Notice of Application and Applicant Prepared Environmental Assessment Accepted for Filing; Requesting Interventions and Protests; Establishing Procedural Schedule and Final Amendment Deadline; Requesting Comments, Final Terms and Conditions, Recommendations and Prescriptions; Requesting Reply Comments

[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 237 (Friday, December 10, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 69262-69263]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-32049]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulation Commission


Notice of Application and Applicant Prepared Environmental 
Assessment Accepted for Filing; Requesting Interventions and Protests; 
Establishing Procedural Schedule and Final Amendment Deadline; 
Requesting Comments, Final Terms and Conditions, Recommendations and 
Prescriptions; Requesting Reply Comments

December 6, 1999.
    Take notice that the following hydroelectric application has been 
filed with the Commission. An Applicant-Prepared Environment Assessment 
(APEA) for the Upper Menominee River Basin Projects, which includes the 
project below, has been filed with the Commission. Both documents are 
available for public inspection.
    a. Type of Application: Major New License.
    b. Project No.: 2074-007.
    c. Date filed: October 1, 1999.
    d. Applicant: Wisconsin Electric Power Company (WE).
    e. Name of Project: Hemlock Falls Hydroelectric Project.
    f. Location: The project is located on the Michigamme River, near 
Crystal Falls, in Iron County, Michigan. The project would not utilize 
Federal lands or facilities.
    g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act 16 U.S.C. 791(a)-825(r).
    h. Applicant Contact: Ms. Rita L. Hayen, P.E., Wisconsin Electric 
Power Company, 231 West Michigan Street, P.O. Box 2046, Milwaukee, WI 
53201-2046.
    i. FERC Contact: Any questions on this notice should be addressed 
to Patti Leppert-Slack, E-mail address 
particia.lepperslack@ferc.fed.us, or telephone (202) 219-2767.
    j. Deadline for filing motions to intervene, protests, comments, 
final terms and conditions, recommendations, and prescriptions: 60 days 
from the issuance date of this notice.
    All documents (original and eight copies) should be filed with: 
David P. Boergers, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 
First St. NE., Washington, DC 20426.
    The Commission's Rules of Practice and Procedure require all 
intervenors filing documents with the Commission to serve a copy of 
that document on each person whose name appears 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, the 
intervenor must also serve a copy of the document on that resource 
agency.
    k. Status of Environmental Analysis: On March 25, 1996, the 
Director, Office of Hydropower Licensing, approved WE's use of the 
Alternative Licensing Process. Scoping, pursuant to the National 
Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended, for the project was 
conducted through scoping documents issued in July 1996 and January 
1997, and in public scoping meetings on September 16 and 17, 1996. The 
draft license application and APEA were distributed by the applicant 
for comment on October 20, 1998.
    The Commission staff has reviewed the license application and APEA 
and has determined that the application is acceptable for processing 
and no additional information or studies are needed to prepare the 
Commission's environmental assessment. Comments, as indicated above, 
are being requested from interested parties. The applicant will have 45 
days following the end of this period to respond to those comments, or 
may elect to seek a waiver of this deadline.
    l. Description of Project: The project consists of the following: 
(1) A 17.5-foot-long concrete gravity left abutment; (2) a 101.5-foot-
long, 40.5-foot-high gated spillway; (3) a 15-foot-long, 15-foot-high 
non-overflow left gravity dam; (4) a 98-foot-long, 23-foot-high non-
overflow right gravity dam; (5) a 120-foot-long, 17.5-foot-high 
uncontrolled spillway; (6) a 17.5-foot-long right abutment; (7) an 
impoundment with a 75-acre surface area at normal pool elevation 
1,335.5 feet National Geodetic Vertical Datum; (8) an 88-foot-long, 47-
foot-side powerhouse, containing a single generating unit rated at 
2,8000 kilowatts; (9) a step-up transformer; and (10) appurtenant 
facilities.
    m. Locations of the application: A copy of the application is 
available for inspection and reproduction at the Commission's Public 
Reference Room, located at 888 First Street, NE., Room 2A, Washington, 
DC 20426, or by calling

[[Page 69263]]

(202) 208-1371. The application may be viewed on the web at 
www.ferc.fed.us. Call (202) 208-2222 for assistance. A copy is also 
available for inspection and reproduction at the address in item h 
above.
    n. Protests or Motions to Intervene--Anyone may submit a protest or 
a motion to intervene in accordance with the requirements of the Rules 
of Practice and Procedures, 18 CFR Sections 385.210, .211, .214. In 
determining the appropriate action to take, the Commission will 
consider all protests filed, but only those who file a motion to 
intervene in accordance with the Commission's Rules may become a party 
to the proceeding. Any protests or motions to intervene must be 
received on or before the specified deadline date for the particular 
application and APEA.
    0. Filing and Service of Responsive Documents--The Commission is 
requesting comments, recommendations, terms and conditions, 
prescriptions, and reply comments.
    The Commission directs, pursuant to 18 CFR section 4.34(b) of the 
regulations, that all comments, recommendations, terms and conditions, 
and prescriptions concerning the application and APEA be filed with the 
Commission within 60 days from the issuance date of this notice. All 
reply comments must be filed with the Commission within 105 days from 
the date of this notice.
    Anyone may obtain an extension of time for these deadlines from the 
Commission only upon a showing of good cause or extraordinary 
circumstances in accordance with 18 CFR 385.2008.
    p. All filings must: (1) bear in all capital letters the title 
``PROTEST,'' ``MOTION TO INTERVENE'', ``COMMENTS'', 
``RECOMMENDATIONS'', ``TERMS AND CONDITIONS'', ``PRESCRIPTIONS'', or 
``REPLY COMMENTS''; (2) set forth in the heading the name of the 
applicant and the project number of the application and APEA 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 and APEA directly from the applicant. Any of these 
documents must be filed by providing the original and the number of 
copies required by the Commission's regulations to: Secretary, Federal 
Energy Regulation Commission, 888 First St. NE., Washington, DC 20426. 
An additional copy must be sent to: Director, Division of Licensing and 
Compliance, Office of Hydropower Licensing, Federal Energy Regulation 
Commission, at the above address. Each filing must be accompanied by 
proof of service on all persons listed on the service list prepared by 
the Commission in this processing, in accordance with 18 CFR 4.34(b) 
and 385.2010.
David P. Boergers,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 99-32049 Filed 12-9-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M