82 FR 25787 - Eagle Creek Hydro, LLC; 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

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

Federal Register Volume 82, Issue 106 (June 5, 2017)

[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 106 (Monday, June 5, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 25787-25788]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2017-11537]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 10481-067, Project No. 9690-112, and Project No. 10482-
117]


Eagle Creek Hydro, LLC; 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 
New Licenses and Commencing Pre-filing Process.
    b. Project Nos.: 9690-112, 10481-067, 10482-117.
    c. Dated Filed: March 30, 2017.
    d. Submitted By: Eagle Creek Hydro Power, LLC, Eagle Creek Water 
Resources, LLC, and Eagle Creek Land Resources, LLC (collectively 
referred to as Eagle Creek Hydro).
    e. Name of Projects: Rio Hydroelectric Project (P-9690-112), 
Mongaup Falls Hydroelectric Project (P-10481-067), and Swinging Bridge 
Hydroelectric Project (P-10482-117).
    f. Location: The three projects are on the Mongaup River, in 
Sullivan County, New York and a portion of the Rio Project is located 
in Orange County, New York. The three projects occupy no federal lands.
    g. Filed Pursuant to: 18 CFR part 5 of the Commission's 
Regulations.
    h. Applicant Contact: Robert A. Gates, EVP Operations, Eagle Creek 
Renewable Energy, LLC, 116 North State Street, P.O. Box 167, Neshkoro, 
WI 54960-0167, (973) 998-8400, [email protected].
    i. FERC Contact: Quinn Emmering at (202) 502-6382 or email at 
[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 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 Historic 
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 Eagle Creek Hydro as the 
Commission's non-federal representative for carrying out informal 
consultation, pursuant to section 7 of the Endangered Species Act and 
section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act.
    m. Eagle Creek Hydro filed with the Commission a Pre-Application 
Document (PAD; including a proposed process plan and schedule), 
pursuant to 18 CFR 5.6 of the Commission's regulations.
    n. A copy of the PAD is available for review at the Commission in 
the Public Reference Room or may be viewed on

[[Page 25788]]

the Commission's Web site (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 at [email protected], (866) 208-3676 (toll 
free), or (202) 502-8659 (TTY). A copy is also available for inspection 
and reproduction at the address in paragraph h.
    Register online at http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/esubscription.asp to be notified via email of new filing and issuances 
related to this or other pending projects. For assistance, contact FERC 
Online Support.
    o. With this notice, we are soliciting comments on the PAD and 
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 address 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.
    The Commission strongly encourages electronic filing. Please file 
all documents using the Commission's eFiling system at http://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 http://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 
[email protected]. 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(s) P-9690-112, P-10481-067, and/or 10482-
117.
    All filings with the Commission must 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 July 29, 2017.
    p. Although our current intent is to prepare an environmental 
assessment (EA), there is the possibility that an Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS) will be required. Nevertheless, this meeting will 
satisfy the NEPA scoping requirements, irrespective of whether an EA or 
EIS is issued by the Commission.

Scoping Meetings

    Commission staff will hold two scoping meetings in the vicinity of 
the project at the time and place noted below. The daytime meeting will 
focus on resource agency, Indian tribes, and non-governmental 
organization concerns, while the evening meeting is primarily for 
receiving input from the public. We invite all interested individuals, 
organizations, and agencies to attend one or both of the meetings, 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:

Daytime Scoping Meeting

    Date: Thursday, June 22, 2017.
    Time: 9:00 a.m.
    Location: Monticello Firehouse, 23 Richardson Ave., Monticello, New 
York 12701.
    Phone: (845) 794-5121.

Evening Scoping Meeting

    Date: Thursday, June 22, 2017.
    Time: 7:00 p.m.
    Location: Monticello Firehouse, 23 Richardson Ave., Monticello, New 
York 12701.
    Phone: (845) 794-5121.
    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 
http://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.

Environmental Site Review

    The applicant and Commission staff will conduct an Environmental 
Site Review of the project on Wednesday, June 21, 2017, starting at 
8:00 a.m. for the Swinging Bridge Project and Wednesday, June 21, 2017, 
starting at 1:00 p.m. for the Mongaup Falls and Rio Projects. For the 
site visits, Eagle Creek Hydro has made arrangements with a bus company 
to provide transportation from the Monticello Walmart parking lot 
located at 41 Anawana Lake Road, Monticello, New York 12701. 
Participants should park in the remote parking lot located east of the 
store's main parking lot, between Walmart and the Burger King located 
along Route 42.
    Please note that the Swinging Bridge project will be visited in the 
morning with an hour-long break at about 12:00 p.m. After the break, 
the Mongaup Falls and Rio projects will be visited. No lunch is 
provided. Participants should make their own arrangements for lunch. 
Food services are available in the area.
    Please RSVP Jane Manibusan at (920) 293-4628 or 
[email protected] on or before June 12, 2017, if you plan 
to attend the environmental site review or have any questions.

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.

Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2017-11537 Filed 6-2-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6717-01-P