2020-08912. Whitewater Green Energy, LLC; Notice of Preliminary Permit Application Accepted for Filing and Soliciting Comments, Motions To Intervene, and Competing Applications

On February 12, 2020, the Whitewater Green Energy, LLC filed an application for a preliminary permit, pursuant to section 4(f) of the Federal Power Act, proposing to study the feasibility of the proposed Whitewater Creek Hydroelectric Project No. 15028-000, to be located on Russel and Whitewater Creeks, near the town of Idanha, in Marion and Linn Counties, Oregon. The project would be located entirely on U.S. Forest Service lands. 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 consist of the following: (1) A 9.5-foot-high, 40-foot-wide weir on Russell Creek; (2) a 19,500-foot-long, 60-inch-diameter steel penstock; (3) a 50-foot-long by 40-foot-wide concrete powerhouse containing one Pelton turbine rated at 7 megawatts; (4) a 160-foot-long, 72-inch-diameter tailrace discharging into Whitewater Creek; (5) a 2.25-mile-long, 12,000 kilovolt-amperes transmission line extending underground from the project to a point of interconnection to an existing outside transmission line (the point of interconnection); (6) an access road along side of the penstock; and (7) appurtenant facilities. The estimated annual generation of the Whitewater Creek Project would be 50 gigawatt-hours.

Applicant Contact: David Harmon, 2532 Santiam Highway, Albany, Oregon 97322; phone: [phone]; email: [e-mail].

FERC Contact: John Matkowski; phone: [phone]; email: [e-mail].

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.

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 [e-mail], [phone] (toll free), or [phone] (TTY).

More information about this project, including a copy of the application, can be viewed or printed on the eLibrary link of Commission's website at http://www.ferc.gov/​docs-filing/​elibrary.asp. Enter the docket number (P-15028) in the docket number field to access the document. For assistance, contact FERC Online Support.

Dated: April 21, 2020.

Kimberly D. Bose,

Secretary.