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.

Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 245 / Thursday, December 20, 2001 / Notices 65699

A copy of any motion to intervene must

also be served upon the representative

of the RAWA specified in item h, above.

p. Agency Comments—Federal, state,

and local agencies are invited to file

comments on the subject application for

surrender of exemption. If an agency

does not file comments within the time

specified for filing comments, it will be

presumed to have no comments. One

copy of an agency’s comments must also

be sent to the Applicant’s representative

listed in item h, above.

Linwood A. Watson, Jr.,

Acting Secretary.

[FR Doc. 01–31311 Filed 12–19–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6717–01–P

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Western Area Power Administration

Los Banos-Gates Transmission Project

AGENCY: Western Area Power

Administration, DOE.

ACTION: Record of decision.

SUMMARY: The Department of Energy

(DOE), Western Area Power

Administration (Western), has decided

to construct the Los Banos-Gates

Transmission Project (Project) through a

public/private partnership. Electric

power transmission constraints along

this path have contributed to blackouts

in California. The Project will relieve

these constraints.

This Record of Decision (ROD) is

based on the information, analysis, and

public comment received on the Final

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)

for the California-Oregon Transmission

Project (DOE/EIS–0128, 1988) (Final

EIS), its associated Draft EIS, and the

Supplement Analysis (SA) for the

Project (DOE/EIS–0128–SA–01, August

24, 2001). Based on the findings on the

SA, Western has determined that further

National Environmental Policy Act

(NEPA) documentation is not required.

The Project, also known as Path 15,

consists of approximately 84 miles of

new 500-kilovolt (kV) transmission line

in California’s western San Joaquin

Valley, starting at the existing Los Banos

Substation near Los Banos in Merced

County and extending generally south

southeastward to the existing Gates

Substation near Coalinga in Fresno

County. The Project will also require

modifications to some existing highvoltage transmission equipment.

Copies of the pertinent volumes of the

Draft EIS (DOE/EIS–0128, 1986) and the

SA can be reviewed on Western’s Web

site http://www.wapa.gov/SN/

path15links or obtained by calling toll

free (866) 290–9686. A Mitigation

Action Plan (MAP) will be developed

and when completed, will be available

on the Web site or by calling the same

toll free number.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr.

Thomas R. Boyko, The Project Manager,

Sierra Nevada Customer Service Region,

Western Area Power Administration,

114 Parkshore Drive, Folsom, CA 95630,

telephone (866) 290–9686, E-mail

Path15@wapa.gov. For information

about the Department of Energy NEPA

process, contact Ms. Carol M.

Borgstrom, Director, NEPA Policy and

Compliance, EH–42, U.S. Department of

Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue

SW., Washington, DC 20585, telephone

(202) 586–4600 or (800) 472–2756.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Title III of

the Energy and Water Development

Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 1985

(Pub. L 98–380) authorized the

Secretary of Energy (Secretary), through

Western, to construct or participate in

the construction of additional facilities

as the Secretary deems necessary to

allow mutually beneficial power sales

between the Pacific Northwest and

California. In 1985, a group of California

public and private utilities and Western

developed a Memorandum of

Understanding (MOU) that provided a

framework for the proposed

development of the California-Oregon

Transmission Project (COTP) and the

Los Banos-Gates Transmission Project.

The Final EIS for the California-Oregon

Transmission Project and the Los BanosGates Transmission Project (DOE/EIS–

0128, 1988) (Final EIS) was issued in

1988. A ROD for construction of the

COTP was issued in 1988 (53 FR 17749,

May 18, 1988), and the COTP was built

and placed into service in 1993. The

Project was not built at that time

because, as stated in the COTP ROD,

Pacific Gas and Electric Company

(PG&E) could meet its obligations in the

MOU without construction of the

Project. Now, due to the need for

additional operational flexibility and

capacity between Northern and

Southern California, and with

increasing energy demands in Northern

California, the Project has been

reconsidered.

In May 2001, Secretary of Energy

Spencer Abraham directed Western to

take the first steps, including the

preparation of environmental studies,

toward developing the Project. This

directive was issued based on a

recommendation in the National Energy

Policy, issued on May 17, 2001 (http:/

/www.whitehouse.gov/energy). Western

issued a Request for Statements of

Interest in the Federal Register on June

13, 2001, to solicit interest from parties

to help finance, construct, and co-own

the system additions. Thirteen

statements of interest were received by

the deadline established in the Federal

Register notice and evaluated. The

Secretary announced on October 18,

2001, that Western would enter into a

MOU with qualified private and public

parties to finance, construct, and coown the system additions. These

companies are Kinder Morgan Power

Company, PG&E, PG&E National Energy

Group, Inc., Transmission Agency of

Northern California, Trans-Elect,

Western’s Sierra Nevada Region

Marketing function, and the Williams

Energy Marketing and Trading

Company.

Western and PG&E have been

exploring the construction of the Project

under separate processes. At the request

of the California Public Utilities

Commission (CPUC), PG&E submitted a

conditional Certificate of Public

Convenience and Necessity (CPCN)

application to construct the Project on

April 13, 2001. The CPCN process

examines the environmental impacts of

the the Project under the California

Environmental Quality Act and will

determine if it is economically feasible

for PG&E ratepayers to pay for the

construction, operation, and

maintenance of the Project. The Draft

Supplemental Environmental Impact

Report (SEIR) was released on October

5, 2001. A final decision is expected by

the CPUC in March 2002.

Since the Final EIS was prepared back

in 1988, Western chose to prepare an SA

for the Project (DOE/EIS–0128–SA–01,

August 24, 2001) to determine whether

a supplemental EIS was required. The

purpose of the SA was to determine if

there are any substantial changes in the

proposed action that are relevant to

environmental concerns or if there are

significant new circumstances or

information relevant to environmental

concerns and bearing on the proposed

action or its impacts (10 CFR

1021.314(c) and 40 CFR 1502.9 (c)(1)(i)

and (ii)). The SA was based on a review

of the Draft and Final EIS environmental

analysis and supporting documents, and

an update of the information using

current data available for the Project, the

Project area, and its resources.

The SA did not identify any

significant new circumstances or

information relevant to environmental

concerns identified in the Final EIS.

Based on the findings of the SA,

Western has determined that further

NEPA documentation is not required

before making a decision on the Project.

Full implementation of this ROD is

contingent upon: (1) Completion of