[Federal Register: July 17, 2009 (Volume 74, Number 136)]
[Notices]
[Page 34738-34740]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr17jy09-35]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Project No. 6597-012]
Monadnock Paper Mills, Inc; 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 of Issues and Associated
Study Requests
July 10, 2009.
a. Type of Filing: Notice of Intent to File License Application for
a New License and Commencing Licensing Proceeding.
b. Project No.: 6597-012.
c. Date Filed: May 11, 2009.
d. Submitted by: Monadnock Paper Mills, Inc.
e. Name of Project: Monadnock Hydroelectric Project.
f. Location: Contoocook River in the communities of Peterborough,
Greenfield, Hancock, and Bennington in Hillsborough County, New
Hampshire. No federal lands are involved.
g. Filed Pursuant to: 18 CFR Part 5 of the Commission's
Regulations.
h. Applicant Contact: Michelle Hamm, Monadnock Paper Mills, Inc.,
117 Antrim Road, Bennington, NH 03442. mhamm@mpm.com or (603) 588-3311
ext 255.
i. FERC Contact: Kenneth Hogan, Kenneth.Hogan@ferc.gov, (202) 502-
8434.
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
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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 Monadnock Paper Mills, Inc.
as the Commission's non-federal representative for carrying out
informal consultation, pursuant to Section 7 of the Endangered Species
Act and Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act.
m. Monadnock Paper Mills, Inc. 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 a Scoping Document on July 10, 2009.
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 FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov
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, Monadnock Hydroelectric Project and number
(P-6597-012), 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
September 8, 2009.
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 385.2001(a)(1)(iii) and the instructions
on the Commission's Web site (http://www.ferc.gov) under the ``e-
filing'' link.
p. Our current intent is to prepare a single environmental
assessment (EA). These meetings will satisfy the NEPA scoping
requirements, irrespective of whether an EA or an Environmental Impact
Statement 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 evening meeting is
primarily for receiving input from the public and the daytime meeting
will focus on resource agency, Indian tribes, and non-governmental
organization concerns. We invite all interested 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:
Evening Scoping Meeting
Date: Tuesday August 4, 2009.
Time: 7 p.m. (EST).
Location: Veterans for Foreign Wars Hall, 9 Hancock Street,
Bennington, NH 03442.
Contact person: Michelle Hamm at (603) 588-3311 ext. 255.
Daytime Scoping Meeting
Date: Wednesday August 5, 2009.
Time: 9 a.m. (EST).
Location: Veterans for Foreign Wars Hall, 9 Hancock Street,
Bennington, NH 03442.
Contact person: Michelle Hamm at (603) 588-3311 ext. 255.
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
Monadnock Paper Mills, Inc. will conduct a site visit of the
project at 1 p.m. on Tuesday August 4, 2009. All participants should
meet at the location of the offices for Monadnock Paper Mills, Inc. at
117 Antrim Road, Bennington, NH 03442. All participants are responsible
for their own transportation. Anyone with questions about the site
visit should contact Michelle Hamm at (603) 588-3311 ext. 255.
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 paragraph n.
Meeting Procedures
The meetings will be recorded by a stenographer and will become
part of
[[Page 34740]]
the formal record of the Commission proceeding on the project.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E9-16973 Filed 7-16-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P