[Federal Register: April 2, 2008 (Volume 73, Number 64)]
[Notices]
[Page 17966-17967]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr02ap08-48]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Project No. 12615-001]
Alaska Power & Telephone Company; Notice of Request to Use
Alternative Procedures In Preparing a License Application
March 26, 2008.
Take notice that the following request to use alternative
procedures to prepare a license application has been filed with the
Commission.
a. Type of Application: Request to use alternative procedures to
prepare an original license application.
b. Project No.: 12615-001.
c. Date filed: March 10, 2008.
d. Applicant: Alaska Power & Telephone Company.
e. Name of Project: Soule River Hydroelectric Project.
f. Location: On the Soule River, tributary to Portland Canal,
approximately 9 miles south of the community of Hyder, Alaska. The
project would occupy approximately 1,112 acres of federal lands within
the Tongass National Forest, administered by the U.S. Forest Service.
g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act, 16 U.S.C. 791(a)-825(r).
h. Applicant Contact: Glen Martin, Project Manager, Alaska Power &
Telephone Company, 193 Otto Street, P.O. Box 3222, Port Townsend,
Washington 98368, (360) 385-1733 X 122, glen.m@aptalaska.com.
i. FERC Contact: Matt Cutlip, phone at (503) 552-2762; e-mail at
matt.cutlip@ferc.gov.
j. Deadline for Comments: 30 days from the date of this notice.
All documents (original and eight copies) should be filed with:
Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888
First Street, NE., Washington, DC 20426.
Comments may be filed electronically via the Internet in lieu of
paper. The Commission strongly encourages electronic filings. See 18
CFR 385.2001(a)(1)(iii) and the instructions on the Commission's Web
site (http://www.ferc.gov) under the ``e-Filing'' link.
k. The project would consist of a 160-foot-high concrete-faced,
rock-fill dam; an impoundment with a 950-acre surface area at a full
pool elevation of 550 feet mean sea level; a 2.5-mile-long, 14-foot-
wide access road with a 100-foot-long bridge across the Soule River;
marine access facilities along the Portland Canal at the mouth of the
Soule River; an 18-foot-diameter 11,100-foot-long power tunnel; a 50-
foot by 120-foot powerhouse containing two Francis-type generating
units, having a total installed capacity of 75,000 kilowatts; a 9.72-
mile-long, 138 kilovolt submarine cable that would interconnect in
Stewart, British Columbia with British Columbia Transmission
Corporation's existing electrical transmission system;\1\ and
appurtenant facilities.
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\1\ Only the portion of the transmission line that would be
located in the United States is under the Commission's jurisdiction.
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l. A copy of the request to use alternative procedures is available
for review at the Commission in the Public Reference Room or may be
viewed on the Commission's Web site 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 FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov
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 address in item h
above.
You may also register online at http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/
esubscription.asp to be notified via e-mail of new filings and
issuances related to this or other pending projects. For assistance,
contact FERC Online Support.
m. Alaska Power & Telephone Company has demonstrated that it has
made an effort to contact all federal and state resources agencies,
non-governmental organizations (NGO), and others affected by the
project. Alaska Power & Telephone Company has also demonstrated that a
consensus exists that the use of alternative procedures is appropriate
in this case. Alaska Power & Telephone Company has submitted a
[[Page 17967]]
communications protocol that is supported by the stakeholders.
The purpose of this notice is to invite any additional comments on
Alaska Power & Telephone Company's request to use the alternative
procedures, pursuant to section 4.34(i) of the Commission's
regulations. Additional notices seeking comments on the specific
project proposal, interventions and protests, and recommended terms and
conditions will be issued at a later date. Alaska Power & Telephone
Company will complete and file a preliminary Environmental Assessment,
in lieu of Exhibit E of the license application. This differs from the
traditional process, in which an applicant consults with agencies,
Indian tribes, NGOs, and other parties during preparation of the
license application and before filing the application, but the
Commission staff performs the environmental review after the
application is filed. The alternative procedures are intended to
simplify and expedite the licensing process by combining the pre-filing
consultation and environmental review processes into a single process,
to facilitate greater participation, and to improve communication and
cooperation among the participants.
Alaska Power & Telephone Company has met with federal and state
resources agencies regarding the proposed Soule River Hydroelectric
Project. Alaska Power & Telephone Company intends to file 6-month
progress reports during the alternative procedures process that leads
to the filing of a license application by June 30, 2009.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E8-6723 Filed 4-1-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P