[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 234 (Thursday, December 5, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 66665-66666]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-26255]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Project No. 2934-029]
New York State Electric & Gas Corporation; Notice of 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.: 2934-029.
c. Date Filed: April 1, 2019.
d. Applicant: New York State Electric & Gas Corporation (NYSEG).
e. Name of Project: Upper Mechanicville Hydroelectric Project.
f. Location: The existing project is located on the Hudson River,
in Saratoga and Rensselaer Counties, New York. The project does not
occupy any federal land.
g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act, 16 U.S.C. 791(a)-825(r).
h. Applicant Contact: David W. Dick, Manager, NYSEG and RG&E Hydro
Engineering, 1300 Scottsville Road, Rochester, NY 14624; (585) 724-
8535; [email protected].
i. FERC Contact: Jody Callihan, (202) 502-8278 or
[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.
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, preliminary 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 in
the service list prepared by the Commission in this proceeding, in
accordance with 18 CFR 4.34(b) and 385.2010.
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-2934-029.
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 Upper Mechanicville Hydroelectric Project consists
of: (1) A 700-foot-long concrete gravity dam with a crest elevation of
66.6 feet National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929 (NGVD29); (2) 3
spillway bays each extending 222 feet across the length of the dam and
separated by a 7.5-foot to 10.5-foot-wide concrete pier, with each
spillway bay containing 12 pneumatic Obermeyer crest gates that are 6
feet high; (3) a 1.8-mile-long impoundment with a 380-acre surface area
and gross storage capacity of 10,735 acre-feet at a normal pool
elevation of 72.6 feet NGVD29; (4) an intake channel with two
reinforced guide walls and three 35-foot-diameter cofferdam walls
constructed of sheet piling; (5) a 20-foot-wide and 7.5-foot-high
intake bypass sluice gate; (6) a 105.5-foot-long by 122-foot-wide
powerhouse containing two 12,780 horsepower Kaplan turbines and two
Siemens-Allis generators each having a rated capacity of 8,265
kilowatts; (7) a tailrace approximately 1,200 feet long and 120 feet
wide with a bi-level bottom designed to minimize cross-currents; (8)
one 1.10-mile-long, 34.5-kilovolt transmission line; and (9)
appurtenant facilities.
During the non-navigation season (typically from December 1 through
April 30), NYSEG operates the project in a run-of-river (ROR) mode and
maintains the impoundment at an elevation of 72.6 feet NGVD29. During
the navigation season (typically May 1 through November 30), NYSEG
periodically spills water to lower the impoundment up to 3 feet below
full pool, as directed by the New York State Canal Corporation, to
accommodate navigation at lock C-3, and uses all available remaining
inflow (that is not used to support navigation) for generation
purposes. NYSEG proposes to continue operating the project as it does
currently, to support both generation and navigation. In addition,
NYSEG proposes to enhance fish passage at the project by: (1)
Installing upstream passage for American eel (4 years post-license);
(2) developing an agreement with the New York State Canal Corporation
to modify lock operations to accommodate the upstream passage of
blueback herring and American shad (commencing 2 years post-license);
and (3) modifying the project's intake bypass sluice gate to provide an
additional route of downstream fish passage from April 1 through
November 30. The project currently generates an annual average of
88,537 megawatt-hours.
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 at [email protected] or toll-free at 1-866-208-
3676, or for TTY, (202) 502-8659. A copy is also available for
inspection and reproduction at the Mechanicville District Public
Library located at 190 North Main Street, Mechanicville, NY 12118 and
the A.E. Diver Memorial
[[Page 66666]]
Library located at 136 Main Street, Schaghticoke, NY 12154.
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.
n. Procedural Schedule: The application will be processed according
to the following revised schedule. Revisions to the schedule may be
made as appropriate.
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Milestone Target date
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Filing of recommendations, preliminary January 2020.
terms and conditions, and preliminary
fishway prescriptions.
Commission issues Environmental Assessment July 2020.
(EA).
Comments on EA............................. August 2020.
Modified Terms and Conditions.............. October 2020.
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o. Final amendments to the application must be filed with the
Commission no later than 30 days from the issuance date of this notice.
p. 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 the certification,
including proof of the date on which the certifying agency received the
request; or (3) evidence of waiver of water quality certification.
Dated: November 29, 2019.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2019-26255 Filed 12-4-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P