constructed at the Des Cantons Substation 
in Qu[eacute]bec, Canada, then would be converted from HVDC to 
alternating current (AC) in Franklin, NH, and would continue to its 
southern terminus in Deerfield, NH (collectively the ``Project''). The 
proposed facilities would be capable of transmitting up to 1200 
megawatts (MW) of power.
    The New Hampshire portion of the proposed Project would be a single 
circuit 300 kilovolt (kV) HVDC transmission line of approximately 153 
miles from the U.S. border crossing with Canada near the community of 
Pittsburg, NH, to a new HVDC-to-AC transformer facility to be 
constructed in Franklin, NH. From Franklin, NH, to the Project terminus 
at the Public Service Company of New Hampshire's existing Deerfield 
Substation located in Deerfield, NH, the Project would consist of 34 
miles of 345-kV AC electric transmission line. The total Project length 
would be approximately 187 miles.
    The amended proposed route for the Project remains largely 
unchanged from the application submitted on October 14, 2010, for the 
Central and Southern sections, but has been substantially reconfigured 
for the Northern section. The amended proposed route continues to 
maximize the use of the existing right-of-way (ROW) in all sections.
    The majority of the Northern section of the amended proposed route 
has been moved to a less populated area on properties that Renewable 
Properties Inc., an affiliate of Northern Pass, has purchased, leased, 
or obtained an easement on from landowners. The amended proposed route 
includes the use of additional existing ROW in the towns of Dummer, 
Stark, and Northumberland, NH. It also includes two underground 
segments: 2,300 feet and 7.5 miles in the towns of Pittsburg/
Clarksville and Clarksville/Stewartstown, NH, respectively.
    In the Southern section, Northern Pass previously indicated that a 
deviation from the existing ROW would be necessary if the Federal 
Aviation Administration (FAA) requirements could not be met to locate 
the proposed transmission line in the existing ROW around Concord 
Airport. Since filing the original application, Northern Pass has 
determined that the Project can meet the necessary requirements and the 
amended proposed route reflects that the proposed transmission line 
would follow the existing ROW near the Concord Airport.
    The amended application also notes key developments since the 
Project's original application filing, including information about the 
potential environmental, historical, and cultural impacts of the 
proposed Project, information about the transmission structure 
locations and heights along the entire proposed route, and discussion 
of certain alternatives suggested through public comment.
    Procedural Matters: Any person may comment on this application by 
filing such comment at the address provided above. Comments requested 
in this Notice of Amended Application, such as those related to 
reliability matters, should not be confused with scoping comments that 
continue to be solicited through a separate process pursuant to the 
National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) regulations. Scoping 
comments may be submitted at https://www.northernpasseis.us/comment/. 
Any person seeking to become a party to this proceeding should file a 
request to intervene at the address provided above in accordance with 
Rule 214 of FERC's Rules of Practice and Procedure (18 CFR 385.214). 
Additional copies of such requests to intervene should also be filed 
directly with:
Anne Bartosewicz, Northeast Utilities, 107 Selden Street, Berlin, CT 
06037.
Mary Anne Sullivan, Hogan Lovells, LLP, 555 13th St. NW., Washington, 
DC 20004.
    Persons who filed a request to intervene following notice of the 
original application (October 14, 2010) will continue to be considered 
parties to this proceeding and need not reapply.
    Before a Presidential permit may be issued, DOE must determine 
whether issuance of the permit would be consistent with the public 
interest. In making that determination, DOE considers the potential 
environmental impacts of the proposed project pursuant to NEPA, 
determines the project's impact on electric reliability by ascertaining 
whether the proposed project would adversely affect the operation of 
the U.S. electric power supply system under normal and contingency 
conditions, and considers any other factors that may also be relevant 
to the public interest. DOE must also obtain the favorable 
recommendations of the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Defense 
before issuing a Presidential permit. Copies of the amended application 
will be made available, upon request, for public inspection by 
accessing the program Web site at https://energy.gov/oe/services/electricity-policy-coordination-and-implementation/international-electricity-regulatio-2 or by emailing Angela Troy at 
angela.troy@hq.doe.gov.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on August 12, 2013.
Patricia Hoffman,
Assistant Secretary, Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy 
Reliability.
[FR Doc. 2013-20129 Filed 8-16-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P
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