HomeMy WebLinkAbout9.23.22 Board Correspondence - FW_ Compliance Directives issued in FERC P-619-164
FEDERAL ENERGY REGULATORY COMMISSION
Washington, D. C. 20426
Project No 619-164 – California
Bucks Creek Hydroelectric Project
City of Santa Clara
Pacific Gas and Electric Company
VIA Electronic Mail
Mr. Jan Nimick September 23, 2022
Vice President, Power Generation
Pacific Gas and Electric Company
Jan.Nimick@pge.com
Subject: Need for Agency Approval of Extension of Time Request – Sealing Milk Ranch
Conduit Diversion No. 8.
Dear Mr. Nimick:
We are in receipt of your request filed on August 11, 2022 for an extension of time
to seal Milk Ranch conduit diversion no. 8 at your Bucks Creek Hydroelectric Project
No. 619.1 We cannot consider your request until it is approved by the relevant agencies,
as described below.
Background
Condition 2 of the California State Water Resource Control Board’s (State Water
Board) Water Quality Certificate and U.S. Forest Service (Forest Service) 4(e) condition
32 require you to permanently cease diversion of flows from Bear Ravine into Milk
Ranch conduit diversion no. 8. The conditions further require you to install a cap to close
and secure the diversion pipe within 60 days of license issuance or as soon as the facility
is reasonably accessible, whichever is later. Additionally, the Forest Service condition
requires you to invite the Forest Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the State
Water Board, and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife into the field to discuss
the work prior to modifying the diversion. The conditions require you to obtain approval
from the Forest Service and the State Water Board prior to completing the modifications.
Additionally, license Article 401(b) requires you to file your Milk Ranch Conduit
1 Pacific Gas and Electric Company and City of Santa Clara, 179 FERC ¶ 61,202
(2022).
Project No. 619-164 2
Diversions Management Work Plan (Work Plan) at least 90 days prior to beginning work.
Your Filing
In your August 11, 2022 filing, you state you would cease diversions from Bear
Ravine into Milk Ranch conduit diversion no. 8 by September 1, 2022. However, you
state that to comply with the Forest Service’s and State Water Board’s conditions, you
would need to design the cap and submit the design for approval, develop the Work Plan
and submit it for approval, file the approved Work Plan with the
Commission, perform the modifications, and file a completion report and as-built
drawings. You explain that construction is not allowed during certain times of year to
protect the Sierra Nevada yellow-legged frog and the diversion structure is inaccessible
during the winter. Because of the administrative and construction delays, you request the
Commission allow yourselves until October 31, 2023 to complete the work at Milk
Ranch conduit diversion no. 8.
Need for Agency Approval
Because you are seeking to modify the required schedule specified by the Forest
Service and the State Water Board in their conditions, you must show that you sought and
obtained approval from the two agencies. Within 45 days of the date of this letter, please
file written evidence showing that you consulted with the Forest Service and the State
Water Board regarding your extension of time request and that both agencies approved
your proposed schedule.
The Commission strongly encourages electronic filings. Please file your response
using the Commission’s eFiling system at http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/efiling.asp.
For assistance, please contact FERC Online Support at FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov,
(866) 208-3676 (toll free), or (202) 502-8659 (TTY). In lieu of electronic filing, you may
send a paper copy. Submissions sent via the U.S. Postal Service must be addressed to:
Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE, Washington,
D.C. 20426. Submissions sent via any other carrier must be addressed to: Secretary,
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 12225 Wilkins Avenue, Rockville, MD 20852.
The first page of any filing should include docket number P-619-164.
Project No. 619-164 3
If you have any questions concerning this letter, please contact Steven Sachs at
202-502-8666 or Steven.Sachs@ferc.gov.
Sincerely,
Kelly Houff
Chief, Engineering Resources Branch
Division of Hydropower Administration
and Compliance
VIA USPS First-Class Mail
cc: Elisabeth Rossi
Supervisor, Hydro License Compliance
Pacific Gas and Electric Company
Mail Code N11D
P.O. Box 770000
San Francisco, CA 94177
From:Clerk of the Board
To:Bennett, Robin; Clerk of the Board; Connelly, Bill; Cook, Holly; Cook, Robin; Hironimus, Patrizia; Kimmelshue, Tod; Lucero, Debra; Paulsen, Shaina; Pickett, Andy; Reaster, Kayla;
Ritter, Tami; Stephens, Brad J.; Sweeney, Kathleen; Teeter, Doug; Valencia, Shyanne
Subject:Board Correspondence - FW: Compliance Directives issued in FERC P-619-164
Date:Friday, September 23, 2022 2:48:49 PM
Please see Board Correspondence below.
Shaina Paulsen
Associate Clerk of The Board
Butte County Administration
25 County Center Drive, Suite 200, Oroville, CA 95965
T: 530.552.3304 | F: 530.538.7120
-----Original Message-----
From: 'FERC eSubscription' <eSubscription@ferc.gov>
Sent: Friday, September 23, 2022 12:06 PM
Subject: Compliance Directives issued in FERC P-619-164
.ATTENTION: This message originated from outside Butte County. Please exercise judgment before opening attachments, clicking on links, or replying..
On 9/23/2022, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), Washington D.C., issued this document:
Docket(s): P-619-164
Lead Applicant: Pacific Gas & Electric Company
Filing Type: Compliance Directives
General Correspondence
Description: Letter to Pacific Gas and Electric Company discussing the August 11, 2022 request for an extension of time to seal Milk Ranch conduit diversion no. 8 at the
Bucks Creek Hydroelectric Project under P-619.
To view the document for this Issuance, click here https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://elibrary.ferc.gov/eLibrary/filelist?accession_num=20220923-
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