E9-7345. Domtar Maine Corporation; Notice of Application Tendered for Filing With the Commission, Soliciting Additional Study Requests, and Establishing Procedual Schedule for Licensing and Deadline for Submission of Final Amendments

March 26, 2009.

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

a. Type of Application: New License.

b. Project No.: 2618-020.

c. Date Filed: March 19, 2009.

d. Applicant: Domtar Maine Corporation.

e. Name of Project: West Branch Project.

f. Location: On Grand Lake Stream, a tributary of the St. Croix River in Penobscot, Washington and Hancock Counties, Maine. The project does not affect Federal lands.

g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act 16 U.S.C. 791 (a)-825(r).

h. Applicant Contact: Mr. Scott Beal, Domtar Maine Corporation, 144 Main Street, Baileyville, Maine 04694 [phone].

i. FERC Contact: John Costello, [phone] or [e-mail].

j. Cooperating Agencies: We are asking Federal, State, local, and tribal agencies with jurisdiction and/or special expertise with respect to environmental issues to cooperate with us in the preparation of the environmental document. Agencies who would like to request cooperating status should follow the instructions for filing such requests described in item l below. Cooperating agencies should note the Commission's policy that agencies that cooperate in the preparation of the environmental document cannot also intervene. See, 94 FERC ¶ 61,076 (2001).

k. Pursuant to section 4.32(b)(7) of 18 CFR of the Commission's regulations, if any resource agency, Indian Tribe, or person believes that an additional scientific study should be conducted in order to form an adequate factual basis for a complete analysis of the application on its merit, the resource agency, Indian Tribe, or person must file a request for a study with the Commission not later than 60 days from the date of filing of the application, and serve a copy of the request on the applicant.

l. Deadline for Filing Additional Study Requests and Requests for Cooperating Agency Status: May 18, 2009.

All documents (original and eight copies) should be filed with: Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street, NE., Washington, DC 20426.

Additional study requests and requests for cooperating agency status 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 “eFiling” link.

m. This application is not ready for environmental analysis at this time.

n. The existing West Branch Project includes two developments (Sysladobsis and West Grand) comprising two dams and a dike. The 23,500 acre impounded waters are comprised of West Grand, Junior, Pocumcus, Pug, Bottle, Norway, and Scraggly lakes.

The Sysladobsis development includes the 250-foot-long by 9-foot-high Sysladobsis Dam (the furthest upstream), an earth embankment structure with a timber gate and fish facility. The dam impounds the 5,400-acres Sysladobsis Lake and discharges directly into the West Grand development.

The approximately 487-foot-long West Grand Dam comprises a 105.9-foot-long gate structure with five gates. A vertical slot design upstream fish passage facility is located adjacent to the dam's waste gate No.1.

The approximately 535-foot-long by 15-foot-high Farm Cove Dike is located approximately 3.5 miles west of the main outlet dam to West Grand Lake. The dike comprises a 10-foot-wide by 30-foot-long fishway. The dike has no gates or other flow controls; the only flow passing capability is through the fishway.

No new construction is planned.

o. 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 “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 at [e-mail] or toll-free at 1-866-208-3676, or for TTY, [phone]. 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 e-mail of new filings and issuances related to this or other pending projects. For assistance, contact FERC Online Support.

p. With this notice, we are initiating consultation with the Maine State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO), as required by section 106, National Historic Preservation Act, and the regulations of the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, 36 CFR 800.4.

q. Procedural Schedule and Final Amendments: The application will be processed according to the following Hydro Licensing Schedule. Revisions to the schedule will be made as appropriate. The Commission staff proposes to issue one environmental assessment rather than issue a draft and final EA. The assessment for Domtar's application for new license for the Forest City Project, P-2660-024, may be included with the West Branch EA. Comments, terms and conditions, recommendations, prescriptions, and reply comments, if any, will be addressed in an EA. Staff intends to give at least 30 days for entities to comment on the EA, and will take into consideration all comments received on the EA before final action is taken on the license application.

Issue Acceptance letter/Additional Information Requests—May 2009. Issue Scoping Document—June 2009. Additional Information Response due—September 2009. Notice of application is ready for environmental analysis—October 2009. Comments, recommendations, prescriptions due—December 2009. Notice of availability of the EA—June 2010.

Final amendments to the application must be filed with the Commission no later than 30 days from the issuance date of the notice of ready for environmental analysis.

Kimberly D. Bose,

Secretary.