Notice of Application Accepted for Filing and Soliciting Motions To Intervene and Protests

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

a. Type of Application: New Minor License.

b. Project No.: P-2694-002.

c. Date filed: September 27, 1999.

d. Applicant: Nantahala Power and Light.

e. Name of Project: Queens Creek Hydroelectric Project.

f. Location: On Queens Creek , near the town of Topton, in Macon County, North Carolina. The project would not utilize federal lands.

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

h. Applicant Contact: Thomas D. Smitherman; Vice President: Production, Transmission, and Distribution; 301 NP&L Loop Road; Franklin, NC 28734; (828) 369-4514.

i. FERC Contact: Kevin Whalen (202) 219-2790, kevin.Whalen@ferc.fed.us.

j. Deadline for filing interventions and protests: April 14, 2000.

All documents (original and eight copies) should be filed with: David P. Boergers, Secretary; Federal Energy Regulatory Commission; 888 First Street, NE; Washington, DC 20426.

The Commission's Rules of Practice and Procedure require all intervenors filing documents with the Commission to serve a copy of that document on each person whose name appears 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. Status of environmental analysis: This application is not ready for environmental analysis at this time.

l. Description of the Project: The project consists of the following existing facilities: (1) a 78-foot-high, 382-foot-long earth-faced rock fill dam; (2) a 4-foot-wide by 4-foot-high horizontal intake structure, having a trashrack with 1.0-inch clear bar spacing; (3) a 6,250-foot-long steel penstock leading to a concrete and steel powerhouse containing a single generating unit, having an installed capacity of 1,440 kilowatts; (4) a 37-acre impoundment that extends approximately 0.7 miles upstream; and (5) appurtenant facilities. The applicant estimates the total average annual generation would be approximately 5,000 megawatt hours.

m. Locations of the application: A copy of the application is available for inspection and reproduction at the Commission's Public Reference Room, located at 888 First Street, NE, Room 2A, Washington, DC 20246, or by calling (202) 208-1371. The application may be viewed on the web at http://www.ferc.fed.us/online/rims.htm (call (202) 208-2222 for assistance). A copy is also available for inspection and reproduction at the address in item h. above.

Protests or Motions to Intervene—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.

Filing and Service of Responsive Documents—The application is not ready for environmental analysis at this time; therefore, the Commission is not now requesting comments, recommendations, terms and conditions, or prescriptions.

When the application is ready for environmental analysis, the Commission will issue a public notice requesting comments, recommendations, terms and conditions, or prescriptions.

All filings must (1) bear in all capital letters the title “PROTEST” or “MOTION TO INTERVENE;” (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. Any of these documents must be filed by providing the original and the number of copies required by the Commission's regulations to: The Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street, N.E., Washington, DC 20426. An additional copy must be sent to Director, Division of Project Review, Office of Hydropower Licensing, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, at the above address. A copy of any protest or motion to intervene must be served upon each representative of the applicant specified in the particular application.