Document ID: FERC-2010-0129-0001
Agency: ferc
Document Type: Notice
Title: Green Island Power Authority; Notice of Application Ready for Environmental Analysis, and Soliciting Comments, Recommendations, Preliminary Terms and Conditions, and Preliminary Fishway Prescriptions
Posted Date: 2010-01-27T05:00Z

[Federal Register: January 27, 2010 (Volume 75, Number 17)]
[Notices]               
[Page 4362-4363]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr27ja10-59]                         

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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 13-023]

 
Green Island Power Authority; Notice of Application Ready for 
Environmental Analysis, and Soliciting Comments, Recommendations, 
Preliminary Terms and Conditions, and Preliminary Fishway Prescriptions

January 20, 2010.
    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.: 13-023.
    c. Date Filed: March 2, 2009.
    d. Applicant: Green Island Power Authority.
    e. Name of Project: Green Island Hydroelectric Project.
    f. Location: The existing project is located on the Hudson River in 
Albany County, New York. The project would occupy Federal land managed 
by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
    g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act 16 U.S.C. 791(a)-825(r).
    h. Agent Contact: James A. Besha, President, Albany Engineering 
Corporation, 5 Washington Square, Albany, NY 12205; (518) 456-7712.
    i. FERC Contact: Tom Dean, (202) 502-6041.
    j. The deadline for filing comments, recommendations, preliminary 
terms and conditions, and preliminary fishway prescriptions is 60 days 
from the issuance of this notice; reply comments are due 105 days from 
the issuance date of this notice.
    All documents (original and eight copies) should be filed with: 
Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 
First Street, NE., Washington, DC 20426.
    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.
    Comments, recommendations, preliminary terms and conditions, and 
preliminary fishway prescriptions 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 
``eFiling'' link. For a simpler method of submitting text-only 
comments, click on ``Quick Comment.''
    k. This application has been accepted for filing and is ready for 
environmental analysis.
    l. Project Description: The existing Green Island Project utilizes 
the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) Green Island-Troy lock and dam 
that consists of: (1) A dam with a main spillway with a fixed crest 
elevation of 14.33 feet mean sea level (msl); (2) an auxiliary spillway 
with a crest elevation of 16.33 feet msl; and (3) a 520-foot-long, 45-
foot-wide lock.
    The Green Island Project consists of: (1) 2-foot-high pneumatic 
flashboards along the top of the main spillway with a crest elevation 
of 16.33 feet msl; (2) a 700-acre impoundment with a normal water 
surface elevation of 16.33 feet msl; (3) a bulkhead and forebay 
structure located downstream and at the west end of the Corps dam; (4) 
a powerhouse containing four 1.5 megawatt (MW) generating units with a 
total installed capacity of 6.0 MW; (5) a 34.5-kilovolt (kV) 
underground transmission cable; and (6) appurtenant facilities.
    Green Island Power Authority proposes to: (1) Lower the existing 
main spillway to a crest elevation of 12.5 feet msl, and install new 
hydraulically operated crest gates with a maximum crest gate elevation 
of 18.5 feet msl; (2) increase the auxiliary spillway elevation to 18.4 
feet msl; (3) raise the impoundment elevation to 18.4 feet msl and 
increase the impoundment size to 708 acres; (4) install a new trash 
boom extending across and upstream of the forebay; (5) expand the 
existing powerhouse to the east and west and install four new 6.0 MW 
generating units, and replace the four existing generating units with 
four new 6.0 MW generating units with a total installed capacity of 48 
MW; and (6) install a new 13.8-kV, 70-foot-long transmission line.
    On January 15, 2010, Green Island Power Authority filed a resource-
specific settlement agreement signed by it and the National Marine 
Fisheries Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the New York 
State Department of Environmental Conservation. Under the settlement 
agreement, Green Island Power Authority would: (1) Construct two new 
Denil fish ladders for upstream passage; (2) construct a new fish 
exclusion screen and downstream fish passage facility; (3) construct 
three new eel ladders for upstream passage; and (4) develop plans for 
fishway effectiveness testing and monitoring, shortnose sturgeon 
monitoring and mitigation, and water quality and streamflow monitoring.
    m. A copy of the application and settlement agreement are available 
for review at the Commission in the Public Reference Room or may be 
viewed on the Commission's Web site 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 at FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov 
or toll-free at 1-866-208-3676, or for TTY, (202) 502-8659. A copy is 
also available

[[Page 4363]]

for inspection and reproduction at the address in item (h) above.
    Register online at http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/
esubscription.asp to be notified via e-mail of new filings and 
issuances related to this or other pending projects. For assistance, 
contact FERC Online Support.
    n. 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 protesting or 
intervening; 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. A copy of 
all other filings in reference to this application must be accompanied 
by proof of service on all persons listed in the service list prepared 
by the Commission in this proceeding, in accordance with 18 CFR 4.34(b) 
and 385.2010.
    o. Procedural Schedule: The application will be processed according 
to the following Hydro Licensing Schedule. Revisions to the schedule 
may be made as appropriate.

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               Milestone                           Target date
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Notice of availability of the EA......  July 29, 2010
Filing comments on EA.................  August 30, 2010
Filing modified terms and conditions..  October 29, 2010
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    p. Final amendments to the application must be filed with the 
Commission no later than 30 days from the issuance date of the notice 
of ready for environmental analysis.
    q. A license applicant must file no later than 60 days following 
the date of issuance of the notice ready for environmental analysis 
provided for in sections 5.22 and 5.23: (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.

Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2010-1531 Filed 1-26-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P