Notice2021-17513
Great Lakes Hydro America, LLC; Notice of Intent To File License Applications, Filing of Pre-Application Document, Commencement of Pre-Filing Process, and Scoping; Request for Comments on the Pad and Scoping Document, Identification of Issues and Associated Study Requests, and Virtual Public Scoping Meetings and Virtual Environmental Site Review
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
August 16, 2021
Issuing agencies
Energy DepartmentFederal Energy Regulatory Commission
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 86 Issue 155 (Monday, August 16, 2021)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 155 (Monday, August 16, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45717-45718]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2021-17513]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Project Nos. 2572-133 2458-247]
Great Lakes Hydro America, LLC; Notice of Intent To File License
Applications, Filing of Pre-Application Document, Commencement of Pre-
Filing Process, and Scoping; Request for Comments on the Pad and
Scoping Document, Identification of Issues and Associated Study
Requests, and Virtual Public Scoping Meetings and Virtual Environmental
Site Review
a. Type of Filing: Notices of Intent to File License Applications
for New License and Commencing Pre-filing Process.
b. Project Nos.: 2572-133 and 2458-247.
c. Date Filed: June 11, 2021.
d. Submitted By: Great Lakes Hydro America, LLC.
e. Name of Projects: Ripogenus Hydroelectric Project and Penobscot
Mills Hydroelectric Project.
f. Location: On the West Branch of the Penobscot River and
Millinocket Stream in Piscataquis and Penobscot Counties, Maine.
g. Filed Pursuant to: 18 CFR part 5 of the Commission's
Regulations.
h. Licensee Contact: Randall Dorman, Licensing Manager, Brookfield
Renewable, 150 Main Street, Lewiston, ME 04240; (207) 755-5605;
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#bac8dbd4dec394ded5c8d7dbd4fad8c8d5d5d1dcd3dfd6dec8dfd4dfcddbd8d6df94d9d5d7"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="6f1d0e010b16410b001d020e012f0d1d00000409060a030b1d0a010a180e0d030a410c0002">[email protected]</span></a>.
i. FERC Contact: Allan Creamer at (202) 502-8365, or email at
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#90f1fcfcf1febef3e2f5f1fdf5e2d0f6f5e2f3bef7ffe6"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="ddbcb1b1bcb3f3beafb8bcb0b8af9dbbb8afbef3bab2ab">[email protected]</span></a>.
j. Cooperating agencies: Federal, state, local, and tribal agencies
with jurisdiction and/or special expertise with respect to
environmental issues that wish to cooperate in the preparation of the
environmental document should follow the instructions for filing such
requests described in item o below. Cooperating agencies should note
the Commission's policy that agencies that cooperate in the preparation
of the environmental document cannot also intervene. See 94 FERC 61,076
(2001).
k. With this notice, we are initiating informal consultation with:
(a) The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and/or NOAA Fisheries under
section 7 of the Endangered Species Act and the joint agency
regulations thereunder at 50 CFR, Part 402; and (b) the State Historic
Preservation Officer, as required by section 106, National Historic
Preservation Act, and the implementing regulations of the Advisory
Council on Historic Preservation at 36 CFR 800.2.
l. With this notice, we are designating Great Lakes Hydro America,
LLC as the Commission's non-federal representative for carrying out
informal consultation, pursuant to section 7 of the Endangered Species
Act and section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act.
m. Great Lakes Hydro America, LLC filed with the Commission a Pre-
Application Document (PAD; including a proposed process plan and
schedule), pursuant to 18 CFR 5.6 of the Commission's regulations.
n. In addition to publishing the full text of this document in the
Federal Register, the Commission provides all interested persons an
opportunity to view and/or print the contents via the internet through
the Commission's Home Page (<a href="http://www.ferc.gov">http://www.ferc.gov</a>), using the
``eLibrary'' link. Enter the docket number(s), excluding the last three
digits in the docket number field, to access the document. At this
time, the Commission has suspended access to the Commission's Public
Reference Room, due to the proclamation declaring a National Emergency
concerning the Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19), issued by the
President on March 13, 2020. For assistance, contact FERC Online
Support at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#20666572636f4e4c494e45735550504f525460464552430e474f56"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="82c4c7d0c1cdeceeebece7d1f7f2f2edf0f6c2e4e7f0e1ace5edf4">[email protected]</span></a>, or call toll-free, (866) 208-
3676 or TYY, (202) 502-8659.
Register online at <a href="http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/esubscription.asp">http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/esubscription.asp</a> to be notified via email of new filings and issuances
related to these or other pending projects. For assistance, contact
FERC Online Support.
o. With this notice, we are soliciting comments on the PAD and
Commission staff's Scoping Document 1 (SD1), as well as study requests.
All comments on the PAD and SD1, and study requests should be sent to
the address above in paragraph h. In addition, all comments on the PAD
and SD1, study requests, requests for cooperating agency status, and
all communications to and from Commission staff related to the merits
of the potential applications must be filed with the Commission.
The Commission strongly encourages electronic filing. Please file
all documents using the Commission's
[[Page 45718]]
eFiling system at http://www/<a href="http://ferc.gov/docs-filing/efiling.asp">ferc.gov/docs-filing/efiling.asp</a>.
Commenters can submit brief comments up to 6,000 characters, without
prior registration, using the eComment system at <a href="http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/ecomment.asp">http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/ecomment.asp</a>. You must include your name and contact
information at the end of your comments. For assistance, please contact
FERC Online Support at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#1d5b584f5e5273717473784e686d6d726f695d7b786f7e337a726b"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="62242730212d0c0e0b0c07311712120d101622040710014c050d14">[email protected]</span></a>. In lieu of
electronic filing, you may submit a paper copy. Submissions sent via
the U.S. Postal Service must be addressed to: Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE,
Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426. Submissions sent via any other carrier
must be addressed to: Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission, 12225 Wilkins Avenue, Rockville, Maryland 20852.
All filings with the Commission must bear the appropriate heading:
``Comments on Pre-Application Document,'' ``Study Requests,''
``Comments on Scoping Document 1,'' ``Request for Cooperating Agency
Status,'' or ``Communications to and from Commission Staff.'' Any
individual or entity interested in submitting study requests,
commenting on the PAD or SD1, and any agency requesting cooperating
status must do so by October 9, 2021.
p. Scoping Process: The Commission's scoping process will help
determine the required level of analysis and satisfy the NEPA scoping
requirements, irrespective of whether the Commission prepares an
environmental assessment or Environmental Impact Statement. Due to on-
going concerns with large gatherings related to COVID-19, we do not
intend to hold in-person public scoping meetings or an in-person
environmental site review. Rather, we will hold virtual public scoping
meetings and a virtual environmental site review.
Scoping Meetings
Commission staff will hold two virtual public scoping meetings. A
daytime meeting will focus on concerns of resource agencies, Native
American tribes, and NGOs while an evening meeting will focus on
receiving input from the public. We invite all interested agencies,
Native American tribes, NGOs, and individuals to attend one of these
meetings to assist us in identifying the scope of environmental issues
that should be analyzed in the NEPA document. The scoping meetings will
be recorded by a court reporter. All oral and written comments will
become part of the Commission's public record. Oral comments will be
limited to 5 minutes in duration.
Date and Time
Meeting for resource agencies, Tribes, and NGOs: Thursday,
September 9, 2021, 9:00-11:00 am EDT, Call in number: 888-604-9359,
Participant passcode: 8998724.
Meeting for the general public: Thursday, September 9, 2021, 6:30-
8:30 pm EDT, Call in number: 888-604-9359, Participant passcode:
8998724.
Scoping Document 1 (SD1), which outlines the subject areas to be
addressed in the environmental document, was mailed to the individuals
and entities on the Commission's mailing list and Great Lakes Hydro
America, LLC's mailing list. Copies of SD1 may be viewed on the web at
<a href="http://www.ferc.gov">http://www.ferc.gov</a>, using the ``eLibrary'' link. Follow the directions
for accessing information in paragraph n. Based on all oral and written
comments, a Scoping Document 2 (SD2) may be issued. SD2 may include a
revised process plan and schedule, as well as a list of issues,
identified through the scoping process.
Environmental Site Review
Great Lakes Hydro America, LLC and Commission staff will hold a
virtual Environmental Site Review of the Ripogenus Project and the
Penobscot Mills Projects on September 9, 2021, starting at 1:30 p.m.
Please contact Cate Russell of HDR, Inc. at (207) 239-3792, or
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#2a494b5e4f04585f59594f46466a424e5843444904494547"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="70131104155e02050303151c1c30181402191e135e131f1d">[email protected]</span></a>, by September 3, 2021, if you plan to attend
the environmental site review. WebEx meeting details will be provided
by HDR staff once attendance is confirmed.
Meeting Objectives
At the scoping meetings, staff will: (1) Briefly describe the
relicensing process, as well as the projects and their operation; (2)
initiate scoping of the issues; (3) review existing information and
identify preliminary information and study needs; and (4) review the
process plan and schedule for pre-filing activities. Meeting
participants should come prepared to discuss their issues and/or
concerns. Please review the PAD in preparation for the scoping
meetings. Directions on how to obtain a copy of the PAD and SD1 are
included in item n of this notice.
Dated: August 10, 2021.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2021-17513 Filed 8-13-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P
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