

[Federal Register: March 12, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 47)]
[Notices]               
[Page 11024-11025]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr12mr07-100]                         

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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 2301-022]

 
PPL Montana; Notice of Application Accepted for Filing, 
Soliciting Motions To Intervene and Protests, Ready for Environmental 
Analysis, and Soliciting Comments, Recommendations, Preliminary Terms 
and Conditons, and Preliminary Fishway Prescriptions

March 5, 2007.
    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.: P-2301-022.
    c. Date filed: December 15, 2006.
    d. Applicant: PPL Montana.
    e. Name of Project: Mystic Lake Hydroelectric Project.
    f. Location: The existing project is located on West Rosebud Creek 
in Stillwater and Carbon Counties, Montana. The project occupies about 
674 acres of federal lands in the Custard National Forest managed by 
the U.S. Forest Service.
    g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act 16 U.S.C. 791(a)-825(r).
    h. Applicant Contact: Jon Jourdonnais, PPL Montana, 45 Basin Creek 
Road, Butte, MT 59701; Telephone (406) 533-3443; e-mail 
jhjourdonnais@pplweb.com. Additional information on this project is 

available on the applicant's Web site: http://www.mysticlakeproject.com.
    i. FERC Contact: Steve Hocking, Telephone (202) 502-8753; e-mail steve.hocking@ferc.gov. Additional information on Federal Energy 

Regulatory Commission (FERC) hydroelectric projects is available on 
FERC's Web site: http://www.ferc.gov/industries/hydropower.asp
    j. Deadline for filing motions to intervene and protests, comments, 

recommendations, preliminary terms and conditions, and preliminary 
fishway prescriptions is 60 days from the issuance date 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: 
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.
    Motions to intervene, protests, 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 ``e-Filing'' link.

    k. This application has been accepted for filing and is ready for 
environmental analysis.
    l. Project Description: The existing project consists of the 
following: (1) A 368-foot-long, 45-foot-high, concrete arch dam/
spillway; (2) 42-inch high timber flashboards on top of the arch 
spillway; (3) a 145-foot-long, 15-foot-high concrete core and earthfill 
dike with 1-foot-high flashboards; (4) Mystic Lake with a storage 
capacity of 47,000 acre-feet and a surface area of 446.7 acres at its 
normal maximum surface elevation of 7,673.5 feet above msl; (5) a 33-
foot-long, 7-foot-high, by 9-foot-wide concrete intake structure at the 
left abutment of the dike; (6) a conduit from the intake structure to 
the powerhouse consisting of a 1,005-foot-long rock tunnel, a 9,012-
foot-long, 57-inch steel pipeline with an inverted siphon near the mid-
point of the pipeline, a surge tank, and a 2,566-foot-long by 42 to 48-
inch diameter steel penstock; (7) a 60-foot-wide by 85-foot-long 
concrete powerhouse with two turbine-generator units with a total 
installed capacity of 11.25 megawatts; (8) two concrete tunnels that 
extend from the powerhouse into West Rosebud Creek; (9) a re-regulation 
dam about one mile downstream from the Mystic Lake powerhouse 
consisting of a 19-foot-high, 420-foot-long earthfill dike with a 
concrete spillway and flashboards; (10) West Rosebud Lake with a 
storage capacity of 470 acre-feet and a surface area of 49 acres at its 
normal maximum surface elevation of 6,397.4 feet above msl; (11) two 
5.3-mile-long, 50-kilovolt transmission lines; (12) a 9,363-foot-long 
distribution line from the powerhouse to the arch dam and a 2,068-foot-
long distribution line from the powerhouse to the surge tank; (13) an 
operator village adjacent to the powerhouse with four homes and three 
maintenance buildings; and (14) appurtenant facilities.

[[Page 11025]]

    PPL Montana currently operates the project in both base load and 
peaking modes depending on water availability, electric demands, and 
existing license constraints. Typically, from mid-May to mid-August, 
inflows exceed the project's hydraulic capacity and the project is 
operated as a base load plant, continuously generating at maximum 
capacity. During this time, flows above the project's hydraulic 
capacity are captured in Mystic Lake which is gradually raised about 15 
to 20 feet per month until it exceeds the project's current minimum 
recreation elevation of 7,663.5 feet msl. In most years, Mystic Lake is 
maintained about ten feet higher than the minimum recreation elevation 
during July and August.
    After Labor Day, PPL Montana begins to slowly draft Mystic Lake, 
reducing its elevation by an average of 8 to 9 feet per month, until 
the lake is at or near its lowest elevation of 6,512.0 feet msl by the 
end of March. Drafting the lake permits PPL Montana to release more 
water into West Rosebud Creek than otherwise would be available from 
inflows from August through March. During the fall and early winter, 
PPL Montana employs limited peaking to maximize generation during high 
use periods, generally from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. In general, flow 
changes caused by peaking do not extend further than the project's re-
regulation dam which creates West Rosebud Lake located about one mile 
downstream of the powerhouse.
    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 Web site at http://www.ferc.gov using the ``e-Library'' 

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 (866) 
208-3676, or for TTY, (202) 502-8659. A copy is also available for 
inspection and reproduction at the address in item h above.
    Register online at http://www.ferc.gov/esubscribenow.htm 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. Anyone may submit comments, a protect, 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 particular application.
    All filings must: (1) Bear in all capital letters the title 
``PROTEST,'' ``MOTION TO INTERVENE,'' ``COMMENTS,'' ``REPLY COMMENTS,'' 
``RECOMMENDATIONS,'' ``PRELIMARY TERMS AND CONDITONS,'' 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 any protest or 
motion to intervene must be served upon each representative of the 
applicant specified in the particular application. 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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Interventions, recommendations,       May 4, 2007.
 preliminary terms and conditions,
 and fishway prescriptions due.
Reply comments due..................  June 18, 2007.
FERC issues single EA (without a      August 31, 2007.
 draft).
Comments on EA due..................  October 1, 2007.
Modified terms and conditions due...  November 30, 2007.
Ready for Commission decision.......  February 2008.
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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 this notice.
    q. A license applicant must file no later than 60 days following 
the date of issuance of the notice of acceptance and ready for 
environmental analysis provided for in Sec.  5.22: (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.

Philis J. Posey,
Acting Secretary.
 [FR Doc. E7-4343 Filed 3-9-07; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6717-01-P
