2017-04376. Wisconsin Public Service Corporation; Notice of Application Accepted for Filing, Soliciting Motions To Intervene and Protests, Ready for Environmental Analysis, and Soliciting Comments, Recommendations, Preliminary Terms and Conditions, ...

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

a. Type of Application: Major New License.

b. Project No.: 1966-054.

c. Date filed: March 28, 2016.

d. Applicant: Wisconsin Public Service Corporation.

e. Name of Project: Grandfather Falls Hydroelectric Project.

f. Location: The existing project is located on the Wisconsin River in Lincoln County, Wisconsin. The project does affect federal lands. There are non-reservation federal lands within the Project Boundary. One Bureau of Land Management (BLM)-owned island (0.1 acres) is located in the tailrace of the project boundary.

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

h. Applicant Contact: Todd Jastremski, Asset Manager Hydro Operations, We Energies, 800 Industrial Park Drive, Iron Mountain, MI 49801, Telephone [phone].

i. FERC Contact: Lee Emery, Telephone [phone], and email [e-mail].

j. Deadline for filing motions to intervene and protests, comments, recommendations, preliminary terms and conditions, and preliminary prescriptions: 60 days from the issuance date of this notice; reply comments are due 105 days from the issuance date of this notice.

The Commission strongly encourages electronic filing. Please file motions to intervene, protests, comments, recommendations, preliminary terms and conditions, and preliminary fishway prescriptions 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). 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-1966-054.

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 and is now ready for environmental analysis.

l. The existing Grandfather Falls Hydroelectric Project consists of: (1) A 36-foot-high and 762-foot-long reinforced concrete dam consisting of a 52-foot-long masonry retaining wall, a 263-foot-long concrete spillway section, a 147-foot-long non-overflow masonry dam, and a 300-foot-long rockfill embankment; (2) a 108-foot-long, 12-foot-wide timber (concrete pier supported) canal bridge that crosses the upstream end of the canal, three intake canal embankments totaling 3,400 feet in length, a 4,000-foot-long, 300-foot-wide intake canal, and a 55.5-foot-wide intake structure; (3) an existing 340-acre reservoir at elevation 1,397.1 National Geodetic Vertical Datum (NGVD) and a gross storage capacity of 2,200 acre-feet with the pool elevation maintained between 1,396.1 and 1,397.1 feet NGVD; (4) two 55.5-foot-wide, 30.5-foot-high trashracks with clear bar spacing of 2.5 inches; (5) an 11-foot-diameter, 1,317-foot-long wood-stave penstock that transitions into a 30-foot-long steel penstock and a 13.5-foot-diameter 1,310-foot-long wood-stave penstock that transitions into a 30-foot-long steel penstock; (6) a 51-foot-diameter surge tank with a 37.87-foot-high internal riser and a 39-foot-diameter surge tank with a 33.43-foot-high internal riser that are connected to the steel portion of the penstocks; (7) a 67-foot-wide, 53-foot-long, 46-foot-high concrete and masonry powerhouse containing two generating units with a total installed capacity of 17.24 megawatts (MW); (8) a 50-foot-long, 60-foot-wide bedrock excavated tailrace; (9) a 300-foot-long, 46 kilovolt overhead transmission power line; and (10) appurtenant facilities. The project is estimated to generate an average of 72,031.72 megawatt-hours annually.

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

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. Anyone may submit comments, a protest, or a motion to intervene in accordance with the requirements of Rules of Practice and Procedure, 18 CFR 385.210, .211, and .214. In determining the appropriate action to take, the Commission will consider all protests or other comments 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 comments, protests, or motions to intervene must be received on or before the specified comment date for the particular application.

All filings must (1) bear in all capital letters the title “PROTEST”, “MOTION TO INTERVENE”, “COMMENTS,” “REPLY COMMENTS,” “RECOMMENDATIONS,” “PRELIMINARY TERMS AND CONDITIONS,” or “PRELIMINARY FISHWAY PRESCRIPTIONS;” (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. All comments, recommendations, terms and conditions or prescriptions must set forth their evidentiary basis and otherwise comply with the requirements of 18 CFR 4.34(b). 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. 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 4.34(b) and 385.2010.

o. Procedural Schedule: The application will be processed according to the following revised Hydro Licensing Schedule. Revisions to the schedule may be made as appropriate.

Milestone	Target date
Filing of recommendations, preliminary terms and conditions, and preliminary fishway prescriptions	April, 2017.
Commission issues EA	September, 2017.
Comments on EA or EIS	October, 2017.
Modified terms and conditions	December, 2017.

p. Final amendments to the application must be filed with the Commission no later than 30 days from the issuance date of this notice.

q. A license applicant must file no later than 60 days following the date of issuance of the notice of acceptance and ready for environmental analysis provided for in § 5.22: (1) A copy of the water quality certification; (2) a copy of the request for certification, including proof of the date on which the certifying agency received the request; or (3) evidence of waiver of water quality certification.

Dated: March 1, 2017.

Kimberly D. Bose,

Secretary.