
[Federal Register: October 26, 2009 (Volume 74, Number 205)]
[Notices]               
[Page 54982]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr26oc09-56]                         

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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 13556-000]

 
Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation; Notice 
of Competing Preliminary Permit Application Accepted for Filing and 
Soliciting Comments and Motions To Intervene

October 19, 2009.
    On July 16, 2009, the Montana Department of Natural Resources and 
Conservation (MDNRC) filed an application for a preliminary permit, 
pursuant to section 4(f) of the Federal Power Act, proposing to study 
the feasibility of the Tongue River Power Project, which would be 
located at the existing Tongue River Reservoir Dam on the Tongue River, 
in Big Horn County, Montana. The sole purpose of a preliminary permit, 
if issued, is to grant the permit holder priority to file a license 
application during the permit term. A preliminary permit does not 
authorize the permit holder to perform any land disturbing activities 
or otherwise enter upon lands or waters owned by others without the 
owners' express permission.
    The proposed project would use the existing 93-foot-high, 1,824-
foot-long earthen dam with spillway, and the existing 765-foot-long, 
16-foot-diameter horseshoe-shaped auxiliary outlet conduit. MDNRC 
proposes to construct and install: (1) A new 8-foot-diameter, 765-foot-
long steel liner in the existing auxiliary outlet conduit; (2) a new 8-
foot-diameter, 400-foot-long steel penstock extending to a bifurcation; 
(3) a new 8-foot-diameter, 60-foot-long steel penstock extending from 
the bifurcation to the powerhouse; (4) a new 8-foot-diameter, 60-foot-
long steel conduit extending from the bifurcation to an energy 
dissipation structure for excess flows and bypass during turbine 
outages; (5) a new powerhouse containing two generating units with a 
combined installed capacity of 3,000 kilowatts, discharging flows into 
the Tongue River; (6) a new substation next to the powerhouse; (7) a 
new 25-kilovolt, 0.75-mile-long transmission line; (8) a new switchyard 
at the interconnection point with the local grid; and (9) appurtenant 
facilities. The proposed project would have an average annual 
generation of 11.5 gigawatt-hours.
    Applicant Contact: Kevin Smith, State Water Projects Bureau, 
Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, 1424 9th 
Ave., P.O. Box 201601, Helena, MT 59620-1601; phone: (406) 444-6646.
    FERC Contact: Dianne Rodman, (202) 502-6077.
    Competing Application: This application competes with Project No. 
13372-000 filed February 12, 2009. The April 23, 2009 notice for 
Project No. 13372-000 established a June 22, 2009 deadline for filing 
competing applications and notices of intent to file a competing 
application. MDNRC's notice of intent to file a competing application 
was timely filed on June 2, 2009, and its competing application was 
timely filed on July 16, 2009.
    Deadline for filing comments and motions to intervene: 60 days from 
the issuance of this notice. Comments and motions to intervene may be 
filed electronically via the Internet. See 18 CFR 385.2001(a)(1)(iii) 
and the instructions on the Commission's Web site (http://www.ferc.gov/
docs-filing/ferconline.asp) under the ``eFiling'' link. For a simpler 
method of submitting text only comments, click on ``Quick Comment.'' 
For assistance, please contact FERC Online Support at 
FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov; call toll-free at (866) 208-3676; or, for 
TTY, contact (202) 502-8659. Although the Commission strongly 
encourages electronic filing, documents may also be paper-filed. To 
paper-file, mail an original and eight copies to: Kimberly D. Bose, 
Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street, NE., 
Washington, DC 20426.
    More information about this project, including a copy of the 
application, can be viewed or printed on the ``eLibrary'' link of 
Commission's Web site at http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/elibrary.asp. 
Enter the docket number (P-13556) in the docket number field to access 
the document. For assistance, contact FERC Online Support.

Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E9-25619 Filed 10-23-09; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6717-01-P
