83 FR 1256 - New York Power Authority; Notice of Application Ready for Environmental Analysis, and Soliciting Comments, Recommendations, Preliminary Terms and Conditions, and Preliminary Fishway Prescriptions

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

Federal Register Volume 83, Issue 7 (January 10, 2018)

[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 7 (Wednesday, January 10, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1256-1258]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2018-00281]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 2685-029]


New York Power Authority; Notice of Application Ready for 
Environmental Analysis, and Soliciting Comments, Recommendations, 
Preliminary Terms and Conditions, and Preliminary Fishway Prescriptions

    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.: 2685-029.
    c. Date filed: April 27, 2017.
    d. Applicant: New York Power Authority (NYPA).
    e. Name of Project: Blenheim-Gilboa Pumped Storage Project.
    f. Location: The existing project is located on Schoharie Creek, in 
the Towns of Blenheim and Gilboa in Schoharie County, New York. The 
project does not affect federal lands.
    g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act 16 U.S.C. 791(a)-825(r).
    h. Applicant Contact: Mr. Robert Daly, Licensing Manager, New York 
Power Authority 123 Main Street, White Plains, New York 10601. 
Telephone: (914) 681-6564, Email: [email protected].
    i. FERC Contact: Andy Bernick at (202) 502-8660, and email 
[email protected].
    j. Deadline for filing comments, recommendations, preliminary terms 
and conditions, and preliminary fishway prescriptions: 60 days from the 
issuance date of this notice; reply comments are due 105 days from the 
issuance date of this notice.
    The Commission strongly encourages electronic filing. Please file 
comments, recommendations, preliminary terms and conditions, and 
preliminary fishway prescriptions 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], (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-2685-029.
    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.
    k. This application has been accepted for filing and is now ready 
for environmental analysis.
    l. The existing Blenheim-Gilboa Project consists of the following: 
(1) A 2.25-mile-long, 30-foot-wide earth and rock fill embankment dike 
with a maximum height of 110 feet, constructed at Brown Mountain and 
forming the 399-acre Upper Reservoir (operating at the maximum and 
extreme minimum elevations of 2,003 feet and 1,955 feet National 
Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929 [NGVD 29], respectively)

[[Page 1257]]

with 15,085 acre-feet of usable storage and dead storage of 3,706 acre-
feet below elevation 1,955 feet NGVD 29; (2) a 655-foot-long emergency 
spillway with a 25-foot-wide asphaltic concrete crest at elevation 
2,005 feet NGVD 29 and a capacity of 10,200 cubic feet per second 
(cfs); (3) an intake system that includes: (i) A 125-foot-wide 
hexagonal-shaped intake cover with trash racks with a clear spacing of 
5.25 inches; (ii) a 1,042-foot-long, 28-foot-diameter, concrete-lined 
vertical shaft in the bottom of the Upper Reservoir; (iii) a 906-foot-
long horizontal, concrete-lined rock tunnel; and (iv) a 460-foot-long 
concrete-lined manifold that distributes flow to four 12-foot-diameter 
steel-lined penstocks, each with a maximum length of about 1,960 feet, 
to four pump-turbines located at the powerhouse; (4) a 526-foot-long, 
172-foot-wide, and 132-foot-high multi-level powerhouse located along 
the east bank of the Lower Reservoir at the base of Brown Mountain, 
containing four reversible pump turbines that each produce 
approximately 290 megawatts (MW) in generation mode, and have a total 
maximum discharge of 12,800 cfs during generation and 10,200 cfs during 
pumping; (5) a bottom trash rack with a clear spacing of 5.625 inches, 
and four upper trash racks with a clear spacing of 5.25 inches; (6) an 
1,800-foot-long central core, rock-filled lower dam with a maximum 
height of 100 feet that impounds Schoharie Creek to form the 413-acre 
Lower Reservoir (operating at the maximum and minimum elevations of 900 
feet and 860 feet NGVD 29, respectively) with 12,422 acre-feet of 
usable storage and dead storage of 3,745 acre-feet below 860 feet NGVD 
29; (7) three 38-foot-wide by 45.5-foot-high Taintor gates at the left 
end of the lower dam; (8) a 425-foot-long, 134-foot-wide concrete 
spillway structure with a crest elevation of 855 feet NGVD 29; (9) a 
238-foot-long, 68.5-foot-deep concrete stilling basin; (10) a low level 
outlet with four discharge valves of 4, 6, 8, and 10 inches for release 
of 5 to 25 cfs, and two 36-inch-diameter Howell-Bunger valves to 
release a combined flow of 25 to 700 cfs; (11) a switchyard on the 
eastern bank of Schoharie Creek adjacent to the powerhouse; and (12) 
appurtenant facilities.
    During operation, the Blenheim-Gilboa Project's pump-turbines may 
be turned on or off several times throughout the day, but the project 
typically generates electricity during the day when consumer demand is 
high and other power resources are more expensive. Pumping usually 
occurs at night and on weekends when there is excess electricity in the 
system available for use. According to a July 30, 1975, settlement 
agreement, NYPA releases a minimum flow of 10 cubic feet per second 
(cfs) during low-flow periods when 1,500 acre-feet of water is in 
storage, and 7 cfs when less than 1,500 acre-feet is in storage. For 
the period 2007 through 2016, the project's average annual generation 
was about 374,854 megawatt-hours (MWh) and average annual energy 
consumption from pumping was about 540,217 MWh.
    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 website 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.
    All filings must (1) bear in all capital letters the title 
COMMENTS, REPLY COMMENTS, RECOMMENDATIONS, PRELIMINARY TERMS AND 
CONDITIONS, or PRELIMINARY FISHWAY PRESCRIPTIONS; (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 submitting the filing; and 
(4) otherwise comply with the requirements of 18 CFR 385.2001 through 
385.2005. All comments, recommendations, terms and conditions or 
prescriptions must set forth their evidentiary basis and otherwise 
comply with the requirements of 18 CFR 4.34(b). Agencies may obtain 
copies of the application directly from the applicant. Each filing must 
be accompanied by proof of service on all persons listed on the service 
list prepared by the Commission in this proceeding, in accordance with 
18 CFR 4.34(b) and 385.2010.
    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.
    n. A license applicant must file no later than 60 days following 
the date of issuance of this notice: (1) A copy of the water quality 
certification; (2) a copy of the request for certification, including 
proof of the date on which the certifying agency received the request; 
or (3) evidence of waiver of water quality certification.
    o. Procedural Schedule
    The application will be processed according to the following 
revised Hydro Licensing Schedule. Revisions to the schedule may be made 
as appropriate.

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             Milestone                           Target date
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Filing of recommendations,           March 5, 2018.
 preliminary terms and conditions,
 and preliminary fishway
 prescriptions.
Reply comments due.................  April 19, 2018.
Commission Issues Draft EA.........  September 1, 2018.
Comments on Draft EA...............  October 1, 2018.
Modified terms and conditions due..  November 30, 2018.
Commission issues Final EA.........  February 28, 2019.
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    [fnc]p. Final amendments to the application must be filed with the 
Commission no later than 30 days from the issuance date of this notice.

    Dated: January 4, 2018.
Nathaniel J. Davis, Sr.,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2018-00281 Filed 1-9-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6717-01-P