[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 46 (Friday, March 7, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12405-12406]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-4499]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Project No. 2309-017]
Jersey Central Power and Light and PSEG Fossil LLC; Notice of
Intent To File License Application, Filing of Pre-Application Document,
Commencement of Licensing Proceeding, Scoping Meetings, Solicitation of
Comments on the Pad and Scoping Document, and Identification Issues and
Associated Study Requests
February 29, 2008.
a. Type of Filing: Notice of Intent to File License Application for
a New License and Commencing Licensing Proceeding.
b. Project No.: 2309-017.
c. Dated Filed: January 11, 2008.
d. Submitted By: Jersey Central Power and Light and PSEG Fossil
LLC.
e. Name of Project: Yards Creek Pumped Storage Project.
f. Location: On Yards Creek, in the townships of Hardwick and
Blairstown, Warren County, New Jersey. No federal lands are involved.
g. Filed Pursuant to: 18 CFR Part 5 of the Commission's
Regulations.
h. Potential Applicant Contact: Anthony Skicki, First Energy
Service Company, Environmental Department, 2800 Pottsville Pike, P.O.
Box 16001 Reading, PA 19612, (610) 921-6908.
i. FERC Contact: Steve Kartalia, [email protected], (202)
502-6131.
j. We are asking federal, state, local, and tribal agencies with
jurisdiction and/or special expertise with respect to environmental
issues to cooperate with us in the preparation of the environmental
document. Agencies who would like to request cooperating status should
follow the instructions for filing comments described in paragraph 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 Historical
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 Jersey Central Power and
Light and PSEG Fossil LLC as the Commission's non-federal
representatives for carrying out informal consultation, pursuant to
section 7 of the Endangered Species Act and Section 106 of the National
Historic Preservation Act.
m. Jersey Central Power and Light and PSEG Fossil LLC filed a Pre-
Application Document (PAD; including a proposed process plan and
schedule) with the Commission, pursuant to 18 CFR 5.6 of the
Commission's regulations. The Commission issued Scoping Document on
February 28, 2008.
n. A copy of the PAD and the scoping document are available for
review at the Commission in the Public Reference Room or may be viewed
on 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]
or toll free at 1-866-208-3676, of for TTY, (202) 502-8659. A copy is
also available for inspection and reproduction at the address in
paragraph h.
Register online at http://ferc.gov/esubscribenow.htm to be notified
via e-mail 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 the
scoping document, as well as study requests. All comments on the PAD
and the scoping document, and study requests should be sent to the
address above in paragraph h. In addition, all comments on the PAD and
the scoping document, study requests, requests for cooperating agency
status, and all communications to and from Commission staff related to
the merits of the potential application (original and eight copies)
must be filed with the Commission at the following address: Kimberly D.
Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First
Street, NE., Washington, DC 20426. All filings with the Commission must
include on the first page, Yards Creek Pumped Storage Project) and
number (P-2309-017), and bear the 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 the scoping
document, and any agency requesting cooperating status must do so by
May 12, 2008.
Comments on the PAD and the scoping document, study requests,
requests for cooperating agency status, and other permissible forms of
communications with the Commission may be filed electronically via the
Internet in lieu of paper. The Commission strongly encourages
electronic filings. See 18 CFR 85.2001(a)(1)(iii) and the instructions
on the Commission's Web site (http://www.ferc.gov) under the ``e-
filing'' link.
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
[[Page 12406]]
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: Wednesday April 2, 2008.
Time: 2 p.m.
Location: Blairstown Municipal Building, 106 Route 94, Blairstown, NJ
07825, (908) 362-6663.
Evening Scoping Meeting
Date: Wednesday April 2, 2008.
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: Blairstown Municipal Building, 106 Route 94, Blairstown, NJ
07825, (908) 362-6663.
The scoping document, 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 the scoping
document 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. Depending on the
extent of comments received, Scoping Document 2 may or may not be
issued.
Site Visit
JCPL and PSEG will conduct a site visit of the project at 9 a.m. on
Wednesday, April 2, 2008. All participants should meet at the plant
entrance on Mount Vernon Rd., Blairstown, NJ. All participants are
responsible for their own transportation. Anyone with questions about
the site visit should contact Timothy Oakes at (717) 687-7211.
Scoping 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 the scoping
document are included in item n of this document.
Meeting Procedures
The meetings will be recorded by a stenographer and will become
part of the formal record of the Commission proceeding on the project.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E8-4499 Filed 3-6-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P