| The Housatonic River Project | April 11, 2006 |
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Shoreline Management Plan Update
Comments Due Friday April 14, 2006 Comments on the Draft Final SMP are due by this Friday, April 14, 2006. If you have already commented on the Plan, thank you for your input. If you have not commented on the SMP and would like to, please submit your comments to Bruce DiGennaro at: bruce@essexpartnership.com or c/o The Essex Partnership, 65 Main Street, Ivoryton, CT 06442. We will carefully consider all comments in preparing the Final SMP for submittal to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) by April 23, 2006. All comments received will be filed with the Final SMP submitted to FERC. The Final SMP shall be available for public review at the project website. For a copy of the Draft Final SMP, see: www.essexpartnership.com Fees and Authority Some of the comments received to date have focused on concerns regarding the imposition of fees and the potential impact of the SMP on private property rights. The Housatonic River Project is owned and operated by Northeast Generation Company (NGC) under a federal license from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). With this license comes certain obligations including the obligation to manage the project shoreline consistent with the purposes of the project, including protection of scenic, recreational, and environmental values. Under Article 413 (standard land use article) of the Project license, NGC is provided the authority to grant permission for the use and occupancy of shoreline lands around the project, including the authority to assess reasonable fees to cover the administrative costs of permitting such uses. In addition to obligations under its FERC license, much of the land around the Project is NGC property. Under the SMP, NGC is proposing fees to recover only the administrative costs associated with permitting structures located on shoreline lands. NGC is not authorized to make a profit on the fees charged. NGC has included a commitment in the SMP to provide an accounting verification of all associated costs and revenue streams. For further information regarding the obligations and authorities granted to FERC licensees to regulate the use and occupancy of shoreline lands see Union Electric d/b/a Ameren UE, 90 FERC 61,249 (2000). NGC Continues Working with Stakeholders In addition to reviewing comments on the Draft Final SMP, NGC has continued to work with members of the Stakeholder Workgroup over the past several weeks to try and resolve issues and concerns regarding shoreline management. |
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Frequently Asked Questions
We have received a number of questions regarding the Draft Final SMP. To help address these questions and improve the overall understanding of the Plan, we have prepared a list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) which can be found at: www.essexpartnership.com We encourage you to review the FAQs as they may help to clarify questions you have regarding why the Plan is being developed and under what authority its provisions are being undertaken. |
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Web: http://www.essexpartnership.com