80 FR 63548 - GB Energy Park, LLC; Notice of Application Tendered for Filing with the Commission and Soliciting Additional Study Requests

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

Federal Register Volume 80, Issue 202 (October 20, 2015)

[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 202 (Tuesday, October 20, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 63548-63549]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2015-26544]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 13642-003]


GB Energy Park, LLC; Notice of Application Tendered for Filing 
with the Commission and Soliciting Additional Study Requests

    Take notice that the following hydroelectric application has been 
filed with the Commission and is available for public inspection.
    a. Type of Application: Unconstructed Major Project.

[[Page 63549]]

    b. Project No.: 13642-003.
    c. Date filed: October 1, 2015.
    d. Applicant: GB Energy Park, LLC.
    e. Name of Project: Gordon Butte Pumped Storage Project.
    f. Location: Approximately 3 miles west of the City of Martinsdale, 
Meagher County, Montana. The proposed project would not occupy any 
federal lands.
    g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act 16 U.S.C. 791(a)-825(r)
    h. Applicant Contact: Carl. E. Borgquist, President, GB Energy 
Park, LLC, 209 Wilson Avenue, P.O. Box 309, Bozeman, MT 59771; (406) 
585-3006; [email protected].
    i. FERC Contact: Mike Tust; (202) 502-6522; [email protected].
    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 l 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. Pursuant to section 4.32(b)(7) of 18 CFR of the Commission's 
regulations, if any resource agency, Indian Tribe, or person believes 
that an additional scientific study should be conducted in order to 
form an adequate factual basis for a complete analysis of the 
application on its merit, the resource agency, Indian Tribe, or person 
must file a request for a study with the Commission not later than 60 
days from the date of filing of the application, and serve a copy of 
the request on the applicant.
    l. Deadline for filing additional study requests and requests for 
cooperating agency status: November 30, 2015.
    The Commission strongly encourages electronic filing. Please file 
additional study requests and requests for cooperating agency status 
using the Commission's eFiling system at http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/efiling.asp. For assistance, please contact FERC Online Support 
at [email protected], (866) 208-3676 (toll free), or (202) 
502-8659 (TTY). In lieu of electronic filing, please send a paper copy 
to: Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street 
NE., Washington, DC 20426. The first page of any filing should include 
docket number P-13642-003.
    m. The application is not ready for environmental analysis at this 
time.
    n. The Gordon Butte Pumped Storage Project would consist of the 
following new facilities: (1) A manually operated head gate on an 
existing irrigation canal that provides initial fill and annual make-up 
water to the lower reservoir from the existing irrigation canal; (2) a 
3,000-foot-long, 1,000-foot-wide upper reservoir created by a 60-foot-
high, 7,500-foot-long concrete-faced rockfill dam; (3) a reinforced 
concrete intake/outlet structure at the upper reservoir with six gated 
intake bays converging into a central 18-foot-diameter, 750-foot-long 
vertical shaft; (4) an 18-foot-diameter, 3,000-foot-long concrete and 
steel-lined penstock tunnel leading from the upper reservoir to the 
lower reservoir; (5) a 2,300-foot-long, 1,900-foot-wide lower reservoir 
created by a combination of excavation and two 60-foot-high, 500- and 
750-foot-long concrete-faced rockfill dams; (6) a partially buried 338-
foot-long, 109-foot-wide, 74-foot-high reinforced concrete and steel 
powerhouse with four 100-megawatt (MW) ternary Pelton turbine/pump/
generators; (7) a 600-foot-long, 200-foot-wide substation at the 
powerhouse site with 13.8- kilovolt (kV) to 230-kV step-up 
transformers; (8) a 5.7-mile-long, 230-kV transmission line; (9) a 
substation with a 230-kV to 500-kV step-up transformer, connecting to 
an existing non-project 500-kV transmission line; and (11) appurtenant 
facilities. The project is estimated to provide 1,300 gigawatt-hours 
annually. No federal lands are included in the project.
    o. 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 http://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. A copy is also available for inspection and 
reproduction at the address in item h above.
    You may also register online at http://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.
    p. Procedural schedule: The application will be processed according 
to the following preliminary Hydro Licensing Schedule. Revisions to the 
schedule will be made as appropriate.

Issue Acceptance or Deficiency Letter   November 2015.
 (if needed).
Request for Additional Information....  November 2015.
Issue Notice of Acceptance/Notice of    January 2016.
 Ready for Environmental Analysis.
Commission Issues EA..................  July 2016.
Comments on EA........................  August 2016.
 


    Dated: October 14, 2015.
Kimberly D. Bose,
 Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2015-26544 Filed 10-19-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P