[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 160 (Wednesday, August 19, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 50274-50275]
[FR Doc No: 2015-20465]

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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 2609-044]

Curtis/Palmer Hydroelectric Company, LP; Notice of Application
Accepted for Filing, Soliciting Comments, Motions To Intervene, and
Protests

    Take notice that the following hydroelectric application has been
filed with the Commission and is available for public inspection:
    a. Type of Application: Application to amend license.
    b. Project No.: 2609-044.
    c. Date Filed: July 29, 2015.
    d. Applicant: Curtis/Palmer Hydroelectric Company, LP.
    e. Name of Project: Curtis/Palmer Falls Hydroelectric Project.
    f. Location: The project is located on the Hudson River in Saratoga
and Warren counties, New York.
    g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act, 16 U.S.C. 791a-825r.
    h. Applicant Contact: Mr. Steve Denton, Curtis/Palmer Hydroelectric
Company, 15 Pine St., Corinth, NY 12822<PHONE_NUMBER>.
    i. FERC Contact: Mr. Steven Sachs,<PHONE_NUMBER>, or
<EMAIL_ADDRESS>    j. Deadline for filing comments, motions to intervene, protests,
and recommendations is 30 days from the date of issuance of this
notice. The Commission strongly encourages electronic filing. Please
file motions to intervene, protests, comments, or recommendations 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_ADDRESS>(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. Please include the project number (P-2609-044) on
any comments, motions to

intervene, protests, or recommendations filed.
    k. Description of Request: The licensee proposes to remove the top
section of the forebay spillway at the Palmer Falls dam and replace it
with a 4-foot-high, approximately 45-foot-long inflatable rubber dam.
The licensee would use the rubber dam as a sluiceway to prevent ice
from collecting within the forebay and against the trashracks. The
licensee does not propose any changes to normal reservoir operation.
    l. 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<PHONE_NUMBER>. This filing may also be viewed
on the Commission's Web site at http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/elibrary.asp. Enter the docket number excluding the last three digits
in the docket number field to access the document. 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, call 1-866-208- 3676 or email
<EMAIL_ADDRESS>for TTY, call<PHONE_NUMBER>. A copy is
also available for inspection and reproduction at the address in item
(h) above.
    m. Individuals desiring to be included on the Commission's mailing
list should so indicate by writing to the Secretary of the Commission.
    n. Comments, Protests, or Motions to Intervene: Anyone may submit
comments, a protest, or a motion to intervene in accordance with the
requirements of Rules of Practice and Procedure, 18 CFR 385.210, .211,
.214. In determining the appropriate action to take, the Commission
will consider all protests or other comments 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 comments, protests, or
motions to intervene must be received on or before the specified
comment date for the particular application.
    o. Filing and Service of Responsive Documents: Any filing must (1)
bear in all capital letters the title ``COMMENTS'', ``PROTEST'', or
``MOTION TO INTERVENE'' as applicable; (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 protesting or intervening; and (4) otherwise
comply with the requirements of 18 CFR 385.2001 through 385.2005. All
comments, motions to intervene, or protests must set forth their
evidentiary basis and otherwise comply with the requirements of 18 CFR
4.34(b). All comments, motions to intervene, or protests should relate
to project works which are the subject of the license amendment.
Agencies may obtain copies of the application directly from the
applicant. A copy of any protest or motion to intervene must be served
upon each representative of the applicant specified in the particular
application. If an intervener 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. A copy of all other
filings in reference to this application 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.

    Dated: August 13, 2015.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2015-20465 Filed 8-18-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6717-01-P


[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 226 (Friday, November 22, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 70042-70043]
[FR Doc No: 2013-28139]

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-9903-36-Region 10]

Proposed Issuance of the NPDES General Permit for Oil and Gas
Geotechnical Surveying and Related Activities in Federal Waters of the
Beaufort and Chukchi Seas

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of proposed issuance of general permit.

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SUMMARY: EPA Region 10 proposes to issue a National Pollutant Discharge
Elimination System (NPDES) General Permit for Oil and Gas Geotechnical
Surveying and Related Activities in Federal Waters of the Beaufort and
Chukchi Seas (Permit No. AKG-28-4300). As proposed, the Geotechnical
General Permit authorizes twelve types of discharges from facilities
engaged in oil and gas geotechnical surveys to evaluate the subsurface
characteristics of the seafloor and related activities in federal
waters of the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas. Geotechnical borings are
collected to assess the structural properties of subsurface soil
conditions for potential placement of oil and gas installations, which
may include production and drilling platforms, ice islands, anchor
structures for floating exploration drilling vessels, and potential
buried pipeline corridors. Geotechnical surveys result in a disturbance
of the seafloor and produce discharges consisting of soil, rock and
cuttings materials, in addition to facility-specific waste streams
authorized under this general permit. Geotechnical related activities
also result in a disturbance of the seafloor and produce similar
discharges. These activities may include feasibility testing of
equipment that disturbs the seafloor, and testing and evaluation of
trenching technologies.

DATES: Comments. The public comment period for the draft Geotechnical
General Permit will be from the date of publication of this Notice
until January 27, 2014. Comments must be received or post-marked by no
later than midnight Pacific Standard Time on January 27, 2014.
    Public Hearings. EPA will hold public hearings on January 8, 2014,
in Barrow, Alaska, at the Inupiat Heritage Center and via
teleconference on January 10, 2014. The hearing in Barrow, AK will
begin at 6:00 p.m. (Alaska Standard Time) and will continue until all
testimony is heard or 10:00 p.m., whichever is earlier. The
teleconference hearing will begin at 4:00 p.m. (Alaska Standard Time)
and will continue until all testimony is heard or 7:00 p.m., whichever
is earlier.
    See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for additional information.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by any of the following methods. EPA
will consider all comments received during the public comment period
prior to making its final decision.
    Mail: Send paper comments to Erin Seyfried, Office of Water and
Watersheds, Mail Stop OWW-130, 1200 6th Avenue, Suite 900, Seattle, WA
98101-3140.
    Email: Send electronic comments to<EMAIL_ADDRESS>    Fax: Fax comments to the attention of Erin Seyfried at (206) 553-
0165.
    Hand Delivery/Courier: Deliver comments to Erin Seyfried, Office of
Water and Watersheds, Mail Stop OWW-130, 1200 6th Avenue, Suite 900,
Seattle, WA 98101-3140. Call<PHONE_NUMBER> before delivery to verify
business hours.
    Viewing and/or Obtaining Copies of Documents. A copy of the draft
Geotechnical General Permit and the Fact Sheet, which explains the
proposal in detail, may be obtained by contacting EPA at 1 (800) 424-
4372. Copies of the documents are also available for viewing and
downloading at: http://yosemite.epa.gov/r10/water.nsf/npdes+permits/DraftPermitsAK http://yosemite.epa.gov/r10/water.nsf/npdes+permits/arctic-gp See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for other document viewing
locations.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Erin Seyfried, Office of Water and
Watersheds, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 10, Mail Stop
OWW-130, 1200 6th Avenue, Suite 900, Seattle, WA 98101-3140, (206) 553-
1448<EMAIL_ADDRESS>
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Fact Sheet describes the types of
facilities and the discharges proposed to be authorized by the
Geotechnical General Permit; the proposed effluent limits and other
conditions; maps and descriptions of the proposed Area of Coverage; and
a summary of the supporting technical materials.
    Public Hearing Locations and Information. The locations,
teleconference information, and general agenda for the hearings are:
    (1) January 8, 2014, Inupiat Heritage Center, 5421 North Star
Street, Barrow, AK 99723, Teleconference number 1<PHONE_NUMBER>, code
9072711272; 4:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m. Open House; 6:00 p.m.-7:00
p.m. Presentation; 7:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m. Testimony.
    (2) January 10, 2014; Teleconference Only. Teleconference number 1
(866) 299-3188, code<PHONE_NUMBER>; 4:00 p.m.-4:30 p.m.
Presentation; 4:30 p.m.-7:00 p.m. Testimony.
    Public Hearing Procedures. Public hearings will be conducted in
accordance with 40 CFR 124.12 and will provide interested persons with
the opportunity to give written and/or verbal comments for the official
record. The following procedures will be used at the public hearings:
    (1) The presiding officer shall conduct the hearing in a manner
which will allow all interested persons wishing to make verbal comments
an opportunity to do so (however, the presiding officer may inform
attendees of any time limits during the opening statement of the
hearing);
    (2) Any person may submit written statements or documents for the
hearing record;
    (3) The presiding officer may, in his or her discretion, exclude
verbal comments if such testimony is overly repetitious of previous
testimony or is not relevant to the draft Geotechnical General Permit;
    (4) The transcripts of the hearings, together with copies of all
submitted statements and documents, shall become a part of the record
submitted to the Director of the Office of Water and Watersheds;

    (5) The hearing record shall be left open until the deadline for
receipt of comments, specified at the beginning of this Notice, to
allow any person enough time to submit additional written statements or
to present views or evidence tending to rebut or support testimony
presented at the public hearing;
    (6) Hearing testimony may be provided orally or in written format.
Commenters providing verbal comments are encouraged to provide written
comments to ensure accuracy of the record and for use of EPA and other
interested persons. Persons wishing to make verbal comments supporting
their written statements are encouraged to give a summary of their
points rather than reading lengthy written comments verbatim into the
record.
    All comments related to the draft Geotechnical General Permit and
Fact Sheet received by EPA Region 10 by the deadline for receipt of
comments, or presented at the public hearing, will be considered by EPA
before taking final action on the General Permit.
    Document Viewing Locations. The draft Geotechnical General Permit
and Fact Sheet may also be viewed at the following locations:
    (1) EPA Region 10 Library, Park Place Building, 1200 6th Avenue,
Suite 900, Seattle, WA 98101;<PHONE_NUMBER>.
    (2) EPA Region 10, Alaska Operations Office, 222 W 7th Avenue,
19, Room 537, Anchorage, AK 99513;<PHONE_NUMBER>.
    (3) DEC Anchorage office, 555 Cordova Street, Anchorage, AK 99501;
(907) 269-7235.
    (4) Z. J. Loussac Public Library, 3600 Denali Street, Anchorage, AK
99503;<PHONE_NUMBER>.
    (5) North Slope Borough School District Library/Media Center, Pouch
169, 829 Aivak Street, Barrow, AK 99723;<PHONE_NUMBER>.
    EPA's current administrative record for the draft Geotechnical
General Permit is available for review at the EPA Region 10 Office,
Park Place Building, 1200 6th Avenue, Suite 900, Seattle, WA 98101,
between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Contact Erin
Seyfried at<EMAIL_ADDRESS>or<PHONE_NUMBER>.
    Oil Spill Requirements. Section 311 of the Act, 33 U.S.C. 1321,
prohibits the discharge of oil and hazardous materials in harmful
quantities. Discharges authorized under the Geotechnical General Permit
are excluded from the provisions of CWA Section 311, 33 U.S.C. 1321.
However, the Geotechnical General Permit will not preclude the
institution of legal action, or relieve the permittees from any
responsibilities, liabilities, or penalties for other unauthorized
discharges of oil and hazardous materials, which are covered by Section
311.
    Endangered Species Act. Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act
(ESA), 16 U.S.C. 1531-1544, requires federal agencies to consult with
the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service (USFWS) if their actions have the potential to either
beneficially or adversely affect any threatened or endangered species.
In accordance with ESA requirements, EPA has initiated consultation
with NMFS and USFWS, and has prepared a Biological Evaluation (BE) for
the Geotechnical General Permit, which concludes that the General
Permit is not likely to adversely affect any threatened or endangered
species or their designated critical habitat areas. The BE has been
submitted to NMFS and USFWS for review and concurrence during the
public comment period. EPA will obtain a determination from NMFS and
USFWS prior to issuing the Geotechnical General Permit.
    Essential Fish Habitat. The Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation
and Management Act requires EPA to consult with NMFS when a proposed
permit action has the potential to adversely affect Essential Fish
Habitat (EFH). An EFH Assessment has been prepared for the Geotechnical
General Permit.
    Coastal Zone Management Act. As of July 1, 2011, there is no longer
a Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA) program in Alaska. Consequently,
federal agencies are no longer required to provide the State of Alaska
with CZMA consistency determinations.
    Executive Order 12866. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
exempts this action from the review requirements of Executive Order
12866 pursuant to Section 6 of that order.
    Paperwork Reduction Act. EPA has reviewed the requirements imposed
on regulated facilities in the Geotechnical General Permit and finds
them consistent with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1980, 44 U.S.C.
3501 et seq.
    Regulatory Flexibility Act. Under the Regulatory Flexibility Act
(RFA), 5 U.S.C. 601 et seq., a federal agency must prepare an initial
regulatory flexibility analysis ``for any proposed rule'' for which the
agency ``is required by section 553 of the Administrative Procedure Act
(APA), or any other law, to publish general notice of proposed
rulemaking.'' The RFA exempts from this requirement any rule that the
issuing agency certifies ``will not, if promulgated, have a significant
economic impact on a substantial number of small entities.'' EPA has
concluded that NPDES general permits are permits, not rulemakings,
under the APA and thus not subject to APA rulemaking requirements or
the FRA. Notwithstanding that general permits are not subject to the
RFA, EPA has determined that the Geotechnical General Permit will not
have a significant impact on a substantial number of small entities.
This determination is based on the fact that the regulated companies
are not classified as small businesses under the Small Business
Administration regulations established at 49 FR 5023 et seq. (February
9, 1984). These facilities are classified as Major Group 13--Oil as Gas
Extraction SIC 1311 Crude Petroleum and Natural Gas.

    Authority:  This action is taken under the authority of Section
402 of the Clean Water Act as amended, 42 U.S.C. 1342. I hereby
provide public notice of the draft Geotechnical General Permit in
accordance with 40 CFR 124.10.

    Dated: November 14, 2013.
Daniel D. Opalski
Director, Office of Water and Watersheds, Region 10.
[FR Doc. 2013-28139 Filed 11-21-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P