Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 245 / Thursday, December 20, 2001 / Notices 65697

CIPS helpline can be reached at (202)

208–2474.

Linwood A. Watson Jr.,

Acting Secretary.

[FR Doc. 01–31309 Filed 12–19–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6717–01–P

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory

Commission

[Docket No. CP02–31–000]

Iroquois Gas Transmission System,

L.P.; Notice of Intent To Prepare an

Environmental Assessment and

Request for Comments

December 14, 2001.

On November 20, 2001, Iroquois Gas

Transmission System, L.P., (Iroquois)

filed an application to construct and to

operate a new compressor station at

Brookfield, Connecticut. Iroquois’

application was filed with the

Commission under Section 7 of the

Natural Gas Act and Part 157 of the

Commission’s regulations. The

application was noticed on November

29, 2001. On December 5, 2001,

Commission staff conducted a site visit

and met with numerous Brookfield

property owners. Based on review of the

application, the site visit, and comments

received during the site visit, we have

decided to prepare an environmental

assessment (EA) to evaluate the

environmental impacts of the proposed

project. Comments received in response

to this notice will be used in a scoping

process to identify the issues to be

evaluated in the EA. The Commission

will consider the EA prior to taking any

final action on the application.

Summary of the Proposed Project

Iroquois requests authorization to

construct and to operate a compressor

station near an existing meter station on

High Meadow Road, in the county of

Fairfield, in Brookfield , Connecticut.

Iroquois has an option to purchase a 65

acre parcel bounded by High Meadow

Road, an existing meter station,

residential property, Whisconier Middle

School, railroad tracks, and a pond. On

that parcel, Iroquois would install or

construct:

• a new 10,000 horsepower

compressor;

• a turbo-compressor building and 3

additional control/monitoring/

maintenance buildings;

• a 500-foot long access road;

• security fence;

• water well; and septic system.

All proposed construction would

occur either on the 65-acre parcel

described above or on the existing 3.3

acre meter station, owned by Iroquois.

The EA Process

The National Environmental Policy

Act (NEPA) requires the Commission to

take into account the environmental

impacts that could result from an action

whenever it considers the issuance of a

Certificate of Public Convenience and

Necessity. NEPA also requires

Commission staff to discover and

address concerns the public may have

about proposals. This is called

‘‘scoping’’. The main goal of the scoping

process is to focus the analysis in the

EA on the important environmental

issues. By this Notice of Intent, the

Commission requests public comments

on the scope of the issues to be

addressed in the EA. All comments

received are considered during the

preparation of the EA. State and local

government representatives are

encouraged to notify their constituents

of this proposed action and to encourage

them to comment on their areas of

concern.

We have already identified several

issues that we think deserve attention

based on our preliminary review. This

list may change based on receipt of

additional information and comments.

• Any potential threat of operation of

the compressor station to life, health,

and property at Whisconier Middle

School and adjoining properties.

• Noise from compressor operation

and system blow downs.

• Visual compatibility of existing and

proposed structures with local

architecture and visual setting.

• Visual screening of existing and

proposed facilities.

• Degradation of local air quality and

the potential for formation of a steam

plume from the cooling vents.

• Design constraints that limit the

potential location of alternative sites.

• Impacts of construction and

operation to property values in the

adjoining community.

By this notice, Iroquois is encouraged

to provide any additional information

regarding the above issues to

supplement its application by the close

of the comment period described in the

public participation section.

The EA will also evaluate possible

alternatives to the proposed project and

make recommendations on how to

lessen or avoid impacts. An

independent analysis of issues will be

in the EA. Depending on the comments

received during the scoping process, the

EA may be published and mailed to

federal, state, and local agencies, public

groups, interested individuals, affected

landowners, newspapers, libraries, and

the Commission’s official service list for

this proceeding. A comment period will

be allotted for review if the EA is

published. We will consider all

comments on the EA before we make

our recommendations to the

Commission.

To ensure your comments are

considered, please carefully follow the

instructions in the section that follows.

Public Participation

Your comments are requested. To

ensure that your comments are

addressed in the EA, we request that

you file your environmental comments

with the Commission as directed below:

• Send an original and two copies of

your letter to Linwood Watson, Jr.,

Acting Secretary, Federal Energy

Regulatory Commission, 888 First

Street, NE, Room 1A Washington, DC

20426.

• Label one copy for the attention of

GHG.

• Reference Docket No. CP02–31–000

in the cover letter.

• Mail your comments so that they

are received on or before January 18,

2002.

Comments may also 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.gov under the ‘‘efiling’’ link

and the link to the User’s Guide.

Becoming an Intervenor

In addition to involvement in the EA

scoping process, you may want to

become a party to the proceeding known

as an ‘‘intervenor’’. Intervenors have the

right to receive copies of material filed

with the Commission and any caserelated issuances by the Commission.

Further, an intervenor also has the right

to request rehearing on the

Commission’s decision. An intervenor

has certain responsibilities including,

providing 14 copies of its filings to the

Secretary of the Commission and must

send a copy of its filings to the applicant

and all other parties that intervened in

the proceeding (Commission’s service

list). If you want to become an

intervenor, you must file a motion to

intervene according to Rule 214 of the

Commission’s Rules of Practices and

Procedure (18 CFR 385.214). Requests to

intervene may also be filed

electronically.

Affected landowners and parties with

environmental concerns may be granted

intervenor status upon showing clear

and direct interest in this proceeding

which would not be adequately

represented by any other parties. You do

not need to be an intervenor to have

65698 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 245 / Thursday, December 20, 2001 / Notices

1For assistance call (202) 208–2222.

2For assistance call (202) 208–2474.

your environmental comments

considered.

Additional Information

Additional information about the

proposed project may be available from

the Commission’s Office of External

Affairs at (202) 208–1088. Copies of the

application and any case-specific filings

or issuances are available on the FERC

website (www.ferc.gov) at the RIMS 1 or

CIPS 2 links, using Docket No. CP02–31.

Linwood A. Watson, Jr.,

Acting Secretary.

[FR Doc. 01–31310 Filed 12–19–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6717–01–P

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory

Commission

Notice of Application for Surrender of

Exemption and Soliciting Comments,

Motions To Intervene, and Protests

December 14, 2001.

Take notice that the following

hydroelectric application has been filed

with the Commission and is available

for public inspection:

a. Application Type: Surrender of

Exemption.

b. Project No.: 7662–016.

c. Date Filed: April 6, 2001.

d. Applicant: Reading Area Water

Authority (RAWA or Authority).

e. Name and Description of Project:

The existing Ontelaunee Hydroelectric

Project consists of: (1) a 550-foot-long

and 56-foot-high concrete gravity ogee

spillway, Ontelaunee Dam, and

adjoining 3,200-foot-long earth

embankment; (2) 1,350-acre Ontelaunee

Lake with a normal water elevation of

304 feet (City of Reading Datum) and a

storage capacity of 11,600 acre-feet; (3)

a 110-foot-long and 4-foot-diameter steel

penstock , a 90-foot-long and 6-footdiameter penstock, and a 7,920-footlong and 6.75-foot-diameter concrete

tunnel; (4) a reinforced concrete

powerhouse, located at the spillway toe

adjacent to the right abutment, with no

installed capacity; (5) a 300-foot-long

tailrace channel; (6) a generating unit

with an installed capacity of 37 kW

located within the exemptee’s

Maidencreek filter plant; and (7) other

appurtenances.

The Commission’s Division of Dam

Safety and Inspections (D2SI) has

determined that there are no

outstanding dam safety issues or any

outstanding compliance issues

involving dam safety matters pending

before the Commission at the subject

project. Consequently, D2SI concludes

that it does not have any dam safety

related requirements. After the issuance

of any Commission order approving the

proposed surrender, the State of

Pennsylvania Department of

Environmental Protection, Bureau of

Waterways Engineering, Division of

Dam Safety would be responsible for

regulating the project.

RAWA proposes: (1) to decommission

the 40-kilowatt unit within its

Maidencreek Filter Plant; (2) to avoid

entrainment of fish into the municipal

water system by continuing to maintain

and inspect annually the existing fish

net at the intake; (3) to provide

recreational opportunities by continuing

to maintain the Authority’s two existing

picnic areas, which provide, in total,

parking for approximately 75 vehicles,

15 large tables, and 12 cooking grills;

and (4) to maintain the project’s current

conservation releases (minimum flows)

from Ontelaunee Dam to Maiden Creek.

These releases are provided as follows:

51 cubic feet per second (cfs) if the level

of the reservoir is greater than 302 feet;

36 cfs if the reservoir level is between

300 and 302 feet; and 27 cfs if the level

of the reservoir is under 300 feet. To

ensure proper maintenance of these

conservation releases, the Authority

intends to install accurate measuring

and recording devices.

f. Location: The project is located on

Lake Ontelaunee and Maiden Creek in

Berks County, Pennsylvania.

g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power

Act, 16 U.S.C. 791(a)–825(r).

h. Applicant’s Contact: Mr. Anthony

J. Consentino, Executive Director,

Reading Area Water Authority, 815

Washington Street, Reading, PA 19601;

Telephone (610) 655–6253.

i. FERC Contact: James Haimes at

(202) 219–2780; or e-mail at

james.haimes@ferc.fed.us j. Deadline for

filing comments and or motions: 30

days from the issuance date of this

notice.

The Commission’s Rules of Practice

and Procedure require all interveners

filing documents with the Commission

to serve a copy of that document on the

official service list for the project.

Further, if an intervener files comments

or documents with the Commission

relating to the merits of an issue that

may affect the responsibilities of a

particular resource agency, the

intervener also must serve a copy of the

document on that resource agency.

All documents (original and eight

copies) should be filed with: Linwood

A. Watson, Jr., Acting Secretary, Federal

Energy Regulatory Commission, 888

First Street, NE, Washington, DC 20426.

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 under the

‘‘e-Filing’’ link.

Please include the project number (P–

7662–016) on any comments or motions

filed.

k. Description of Proposed Action:

RAWA proposes to decommission its

entire exempted project, and to cease

power production at its Maidencreek

Filter Plant, located 1.5 miles

downstream from Lake Ontelaunee.

l. Locations of the Application: A

copy of the application is available for

inspection and reproduction at the

Commission’s Public Reference Room,

located at 888 First Street NE, Room 2A,

Washington, DC 20426, or by calling

(202) 208–1371. Copies of this filing are

on file with the Commission and are

available for public inspection. This

filing may also be viewed on the web at

http://www.ferc.gov using the ‘‘RIMS’’

link, select ‘‘Docketι’’ and follow the

instructions (call 202–208–2222 for

assistance). A copy is also available for

inspection and reproduction at the

address in item h, above.

m. Individuals desiring to be included

on the Commission’s mailing list for the

Ontelaunee Hydroelectric Project, No.

7662, should so indicate by writing to

the Secretary of the Commission.

n. Comments, Protests, or Motions to

Intervene—Anyone may submit

comments, a protest, or a motion to

intervene in accordance with the

requirements of Rules of Practice and

Procedure, 18 CFR 385.210, .211, .214.

In determining the appropriate action to

take, the Commission will consider all

protests or other comments filed, but

only those who file a motion to

intervene in accordance with the

Commission’s Rules may become a

party to the proceeding. Any comments,

protests, or motions to intervene must

be received on or before the specified

comment date for the subject

application.

o. Filing and Service of Responsive

Documents—Any filings must bear in

all capital letters the title

‘‘COMMENTS’’, ‘‘PROTEST’’, OR

‘‘MOTION TO INTERVENE’’, as

applicable, and the project name and

number, ‘‘Ontelaunee Hydroelectric

Project Surrender of Exemption, No.

7662–016’’. Any of the above-named

documents must be filed by providing

the original and the number of copies

provided by the Commission’s

regulations to: The Secretary, Federal

Energy Regulatory Commission, 888

First Street, NE, Washington, DC 20426.