1256 Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 7 / Wednesday, January 10, 2018 / Notices 

1A loop is a segment of pipe that is installed 

adjacent to an existing pipeline and connected to 

it at both ends. A loop generally allows more gas 

to move through the system. 2Except for 0.2 mile of pipe in onshore 

Middlesex County, New Jersey, the Raritan Bay 

Loop would occur in offshore New Jersey waters 

(6.0 miles) and offshore New York waters (17.3 

miles). 

additional notice will be provided so 

that the relevant agencies are kept 

informed of the Project’s progress. 

Project Description 

The NESE Project consists of 10.2 

miles of 42-inch-diameter pipeline 

loop 1 in Lancaster County, 

Pennsylvania (the Quarryville Loop); 3.4 

miles of 26-inch-diameter pipeline loop 

in Middlesex County, New Jersey (the 

Madison Loop); 23.5 miles of 26-inchdiameter pipeline loop in Middlesex 

and Monmouth Counties, New Jersey, 

and Queens and Richmond Counties, 

New York (the Raritan Bay Loop 2); 

modification of existing Compressor 

Station 200 in Chester County, 

Pennsylvania; construction of new 

Compressor Station 206 in Somerset 

County, New Jersey; and appurtenant 

facilities. 

Background 

On August 24, 2016, the Commission 

issued a Notice of Intent to Prepare an 

Environmental Impact Statement for the 

Planned Northeast Supply 

Enhancement Project, Request for 

Comments on Environmental Issues, 

and Notice of Public Scoping Sessions 

(NOI). The NOI was issued during the 

pre-filing review of the Project in Docket 

No. PF16–5 and was sent to federal, 

state, and local government agencies; 

elected officials; affected landowners; 

environmental and public interest 

groups; Native American tribes and 

regional organizations; commentors and 

other interested parties; and local 

libraries and newspapers. The majority 

of environmental issues raised during 

scoping were related to proposed 

Compressor Station 206, including air 

quality and noise impacts; impacts on 

nearby residences, schools, and 

churches; socioeconomic impacts, 

including environmental justice; safety; 

and impacts related to activities at the 

nearby existing Trap Rock Quarry. Other 

major issues raised during scoping 

related to the Project include purpose 

and need; surface water and 

groundwater impacts; impacts on 

wildlife and aquatic resources; traffic; 

and alternatives. 

The U.S. Environmental Protection 

Agency, the U.S. Army Corps of 

Engineers, and the City of New York are 

cooperating agencies in the preparation 

of the EIS. 

Additional Information 

In order to receive notification of the 

issuance of the EIS and to keep track of 

all formal issuances and submittals in 

specific dockets, the Commission offers 

a free service called eSubscription. This 

can reduce the amount of time you 

spend researching proceedings by 

automatically providing you with 

notification of these filings, document 

summaries, and direct links to the 

documents. Go to www.ferc.gov/docsfiling/esubscription.asp. 

Additional information about the 

Project is available from the 

Commission’s Office of External Affairs 

at (866) 208–FERC or on the FERC 

website (www.ferc.gov). Using the 

eLibrary link, select General Search 

from the eLibrary menu, enter the 

selected date range and Docket Number 

excluding the last three digits (i.e., 

CP17–101), and follow the instructions. 

For assistance with access to eLibrary, 

the helpline can be reached at (866) 

208–3676, TTY (202) 502–8659, or at 

FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov. The 

eLibrary link on the FERC website also 

provides access to the texts of formal 

documents issued by the Commission, 

such as orders, notices, and rule 

makings. 

Dated: January 3, 2018. 

Kimberly D. Bose, 

Secretary. 

[FR Doc. 2018–00271 Filed 1–9–18; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6717–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

Federal Energy Regulatory 

Commission 

[Project No. 2685–029] 

New York Power Authority; Notice of 

Application 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.: 2685–029. 

c. Date filed: April 27, 2017. 

d. Applicant: New York Power 

Authority (NYPA). 

e. Name of Project: Blenheim-Gilboa 

Pumped Storage Project. 

f. Location: The existing project is 

located on Schoharie Creek, in the 

Towns of Blenheim and Gilboa in 

Schoharie County, New York. The 

project does not affect federal lands. 

g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power 

Act 16 U.S.C. 791(a)–825(r). 

h. Applicant Contact: Mr. Robert 

Daly, Licensing Manager, New York 

Power Authority 123 Main Street, White 

Plains, New York 10601. Telephone: 

(914) 681–6564, Email: Rob.Daly@

nypa.gov. 

i. FERC Contact: Andy Bernick at 

(202) 502–8660, and email 

andrew.bernick@ferc.gov. 

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. 

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 

FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov, (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–2685–029. 

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 Blenheim-Gilboa 

Project consists of the following: (1) A 

2.25-mile-long, 30-foot-wide earth and 

rock fill embankment dike with a 

maximum height of 110 feet, 

constructed at Brown Mountain and 

forming the 399-acre Upper Reservoir 

(operating at the maximum and extreme 

minimum elevations of 2,003 feet and 

1,955 feet National Geodetic Vertical 

Datum of 1929 [NGVD 29], respectively) 


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Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 7 / Wednesday, January 10, 2018 / Notices 1257 

with 15,085 acre-feet of usable storage 

and dead storage of 3,706 acre-feet 

below elevation 1,955 feet NGVD 29; (2) 

a 655-foot-long emergency spillway 

with a 25-foot-wide asphaltic concrete 

crest at elevation 2,005 feet NGVD 29 

and a capacity of 10,200 cubic feet per 

second (cfs); (3) an intake system that 

includes: (i) A 125-foot-wide hexagonalshaped intake cover with trash racks 

with a clear spacing of 5.25 inches; (ii) 

a 1,042-foot-long, 28-foot-diameter, 

concrete-lined vertical shaft in the 

bottom of the Upper Reservoir; (iii) a 

906-foot-long horizontal, concrete-lined 

rock tunnel; and (iv) a 460-foot-long 

concrete-lined manifold that distributes 

flow to four 12-foot-diameter steel-lined 

penstocks, each with a maximum length 

of about 1,960 feet, to four pumpturbines located at the powerhouse; (4) 

a 526-foot-long, 172-foot-wide, and 132- 

foot-high multi-level powerhouse 

located along the east bank of the Lower 

Reservoir at the base of Brown 

Mountain, containing four reversible 

pump turbines that each produce 

approximately 290 megawatts (MW) in 

generation mode, and have a total 

maximum discharge of 12,800 cfs 

during generation and 10,200 cfs during 

pumping; (5) a bottom trash rack with 

a clear spacing of 5.625 inches, and four 

upper trash racks with a clear spacing 

of 5.25 inches; (6) an 1,800-foot-long 

central core, rock-filled lower dam with 

a maximum height of 100 feet that 

impounds Schoharie Creek to form the 

413-acre Lower Reservoir (operating at 

the maximum and minimum elevations 

of 900 feet and 860 feet NGVD 29, 

respectively) with 12,422 acre-feet of 

usable storage and dead storage of 3,745 

acre-feet below 860 feet NGVD 29; (7) 

three 38-foot-wide by 45.5-foot-high 

Taintor gates at the left end of the lower 

dam; (8) a 425-foot-long, 134-foot-wide 

concrete spillway structure with a crest 

elevation of 855 feet NGVD 29; (9) a 

238-foot-long, 68.5-foot-deep concrete 

stilling basin; (10) a low level outlet 

with four discharge valves of 4, 6, 8, and 

10 inches for release of 5 to 25 cfs, and 

two 36-inch-diameter Howell-Bunger 

valves to release a combined flow of 25 

to 700 cfs; (11) a switchyard on the 

eastern bank of Schoharie Creek 

adjacent to the powerhouse; and (12) 

appurtenant facilities. 

During operation, the BlenheimGilboa Project’s pump-turbines may be 

turned on or off several times 

throughout the day, but the project 

typically generates electricity during the 

day when consumer demand is high and 

other power resources are more 

expensive. Pumping usually occurs at 

night and on weekends when there is 

excess electricity in the system available 

for use. According to a July 30, 1975, 

settlement agreement, NYPA releases a 

minimum flow of 10 cubic feet per 

second (cfs) during low-flow periods 

when 1,500 acre-feet of water is in 

storage, and 7 cfs when less than 1,500 

acre-feet is in storage. For the period 

2007 through 2016, the project’s average 

annual generation was about 374,854 

megawatt-hours (MWh) and average 

annual energy consumption from 

pumping was about 540,217 MWh. 

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. A copy is also available 

for inspection and reproduction at the 

address in item h above. 

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, 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 on the service list 

prepared by the Commission in this 

proceeding, in accordance with 18 CFR 

4.34(b) and 385.2010. 

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. 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 certification, including 

proof of the date on which the certifying 

agency received the request; or (3) 

evidence of waiver of water quality 

certification. 

o. Procedural Schedule 

The application will be processed 

according to the following revised 

Hydro Licensing Schedule. Revisions to 

the schedule may be made as 

appropriate. 

Milestone Target date 

Filing of recommendations, preliminary terms and conditions, and preliminary fishway prescriptions .............................. March 5, 2018. 

Reply comments due .......................................................................................................................................................... April 19, 2018. 

Commission Issues Draft EA .............................................................................................................................................. September 1, 2018. 

Comments on Draft EA ....................................................................................................................................................... October 1, 2018. 

Modified terms and conditions due ..................................................................................................................................... November 30, 2018. 

Commission issues Final EA .............................................................................................................................................. February 28, 2019. 

p. Final amendments to the 

application must be filed with the 

Commission no later than 30 days from 

the issuance date of this notice. 

Dated: January 4, 2018. 

Nathaniel J. Davis, Sr., 

Deputy Secretary. 

[FR Doc. 2018–00281 Filed 1–9–18; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6717–01–P 


daltland on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with NOTICES
1258 Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 7 / Wednesday, January 10, 2018 / Notices 

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

Federal Energy Regulatory 

Commission 

[Project No. 14850–000] 

Covington Mountain Hydro, LLC.; 

Notice of Preliminary Permit 

Application Accepted for Filing and 

Soliciting Comments, Motions To 

Intervene, and Competing Applications 

On July 3, 2017, the Covington 

Mountain Hydro, LLC, filed an 

application for a preliminary permit, 

pursuant to section 4(f) of the Federal 

Power Act (FPA), proposing to study the 

feasibility of the Bison Peak Pumped 

Storage Project (Bison Peak Project or 

project) to be located in the Tehachapi 

Mountains south of Tehachapi, Kern 

County, California. The sole purpose of 

a preliminary permit, if issued, is to 

grant the permit holder priority to file 

a license application during the permit 

term. A preliminary permit does not 

authorize the permit holder to perform 

any land-disturbing activities or 

otherwise enter upon lands or waters 

owned by others without the owners’ 

express permission. 

The proposed project would be a 

closed-loop pumped storage project 

with an upper reservoir and the 

applicant has proposed three 

alternatives for the placement of a lower 

reservoir, termed South, Law, and 

Horsethief. Water for the initial fill of 

either of the alternatives would be 

obtained from local water agency 

infrastructure via a route that would be 

identified during studies. 

A 35-foot ring dam and a perimeter of 

4,900 feet would form the project’s 

upper reservoir. The upper reservoir 

would have a total storage capacity of 

1,300 acre-feet and a surface area of 20 

acres at an elevation of 7,890 feet mean 

sea level (msl). The upper reservoir 

would be connected to one of the three 

proposed lower reservoir alternatives as 

described below. 

The South lower reservoir alternative 

would consist of the following: (1) The 

upper reservoir; (2) a 19-acre lower 

reservoir at 4,920 feet msl created by a 

dam with a crest height of 160 feet, crest 

length of 610 feet, and a storage capacity 

of 1,300 acre-feet; (3) a 9.1-foot 

diameter, 9,700-foot-long penstock from 

the upper reservoir that bifurcates 

creating an additional 6.5-foot diameter, 

700-foot-long penstock; (4) an 

underground powerhouse with three 

120-megawatt (MW) reversible pumpturbines and a surface powerhouse with 

a single 120-MW Pelton turbine; (5) an 

intake/tailrace facility; and (6) 

appurtenant facilities. The estimated 

annual generation of the South lower 

reservoir alternative would be about 

1,051 gigawatt-hours. 

The Law lower reservoir alternative 

would consist of the following: (1) The 

upper reservoir; (2) a 19-acre lower 

reservoir at 5,370 feet msl created by a 

dam with a crest height of 145 feet, crest 

length of 750 feet, and a storage capacity 

of 1,300 acre-feet; (3) a 9.5-foot 

diameter, 9,900-foot-long penstock from 

the upper reservoir that bifurcates 

creating an additional 6.7-foot diameter, 

1,300-foot-long penstock; (4) an 

underground powerhouse with three 

110-MW reversible pump-turbines and a 

surface powerhouse with a single 110- 

MW Pelton turbine; (5) an intake/ 

tailrace facility; and (6) appurtenant 

facilities. The estimated annual 

generation of the Law lower reservoir 

alternative would be about 963 gigawatthours. 

The Horsethief lower reservoir 

alternative would consist of the 

following: (1) The upper reservoir; (2) a 

18-acre lower reservoir at 5,940 feet msl 

created by a dam with a crest height of 

150 feet, crest length of 750 feet, and a 

storage capacity of 1,300 acre-feet; (3) a 

9.5-foot-diameter, 9,000-foot-long 

penstock from the upper reservoir; (4) a 

mostly underground powerhouse with 

two 180-MW reversible pump-turbines; 

(5) an intake/tailrace facility; and (6) 

appurtenant facilities. The estimated 

annual generation of the Horsethief 

lower reservoir alternative would be 

about 788.4 gigawatt-hours. 

All alternatives would include a 220- 

kilovolt transmission line with a length 

of 10 to 12 miles. 

Applicant Contact: Matthew Shapiro, 

Covington Mountain Hydro, LLC., 1210 

West Franklin St., #2, Boise, ID 83702; 

phone: (208) 246–9925. 

FERC Contact: Jim Fargo; phone: (202) 

502–6095. 

Deadline for filing comments, motions 

to intervene, competing applications 

(without notices of intent), or notices of 

intent to file competing applications: 60 

days from the issuance of this notice. 

Competing applications and notices of 

intent must meet the requirements of 18 

CFR 4.36. 

The Commission strongly encourages 

electronic filing. Please file comments, 

motions to intervene, notices of intent, 

and competing applications 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 

FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov, (866) 

208–3676 (toll free), or (202) 502–8659 

(TTY). In lieu of electronic filing, please 

send a paper copy to: Kimberly D. Bose, 

Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory 

Commission, 888 First Street NE, 

Washington, DC 20426. The first page of 

any filing should include docket 

number P–14850–000. 

More information about this project, 

including a copy of the application, can 

be viewed or printed on the eLibrary 

link of Commission’s website at http:// 

www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/elibrary.asp. 

Enter the docket number (P–14850) in 

the docket number field to access the 

document. For assistance, contact FERC 

Online Support. 

Dated: January 4, 2018. 

Nathaniel J. Davis, Sr., 

Deputy Secretary. 

[FR Doc. 2018–00282 Filed 1–9–18; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6717–01–P 

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION 

AGENCY 

[FRL–9972–88–ORD] 

Environmental Laboratory Advisory 

Board Meeting Dates and Agenda 

AGENCY: Environmental Protection 

Agency (EPA). 

ACTION: Notice of teleconference and 

face-to-face meetings. 

The Environmental Protection 

Agency’s (EPA) Environmental 

Laboratory Advisory Board (ELAB) 

holds teleconference meetings the third 

Wednesday of each month at 1:00 p.m. 

ET and two face-to-face meetings each 

calendar year. For 2018, teleconference 

only meetings will be February 21; 

March 21; April 18; May 16; June 20; 

July 18; September 19; October 17; 

November 21; and December 19 to 

discuss the ideas and views presented at 

the previous ELAB meetings, as well as 

new business. Items to be discussed by 

ELAB over these coming meetings 

include: (1) Issues in continuing the 

expansion of national environmental 


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