Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 126 / Friday, June 29, 2001 / Notices 34625

wildfire hazard in general and improve

forest health). Each project as it is

developed will follow certain planning

steps that include formulating a plan of

action that will identify and assess

potential risks and environmental

concerns and formulating a reasoned

treatment plan. These plans will include

facility and forest fire hazard

assessment, identification of resource

issues, coordination with neighboring

land management agencies and land

owners, development of end-state

conditions, and formulation of

treatment and environmental protection

measures. Treatment measures will be

identified for each project including the

equipment and involved job

performances, and types of treatment

measures to be performed based on the

forest and site conditions in the project

area. Integral to treatment measures

would be complementary measures to

protect public health and welfare and to

protect and enhance cultural and

natural resources. Worker protection

and health and safety measures, cultural

resource protection measures, air

quality protection measures, water

quality protection measures, threatened

and endangered species protection

measures, as well as other biological

resources protection measures would be

employed on each project. Wood

materials and wastes generated from the

treatment activities would be disposed

of as follows: wood materials will be

donated or salvaged for use by the

surrounding communities, or may be

contracted for to offset program

operational costs; wastes will be

disposed of on-site by chipping and

reuse as mulch, by burning within pits

using air curtain destructor devices to

enhance the burning process, or at onsite waste disposal facilities.

Additionally, waste may be sent to offsite disposal facilities as well. Posttreatment assessments will be

conducted for each project area that will

include some or all of the following:

end-state conditions assessment, fuel

load inventories, ecological field

studies, watershed assessment and

monitoring, and data analysis and

modeling. Maintenance measures would

be implemented on project areas at least

once every 5 years (or as necessary) to

maintain the desired end-state

conditions of the forests at LANL. These

maintenance measures will include the

type of treatment measures used to

initially treat an area and may also

include periodic mowing and the

maintenance of access roads. NNSA

may also consider the use of prescribed

burning under very carefully controlled

conditions in the future as a forest

maintenance tool. However, at this time,

DOE is still in the process of developing

a complex-wide policy on prescribed

burning and a moratorium on the use

prescribed burning at DOE sites is in

effect until the policy has been issued.

NNSA will likely revisit this issue at a

later time.

Additional information about wildfire

hazard reduction projects can be found

in the April 2001 document entitled

Wildfire Hazard Reduction Project Plan

(LA–UR–01–2017). Both DOE/EA 1329

and this plan are available by contacting

Elizabeth Withers at (505) 667–8690, or

writing to her at the previously

identified Los Alamos Area Office

address. These documents have also

been placed electronically at: http://libwww.lanl.gov/pubs/Environment.htm

and in hard copy at the DOE Reading

Rooms at: the Community Relations

Office, Los Alamos National Laboratory,

Los Alamos, NM 87545; and the

Government Information Department,

Zimmerman Library, University of New

Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131–1466.

In accordance with DOE regulations

for compliance with floodplain and

wetlands environmental review

requirements (10 CFR Part 1022), NNSA

will prepare a floodplain assessment for

this proposed action, which will be

made available by contacting Elizabeth

Withers at the previously identified

addresses, phone and facsimile

numbers. It will available electronically

at: http://lib-www.lanl.gov/pubs/

Environment.htm. After DOE issues the

assessment, a floodplain statement of

findings will be published in the

Federal Register.

Issued in Los Alamos, New Mexico on June

25, 2001.

David A. Gurul,

Area Manager, U.S. Department of Energy,

National Nuclear Security Administration Los

Alamos Area Office.

[FR Doc. 01–16451 Filed 6–28–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6450–01–P

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

[FE Docket No. PP–242]

Application for Presidential Permit

Maestros Group L.L.P.

AGENCY: Office of Fossil Energy, DOE.

ACTION: Notice of Application.

SUMMARY: Maestros Group L.L.P.

(Maestros) has applied for a Presidential

permit to construct, operate, maintain,

and connect a double-circuit electric

transmission line across the U.S. border

with Mexico.

DATES: Comments, protests, or requests

to intervene must be submitted on or

before July 30, 2001.

ADDRESSES: Comments, protests, or

requests to intervene should be

addressed as follows: Office of Coal &

Power Import and Export (FE–27),

Office of Fossil Energy, U.S. Department

of Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue,

SW., Washington, DC 20585–0350.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Ellen Russell (Program Office) 202–586–

9624 or Michael T. Skinker (Program

Attorney) 202–586–2793.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

construction, operation, maintenance,

and connection of facilities at the

international border of the United States

for the transmission of electric energy

between the United States and a foreign

country is prohibited in the absence of

a Presidential permit issued pursuant to

Executive Order (EO) 10485, as

amended by EO 12038.

On May 10, 2001, Maestros, an

independent power producer, filed an

application with the Office of Fossil

Energy (FE) of the Department of Energy

(DOE) for a Presidential permit.

Maestros proposes to construct a 500-

megawatt (MW) combined-cycle, natural

gas-fired powerplant in the vicinity of

Nogales, Arizona, and a double-circuit

230,000 volt (230-kV) transmission line

across the U.S. border to Nogales,

So`nora, Mexico. In Mexico, Maestros

plans to interconnect with the main

power grid of Comision Federal de

Electricidad, the national electric utility

of Mexico, and to export the electrical

output of the powerplant to Mexico. The

generating facilities are proposed to be

placed in service in late 2004; Maestros

does not propose to be interconnected

with the electric power system of the

U.S. In a related activity, outside the

jurisdiction of the DOE, Maestros

proposes to construct a 100 MW natural

gas-fired powerplant at the same site

with the electrical output dedicated to

the U.S. market.

Since restructuring of the electric

power industry began, resulting in the

introduction of different types of

competitive entities into the

marketplace, DOE has consistently

expressed its policy that cross-border

trade in electric energy should be

subject to the same principles of

comparable open access and nondiscrimination that apply to

transmission in interstate commerce.

DOE has stated that policy in export

authorizations granted to entities

requesting authority to export over

international transmission facilities.

Specifically, DOE expects transmitting

utilities owning border facilities to

34626 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 126 / Friday, June 29, 2001 / Notices

provide access across the border in

accordance with the principles of

comparable open access and nondiscrimination contained in the FPA

and articulated in Federal Energy

Regulatory Commission Order No. 888

(Promotion Wholesale Competition

Through Open Access NonDiscriminatory Transmission Services

by Public utilities; FERC Stats. & Regs.

¶ 31,036 (1996)), as amended. In

furtherance of this policy, on July 27,

1999, (64 FR 40586) DOE initiated a

proceeding in which it noticed its

intention to condition existing and

future Presidential permits, appropriate

for third party transmission, on

compliance with a requirement to

provide non-discriminatory open access

transmission service. That proceeding is

not yet complete. However, in this

docket DOE specifically requests

comment on the appropriateness of

applying the open access requirement

on Maestros’ proposed facilities.

Procedural Matters: Any person

desiring to become a party to this

proceeding or to be heard by filing

comments or protests to this application

should file a petition to intervene,

comment or protest at the address

provided above in accordance with

§§ 385.211 or 385.214 of the FERC’s

Rules of Practice and Procedures (18

CFR 385.211, 385.214). Fifteen copies of

each petition and protest should be filed

with the DOE on or before the date

listed above.

Additional copies of such petitions to

intervene or protests also should be

filed directly with: Hugh Holub,

Maestros Group L.L.C., 1881 N. Mastick

Way, Suite 400, Nogales, AZ 85621.

Before a Presidential permit may be

issued or amended, the DOE must

determine that the proposed action will

not adversely impact on the reliability

of the U.S. electric power supply

system. In addition, DOE must consider

the environmental impacts of the

proposed action (i.e., granting the

Presidential permit, with any conditions

and limitations, or denying the permit)

pursuant to the National Environmental

Policy Act of 1969. DOE also must

obtain the concurrence of the Secretary

of State and the Secretary of Defense

before taking final action on a

Presidential permit application.

Copies of this application will be

made available, upon request, for public

inspection and copying at the address

provided above. In addition, the

application may be reviewed or

downloaded from the Fossil Energy

Home Page at: http://

www.FE.DOE.GOV. Upon reaching the

Fossil Energy Home page, select

‘‘Electricity’’ from the options menu,

and then ‘‘Pending Proceedings.’’

Issued in Washington, DC, on June 21,

2001.

Anthony J. Como,

Deputy Director, Electric Power Regulation,

Office of Coal & Power Systems, Office of

Coal & Power Import/Export, Office of Fossil

Energy.

[FR Doc. 01–16113 Filed 6–28–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6450–01–P

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory

Commission

[Docket No. ER01–2354–000]

Bangor Hydro-Electric Company;

Notice of Filing

June 25, 2001.

Take notice that on June 15, 2001,

pursuant to Section 2.11 of the

Settlement Agreement filed on

November 1, 2000, in Docket No. ER00–

980–000, and accepted and modified by

the Federal Energy Regulatory

Commission (Commission) on February

26, 2001, Bangor-Hydro Electric

Company (Bangor Hydro) submits this

informational filing showing the

implementation of Bangor Hydro’s open

access transmission tariff formula rate

for the charges that became effective on

June 1, 2001.

Copies of this filing were sent to

Bangor Hydro’s open access

transmission tariff customers that have

requested to receive a copy (Indeck

Maine Energy, L.L.C.), the Commission

Trial Staff, the Maine Public Utilities

Commission, and the Maine Public

Advocate.

Any person desiring to be heard or to

protest such filing should file a motion

to intervene or protest with the Federal

Energy Regulatory Commission, 888

First Street, NE., Washington, DC 20426,

in accordance with Rules 211 and 214

of the Commission’s Rules of Practice

and Procedure (18 CFR 385.211 and

385.214). All such motions and protests

should be filed on or before July 6, 2001.

Protests will be considered by the

Commission to determine the

appropriate action to be taken, but will

not serve to make protestants parties to

the proceedings. Any person wishing to

become a party must file a motion to

intervene. Copies of this filing are on

file with the Commission and are

available for public inspection. This

filing may also be viewed on the

Internet at http://www.ferc.fed.us/

online/rims.htm (call 202–208–2222 for

assistance). Comments, protests and

interventions may be filed electronically

via the internet in lieu of paper. See, 18

CFR 385.2001(a)(1)(iii) and the

instructions on the Commission’s web

site at http://www.ferc.fed.us/efi/

doorbell.htm.

Linwood A. Watson, Jr.,

Acting Secretary.

[FR Doc. 01–16418 Filed 6–28–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6717–01–M

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory

Commission

[Docket No. CP01–390–000]

Egan Hub Partners, L.P.; Notice of

Request Under Blanket Authorization

June 25, 2001.

Take notice that on June 18, 2001,

Egan Hub Partners, L.P. (Egan Hub),

5400 Westheimer Court, Houston, Texas

77056, filed a request with the

Commission in Docket No. CP01–390–

000, pursuant to Sections 157.205 and

157.208 of the Commission’s

Regulations under the Natural Gas Act

(NGA), for authorization to construct

and operate facilities under Egan Hub’s

blanket certificate, issued in Docket No.

CP96–199–000, in Acadia and

Evangeline Parishes, Louisiana to

interconnect with the mainline systems

of Texas Eastern Transmission, LP

(Texas Eastern) and Florida Gas

Transmission Company (Florida Gas),

all as more fully set forth in the request

on file with the Commission and open

to public inspection. This filing may be

viewed on the web at http://

www.ferc.fed.us/online/rims.htm (call

202–208–2222 for assistance).

Specifically, Egan Hub requests

authorization to: (i) construct, own,

operate, and maintain a new 21.34-mile,

24-inch diameter pipeline that will

originate at the existing Egan Hub

storage facilities in Acadia Parish,

Louisiana and terminate at a proposed

interconnect with Texas Eastern in

Evangeline Parish; (ii) construct and

own a new meter and regulator station

and interconnect facilities at an

interconnection with Texas Eastern in

Evangeline Parish; and (iii) construct

and own a new meter and regulator

station and interconnect facilities at an

interconnection with Florida Gas in

Acadia Parish. The Texas Eastern M&R

Station and Florida Gas M&R Station

will be located on property owned by

Egan Hub and will be operated and

maintained by Texas Eastern and

Florida Gas, respectively, pursuant to

their Operation and Maintenance

Agreements with Egan Hub. The