[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 189 (Tuesday, September 29, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60990-60991]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-21459]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CD20-8-000]


InPipe Energy; Notice of Preliminary Determination of a 
Qualifying Conduit Hydropower Facility and Soliciting Comments and 
Motions To Intervene

    On September 22, 2020, InPipe Energy filed a notice of intent to 
construct a qualifying conduit hydropower facility, pursuant to section 
30 of the Federal Power Act (FPA). The proposed Piedmont Temporary 
Regulator Pressure Recovery Project would have an installed capacity of 
30 kilowatts (kW), and would be located along an existing municipal 
water pipeline in the city of Piedmont, Alameda County, California.
    Applicant Contact: Gregg Semler, 222 NW 8th Ave, Portland, Oregon 
97209, Phone No. (503) 341-0004, Email: gregg@inpipeenergy.com.
    FERC Contact: Christopher Chaney, Phone No. (202) 502-6778, Email: 
christopher.chaney@ferc.gov.
    Qualifying Conduit Hydropower Facility Description: The proposed 
project would consist of: (1) One 30-kW turbine-generator within a 13-
foot by 5-foot by 5-foot fiberglass enclosure at the Piedmont Temporary 
Regulator; and (2) appurtenant facilities. The proposed project would 
have an estimated annual generation of approximately 125 megawatt-
hours.
    A qualifying conduit hydropower facility is one that is determined 
or deemed to meet all the criteria shown in the table below.

                          Table 1--Criteria for Qualifying Conduit Hydropower Facility
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                                                                                                    Satisfies (Y/
              Statutory provision                                   Description                          N)
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FPA 30(a)(3)(A)................................  The conduit the facility uses is a tunnel, canal,            Y
                                                  pipeline, aqueduct, flume, ditch, or similar
                                                  manmade water conveyance that is operated for
                                                  the distribution of water for agricultural,
                                                  municipal, or industrial consumption and not
                                                  primarily for the generation of electricity.
FPA 30(a)(3)(C)(i).............................  The facility is constructed, operated, or                    Y
                                                  maintained for the generation of electric power
                                                  and uses for such generation only the
                                                  hydroelectric potential of a non-federally owned
                                                  conduit.
FPA 30(a)(3)(C)(ii)............................  The facility has an installed capacity that does             Y
                                                  not exceed 40 megawatts.
FPA 30(a)(3)(C)(iii)...........................  On or before August 9, 2013, the facility is not             Y
                                                  licensed, or exempted from the licensing
                                                  requirements of Part I of the FPA.
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    Preliminary Determination: The proposed Piedmont Temporary 
Regulator Pressure Recovery Project will not alter the primary purpose 
of the conduit, which is used to distribute potable water within the 
city of Piedmont's municipal water supply system. Therefore, based upon 
the above criteria, Commission staff preliminarily determines that the 
proposal satisfies the requirements for a qualifying conduit hydropower 
facility, which is not required to be licensed or exempted from 
licensing.
    Comments and Motions to Intervene: Deadline for filing comments 
contesting whether the facility meets the qualifying criteria is 30 
days from the issuance date of this notice. Deadline for filing motions 
to intervene is 30 days from the issuance date of this notice. Anyone 
may submit comments or a motion to intervene in accordance with the 
requirements of Rules of Practice and Procedure, 18 CFR 385.210 and 
385.214. Any motions to intervene must be received on or before the 
specified deadline date for the particular proceeding.
    Filing and Service of Responsive Documents: All filings must (1) 
bear in all capital letters the COMMENTS CONTESTING QUALIFICATION FOR A 
CONDUIT HYDROPOWER FACILITY or MOTION TO INTERVENE, as applicable; (2) 
state in the heading the name of the applicant and the project number 
of the application to which the filing responds; (3) state the name, 
address, and telephone number of the person filing; and (4) otherwise 
comply with the requirements of sections 385.2001 through 385.2005 of 
the Commission's regulations.\1\ All comments contesting Commission 
staff's preliminary determination that the facility meets the 
qualifying criteria must set forth their evidentiary basis.
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    \1\ 18 CFR 385.2001-2005 (2020).
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    The Commission strongly encourages electronic filing. Please file 
motions to intervene and comments using the Commission's eFiling system 
at http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/efiling.asp. Commenters can submit 
brief comments up to 6,000 characters, without prior registration, 
using the eComment system at http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/ecomment.asp. You must include your name and contact information at the 
end of your comments. For assistance, please contact FERC Online 
Support at FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov, (866)

[[Page 60991]]

208-3676 (toll free), or (202) 502-8659 (TTY). In lieu of electronic 
filing, you may send a paper copy. Submissions sent via the U.S. Postal 
Service must be addressed to: Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal 
Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE, Room 1A, Washington, 
DC 20426. Submissions sent via any other carrier must be addressed to: 
Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 
12225 Wilkins Avenue, Rockville, MD 20852. 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 385.2010.
    Locations of Notice of Intent: The Commission provides all 
interested persons an opportunity to view and/or print the contents of 
this document via the internet through the Commission's website at 
http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/elibrary.asp. Enter the docket number 
(i.e., CD20-8) in the docket number field to access the document. You 
may also register online at http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/esubscription.asp to be notified via email of new filings and issuances 
related to this or other pending projects. Copies of the notice of 
intent can be obtained directly from the applicant. At this time, the 
Commission has suspended access to the Commission's Public Reference 
Room due to the proclamation declaring a National Emergency concerning 
the Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19), issued by the President on 
March 13, 2020. For assistance, call toll-free 1-866-208-3676 or email 
FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov. For TTY, call (202) 502-8659.

    Dated: September 23, 2020.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2020-21459 Filed 9-28-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P


