2019-07534. New England Hydropower Company, LLC; Notice of Application Accepted for Filing, and Soliciting Motions To Intervene and Protests

Take notice that the following hydroelectric application has been filed with the Commission and is available for public inspection.

a. Type of Application: Exemption From Licensing.

b. Project No.: 14633-001.

c. Date filed: October 1, 2018.

d. Applicant: New England Hydropower Company, LLC (NEHC).

e. Name of Project: Albion Dam Hydroelectric Project.

f. Location: On the Blackstone River, near the Towns of Cumberland and Lincoln, Providence County, Rhode Island. No federal or tribal lands would be occupied by project works or located within the project boundary.

g. Filed Pursuant to: Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978, 16 U.S.C. 2705, 2708 (2012), amended by the Hydropower Regulatory Efficiency Act of 2013, Public Law 113-23, 127 Stat. 493 (2013).

h. Applicant Contact: Michael C. Kerr, 100 Cummings Center, Suite 451C, Beverly, MA 01915; [phone] or email at [e-mail].

i. FERC Contact: Patrick Crile, [phone], or email at [e-mail].

j. Deadline for filing motions to intervene and protests: 60 days from the issuance date of this notice.

The Commission strongly encourages electronic filing. Please file motions to intervene and protests using the Commission's eFiling system at http://www.ferc.gov/​docs-filing/​efiling.asp. For assistance, please contact FERC Online Support at [e-mail], [phone] (toll free), or [phone] (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-14633-001.

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.

k. This application has been accepted for filing, but is not ready for environmental analysis at this time.

l. The proposed Albion Dam Hydroelectric Project would consist of: (1) An approximately 266-foot-long existing concrete gravity dam with an ogee spillway; (2) an existing 20.4-acre impoundment with a normal storage capacity of 235 acre-feet at an operating elevation of approximately 87.0 feet North American Vertical Datum of 1988; (3) a new 51-foot-long, 45.75-foot-wide intake canal; (4) two new 14-foot-wide, 10.4-foot-high hydraulically-powered sluice gates, each equipped with a 15-foot-wide, 9.7-foot-high steel trashrack with 9-inch clear-bar spacing; (5) two new 30-foot-long, 15-foot-wide, 9.7-foot-high concrete penstocks; (6) a new 50-foot-long, 24-foot-wide, 18-foot-high concrete powerhouse containing two 210-kilowatt (kW) Archimedes Screw turbine-generator units, for a total installed capacity of 420 kW; (7) a new 50-foot-long concrete tailrace; (8) a new step-up transformer and 500-foot-long, above-ground transmission line connecting the project to the distribution system owned by the Narragansett Electric Company; (9) a new access road; and (10) appurtenant facilities. The existing Albion Dam and appurtenant works are owned by the State of Rhode Island.

NEHC proposes to operate the project in a run-of-river mode with an estimated annual energy production of approximately 2,034 megawatt-hours.

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 website 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. A copy is also available for inspection and reproduction at the address in item h above.

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. For assistance, contact FERC Online Support.

n. Any qualified applicant desiring to file a competing application must submit to the Commission, on or before the specified intervention deadline date, a competing development application, or a notice of intent to file such an application. Submission of a timely notice of intent allows an interested person to file the competing development application no later than 120 days after the specified intervention deadline date. Applications for preliminary permits will not be accepted in response to this notice.

A notice of intent must specify the exact name, business address, and telephone number of the prospective applicant, and must include an unequivocal statement of intent to submit a development application. A notice of intent must be served on the applicant(s) named in this public notice.

Anyone may submit a protest or a motion to intervene in accordance with the requirements of Rules of Practice and Procedure, 18 CFR 385.210, 385.211, and 385.214. In determining the appropriate action to take, the Commission will consider all protests 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 protests or motions to intervene must be received on or before the specified deadline date for the particular application.

All filings must (1) bear in all capital letters the title “PROTEST”, “MOTION TO INTERVENE,” “NOTICE OF INTENT TO FILE COMPETING APPLICATION,” or “COMPETING APPLICATION;” (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. 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.

o. Waiver of Pre-filing Consultation: Based on a review of the application, resource agency consultation letters, and comments filed to date, we accept the consultation that has occurred on this project as satisfying our requirements for the standard 3-stage consultation process under 18 CFR 4.38, and are waiving the requirement to conduct second stage consultation pursuant to section 4.38(c)(4) of the regulations, as requested by NEHC.

Dated: April 10, 2019.

Kimberly D. Bose,

Secretary.