Notice2022-18336
Western Minnesota Municipal Power Agency; Notice of Intent To File License Application, Filing of Pre-Application Document (Pad), Commencement of ILP Pre-Filing Process, and Scoping; Request for Comments on the Pad and Scoping Document, and Identification of Issues and Associated Study Requests
Primary source
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Published
August 25, 2022
Issuing agencies
Energy DepartmentFederal Energy Regulatory Commission
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 87 Issue 164 (Thursday, August 25, 2022)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 164 (Thursday, August 25, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52382-52383]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2022-18336]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Project No. 14876-002]
Western Minnesota Municipal Power Agency; Notice of Intent To
File License Application, Filing of Pre-Application Document (Pad),
Commencement of ILP Pre-Filing Process, and Scoping; Request for
Comments on the Pad and Scoping Document, and Identification of Issues
and Associated Study Requests
a. Type of Filing: Notice of Intent to File License Application for
an Original License and Commencing Pre-filing Process.
b. Project No.: 14876-002.
c. Dated Filed: June 28, 2022.
d. Submitted By: Western Minnesota Municipal Power Agency (Western
Minnesota Power).
e. Name of Project: Gregory County Pumped Storage Project.
f. Location: The project would be located in Gregory and Charles
Mix Counties, South Dakota. The project would use Lake Francis Case,
which is formed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' (Corps) Fort
Randall Dam at river mile 880 on the Missouri River, as its lower
reservoir. The project would include the construction of a new upper
reservoir located on the western side of Lake Francis Case
approximately 38 river miles upstream of Fort Randall Dam. The project
would be located primarily on private and state lands, but would also
occupy an unknown acreage of federal land.
g. Filed Pursuant to: 18 CFR part 5 of the Commission's
Regulations.
h. Applicant Contacts: Terry Wolf, Second Assistant Secretary,
Western Minnesota Municipal Power Agency, P.O. Box 88920, Sioux Falls,
SD 57109-8920; (605) 330-6977; <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#baeedfc8c8c394edd5d6dcfad7c8dfd4dfc8ddc394d9d5d7"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="de8abbacaca7f089b1b2b89eb3acbbb0bbacb9a7f0bdb1b3">[email protected]</span></a>.
Tim Sullivan, Gomez and Sullivan Engineers, D.P.C, 41 Liberty Hill
Road, P.O. Box 2179, Henniker, NH 03242; (603) 428-4960;
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#2054494d53554c4c4956414e60474f4d455a414e4453554c4c4956414e0e434f4d"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="c9bda0a4babca5a5a0bfa8a789aea6a4acb3a8a7adbabca5a5a0bfa8a7e7aaa6a4">[email protected]</span></a>.
i. FERC Contacts: Aaron Liberty at (202) 502-6862 or email at
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#98f9f9eaf7f6b6f4f1fafdeaece1d8fefdeafbb6fff7ee"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="7a1b1b081514541613181f080e033a1c1f0819541d150c">[email protected]</span></a>; or Nicholas Ettema at (312) 596-4447 or email
at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#b3dddad0dbdcdfd2c09dd6c7c7d6ded2f3d5d6c1d09dd4dcc5"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="d4babdb7bcbbb8b5a7fab1a0a0b1b9b594b2b1a6b7fab3bba2">[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 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 Western Minnesota Power 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. Western Minnesota Power 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. A copy of the PAD may be viewed on the Commission's website
(<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. For assistance, contact FERC at
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#b3f5f6e1f0fcdddfdaddd6e0c6c3c3dcc1c7f3d5d6c1d09dd4dcc5"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="6b2d2e392824050702050e381e1b1b04191f2b0d0e1908450c041d">[email protected]</span></a> or call toll-free, (866) 208-3676 or TYY,
(202) 502-8659. A copy of the PAD is also available for public
inspection during normal business hours at Missouri River Energy
Services' offices located at 3724 West Avera Drive, Sioux Falls, SD
57109.
You may register online at <a href="https://ferconline.ferc.gov/FERCOnline.aspx">https://ferconline.ferc.gov/FERCOnline.aspx</a> to be notified via email of new filings and issuances
related to this 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 addresses 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 application must be filed with the Commission.
The Commission strongly encourages electronic filing. Please file
all documents 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. 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 must clearly identify the project name and docket number on
the first page: Gregory County Pumped Storage Project (P-14876-002).
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
[[Page 52383]]
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 26, 2022.
p. 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.
Scoping Process
Due to ongoing 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, Commission staff will hold
two public scoping meetings using a telephone conference line. The
daytime scoping meeting will focus on resource agency, Indian tribes,
and non-governmental organization (NGO) concerns, while the evening
scoping 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. Additionally, a virtual site tour of the proposed project
should be posted on Western Minnesota Power's licensing website prior
to the scoping meetings. Visuals included in the virtual site tour will
be referenced during Western Minnesota Power's presentation of the
project during the scoping meetings. The dates and times of the
meetings as well as how to access the virtual site tour are listed
below.
Virtual Site Tour of the Project
Access online at: <a href="https://www.mrenergy.com/energy-resources/gregory-county-pumped-storage-project">https://www.mrenergy.com/energy-resources/gregory-county-pumped-storage-project</a>
Meeting for Resource Agencies, Tribes, and NGOs
Thursday, September 22, 2022, 10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. CDT, Call in
number: (800) 779-8625, Access code: 3472916
Following entry of the access code, please provide the required
details when prompted.
Meeting for the General Public
Thursday, September 22, 2022, 6:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m. CDT, Call in number:
(800) 779-8625, Access code: 3472916
Following entry of the access code, please provide the required
details when prompted.
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 Western Minnesota Power's
distribution 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. Enter the docket number
excluding the last three digits in the docket number field to access
the document. Based on all oral and written comments, a Scoping
Document 2 (SD2) may be issued. SD2 will include a revised process plan
and schedule, as well as a list of issues, based on the scoping
process.
Meeting Objectives
At the scoping meetings, Commission staff will: (1) initiate
scoping of the issues; (2) review and discuss existing conditions; (3)
review and discuss existing information and identify preliminary
information and study needs; (4) review and discuss the process plan
and schedule for pre-filing activity that incorporates the time frames
provided for in Part 5 of the Commission's regulations and, to the
extent possible, maximizes coordination of federal, state, and tribal
permitting and certification processes; and (5) discuss the potential
of any federal or state agency or Indian tribe to act as a cooperating
agency for development of an environmental document. 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 document.
Meeting Procedures
Commission staff will be moderating the scoping meetings. The
meetings will begin promptly at their respective start times listed
above.
At the start of the meeting, staff will provide further
instructions regarding the meeting setup, agenda, and time period for
comments and questions. We ask for your patience as staff present
information and field participant comments in an orderly manner. To
indicate you have a question or comment, press * and 3 to virtually
``raise your hand.'' Oral comments will be limited to 5 minutes in
duration for each participant. The meetings will be recorded by a
stenographer and will be filed to the public record of the project.
Please note, that if no participants join the meetings within 15
minutes after the start time, staff will end the meeting and conference
call. The meetings will end after participants have presented their
oral comments or at the specified end time, whichever occurs first.
Dated: August 19, 2022.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2022-18336 Filed 8-24-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P
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