Notice2021-22226
Aspinook Hydro, LLC; Notice of Application Ready for Environmental Analysis and Soliciting Comments, Recommendations, Terms and Conditions, and Prescriptions
Primary source
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Published
October 13, 2021
Issuing agencies
Energy DepartmentFederal Energy Regulatory Commission
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 86 Issue 195 (Wednesday, October 13, 2021)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 195 (Wednesday, October 13, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 56929-56930]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2021-22226]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Project No. 3472-024]
Aspinook Hydro, LLC; Notice of Application Ready for
Environmental Analysis and Soliciting Comments, Recommendations, Terms
and Conditions, and Prescriptions
Take notice that the following hydroelectric application has been
filed with the Commission and is available for public inspection.
a. Type of Application: New Major License.
b. Project No.: 3472-024.
c. Date Filed: April 30, 2020.
d. Applicant: Aspinook Hydro, LLC (Aspinook Hydro).
e. Name of Project: Wyre Wynd Hydroelectric Project (Wyre Wynd
Project).
f. Location: On the Quinebaug River in New London and Windham
Counties, Connecticut. No federal lands are occupied by the project
works or located within the project boundary.
g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act 16 U.S.C. 791(a)-825(r).
h. Applicant Contact: Mark Boumansour, Chief Operating Officer,
Gravity Renewables, Inc., 1401 Walnut Street, Boulder, CO 80302; Phone
at (303) 440-3378, or email at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#abc6cad9c0ebccd9caddc2dfd2d9cec5cedccac9c7ced885c8c4c6"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="610c00130a210613001708151813040f041600030d04124f020e0c">[email protected]</span></a>.
i. FERC Contact: Kristine Sillett at (202) 502-6575, or
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#dcb7aeb5afa8b5b2b9f2afb5b0b0b9a8a89cbab9aebff2bbb3aa"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="deb5acb7adaab7b0bbf0adb7b2b2bbaaaa9eb8bbacbdf0b9b1a8">[email protected]</span></a>.
j. Deadline for filing comments, recommendations, terms and
conditions, and 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
comments, recommendations, terms and conditions, and prescriptions
using the Commission's eFiling system at <a href="https://ferconline.ferc.gov/FERCOnline.aspx">https://ferconline.ferc.gov/FERCOnline.aspx</a>. Commenters can submit brief comments up to 6,000
characters, without prior registration, using the eComment system at
<a href="https://ferconline.ferc.gov/QuickComment.aspx">https://ferconline.ferc.gov/QuickComment.aspx</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#e0a6a5b2a3af8e8c898e85b39590908f9294a086859283ce878f96"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="50161502131f3e3c393e35032520203f222410363522337e373f26">[email protected]</span></a>, (866) 208-3676 (toll free), or (202) 502-
8659 (TTY). 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. The first page of any filing should include docket
number P-3472-024.
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 and is ready for
environmental analysis at this time.
The Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) issued a final rule on
July 15, 2020, revising the regulations under 40 CFR parts 1500-1518
that federal agencies use to implement NEPA (see Update to the
Regulations Implementing the Procedural Provisions of the National
Environmental Policy Act, 85 FR 43304). The Final Rule became effective
on and applies to any NEPA process begun after September 14, 2020. An
agency may also apply the regulations to ongoing activities and
environmental documents begun before September 14, 2020, which includes
the proposed Wyre Wynd Project. Commission staff intends to conduct its
NEPA review in accordance with CEQ's new regulations.
l. The Wyre Wynd Project consists of the following existing
facilities: (1) A 538-foot-long dam that includes: (a) A 473-foot-long
central spillway with 2-foot-high flashboards, and one sluice gate; (b)
a 55-foot-long east abutment that includes a headgate structure with
five gates; and (c) a 10-foot-long west abutment; (2) a 333-acre
impoundment at a normal elevation of 97.3 feet NGVD 29; \1\ (3) a 170-
foot[hyphen]long forebay that includes: (a) An auxiliary spillway; and
(b) two outlet gates; (4) a powerhouse intake that includes: (a) A
trash rack structure with 2.6 inch bar spacing; and (b) a 16-foot-long
penstock that extends to the main, 2.7-megawatt (MW) turbine-generator
unit within the powerhouse; (5) a 450-foot-long tailrace that receives
discharges from the main unit; (6) a second intake structure branching
off the forebay that includes: (a) A 4-foot-diameter intake opening;
(b) a trash rack structure with 1.5-inch bar spacing; and (c) a 45-
foot-long penstock that extends to an in-line mini, 0.08-MW turbine-
generator unit; (7) a 350-foot-long tailrace that receives discharges
from the mini unit; (8) a 600-volt (V), 10-foot-long main generator
lead, and a 600-V, 200-foot-long mini lead; (9) an 80-foot-long, 600-V
transmission line; and (10) appurtenant facilities. The project
generates an average of 11,000 megawatt-hours annually.
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\1\ National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929.
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Aspinook Hydro proposes to: (1) Operate the project in a run-of-
river mode with a 1-inch impoundment fluctuation band; (2) provide a
continuous minimum flow of 84-cubic feet per second to the bypassed
reach;
[[Page 56930]]
and (3) provide an Adaptive Management Plan for upstream and downstream
fish passage.
m. 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 of this document 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 excluding the last three
digits in the docket number field to access the document (i.e., P-
3472). 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
at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#88cecddacbc7e6e4e1e6eddbfdf8f8e7fafcc8eeedfaeba6efe7fe"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="a9efecfbeae6c7c5c0c7ccfadcd9d9c6dbdde9cfccdbca87cec6df">[email protected]</span></a> or call toll-free, (886) 208-3676 or TTY,
(202) 502-8659.
All filings must (1) bear in all capital letters the title
``COMMENTS,'' ``REPLY COMMENTS,'' ``RECOMMENDATIONS,'' ``TERMS AND
CONDITIONS,'' or ``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 submitting the filing; 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. Each filing must be
accompanied by proof of service on all persons listed on the service
list prepared by the Commission in this proceeding, in accordance with
18 CFR 4.34(b) and 385.2010.
You may also 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 this or other pending projects. For assistance, contact FERC
Online Support.
n. Aspinook Hydro must file no later than 60 days following the
date of issuance of this notice: (1) A copy of the water quality
certification (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
certification. Please note that the certification request must comply
with 40 CFR 121.5(b), including documentation that a pre-filing meeting
request was submitted to the certifying authority at least 30 days
prior to submitting the certification request. Please also note that
the certification request must be sent to the certifying authority and
to the Commission concurrently.
o. Procedural Schedule: The application will be processed according
to the following schedule. Revisions to the schedule will be made as
appropriate.
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Milestone Target date
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Deadline for filing comments, December 2021.
recommendations, preliminary terms and
conditions, and preliminary fishway
prescriptions.
Deadline for filing reply comments..... January 2022.
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p. Final amendments to the application must be filed with the
Commission no later than 30 days from the issuance date of this notice.
Dated: October 6, 2021.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2021-22226 Filed 10-12-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P
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