[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 172 (Friday, September 4, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 53509-53510]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-21985]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Project No. 14655-000]
Cat Creek Energy, LLC; Notice of Preliminary Permit Application
Accepted for Filing and Soliciting Comments, Motions To Intervene, and
Competing Applications
On December 12, 2014, Cat Creek Energy, LLC (Cat Creek) filed an
application for a preliminary permit, pursuant to section 4(f) of the
Federal Power Act, proposing to study the feasibility of the Cat Creek
Energy Generation Facility Pumped Storage Hydroelectric Project (Cat
Creek project). The project would be located at the US Bureau of
Reclamation's (Reclamation) Anderson Ranch reservoir \1\ on the South
Fork of the Boise River near Mountain Home in Elmore County, Idaho.
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\1\ On November 24, 2014, Owyhee Hydro, LLC also filed a
preliminary permit to use the Anderson Ranch reservoir as a lower
reservoir for the Anderson Ranch Pumped Storage Hydroelectric
Project (P-14648), and thus may be competing for the same water
resource.
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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.
On December 19, 2014, the Commission asked Reclamation to confirm
that non-federal development is authorized at the Anderson Ranch site.
On January 30, 2015, Reclamation responded stating that it retains
jurisdiction over hydropower development at the Anderson Ranch dam,
reservoir, and powerhouse, which are part of Reclamation's Boise
Project. On June 8, 2015, the Commission responded and agreed with
Reclamation's jurisdictional decision over hydropower development at
the Boise Project's Anderson Ranch dam, powerhouse, and reservoir.
However, the Commission would retain jurisdiction for hydropower
facilities that would be located outside of Reclamation's development.
Thus, an entity seeking to build a hydropower project that would use
Reclamation's Boise Project facilities would need to obtain a lease of
power privilege from Reclamation, but it also would need to obtain a
license from the Commission for those facilities of the hydropower
project that are not under Reclamation's jurisdiction.
On August 21, 2015, Cat Creek filed minor revisions to the original
Cat Creek project permit application. The revised Cat Creek project
would use the existing Anderson Ranch reservoir, and would consist of
the following new facilities: (1) A 3.4-mile-long, 80-foot-high earthen
dam; (2) a 38,000-acre-foot impoundment as an upper reservoir; (3) two,
5,600-foot-long, 22-foot-diameter steel penstocks; (4) two, 100-foot-
diameter concrete silos; (5) two, 200-megawatt vertical Francis
turbines/generators; (6) an 8.0-mile-long, 230- kilovolt transmission
line interconnecting with the existing Bonneville Power Administration
Dixie Substation; (7) an approximately 3.6-mile-long access road; and
(8) appurtenant facilities. The estimated annual generation of the Cat
Creek project would be 1,401.6 gigawatt-hours.
Applicant Contact for the Cat Creek project: Nicholas Josten, Cat
Creek Energy, LLC, 1989 South 1875 East, Gooding, ID 83330; phone:
(208) 954-5090.
FERC Contact: Karen Sughrue; phone: (202) 502-8556.
Deadline for filing comments, motions to intervene, competing
applications (without notices of intent), or notices of intent to file
competing applications: 60 days from the issuance of this notice.
Competing applications and notices of intent must meet the requirements
of 18 CFR 4.36.
[[Page 53510]]
The Commission strongly encourages electronic filing. Please file
comments, motions to intervene, notices of intent, and competing
applications 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
[email protected], (866) 208-3676 (toll free), or (202) 502-
8659 (TTY). In lieu of electronic filing, please send a paper copy to:
Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE.,
Washington, DC 20426. The first page of any filing should include
docket number P-14655-000.
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-14655) in the docket number field to access
the document. For assistance, contact FERC Online Support.
Dated: August 28, 2015.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2015-21985 Filed 9-3-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P