Notice2023-03687
Brookfield White Pine Hydro, LLC, Merimil Limited Partnership, Hydro-Kennebec, LLC; Revised Procedural Schedule for Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Project Relicense, Interim Species Protection Plan, and Final Species Protection Plan
Primary source
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Published
February 23, 2023
Issuing agencies
Energy DepartmentFederal Energy Regulatory Commission
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 88 Issue 36 (Thursday, February 23, 2023)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 36 (Thursday, February 23, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11430-11431]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2023-03687]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Project Nos. 2322-069, 2322-071, 2325-100, 2574-092, 2611-091]
Brookfield White Pine Hydro, LLC, Merimil Limited Partnership,
Hydro-Kennebec, LLC; Revised Procedural Schedule for Environmental
Impact Statement for the Proposed Project Relicense, Interim Species
Protection Plan, and Final Species Protection Plan
On January 31, 2020, Brookfield White Pine Hydro, LLC filed an
application for a new license to continue to operate and maintain the
8.65-megawatt (MW) Shawmut Hydroelectric Project No. 2322 (Shawmut
Project). On June 1, 2021, in a separate compliance proceeding for the
Shawmut Project, Brookfield White Pine Hydro, LLC filed an Interim
Species Protection Plan (Interim Plan) for Atlantic salmon and
requested Commission approval to amend the current Shawmut license to
incorporate the Interim Plan. The Interim Plan includes measures to
protect endangered Atlantic salmon until the Commission issues a
decision on the relicense application for the Shawmut Project.
Also on June 1, 2021, Brookfield Power US Asset Management, LLC
(Brookfield), on behalf of the affiliated licensees for the 6.915-MW
Lockwood Hydroelectric Project No. 2574, 15.433-MW Hydro-Kennebec
Hydroelectric Project No. 2611, and 15.98-MW Weston Hydroelectric
Project No. 2325, filed a Final Species Protection Plan (Final Plan)
for Atlantic salmon, Atlantic sturgeon, and shortnose sturgeon and
requested Commission approval to amend the three project licenses to
incorporate the Final Plan. All four projects are located on the
Kennebec River, in Kennebec and Somerset Counties, Maine.
On November 23, 2021, Commission staff issued a notice of intent to
prepare a draft and final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to
evaluate the effects of relicensing the Shawmut Project and amending
the licenses of all four projects to incorporate the measures in the
Interim and Final Plans. The notice of intent included a schedule for
preparing a draft and final EIS.
On September 21, 2022, Brookfield filed supplemental information
for the Final Plan, Interim Plan, and License Application. The filing
includes a delayed mortality analysis for salmon smolts and additional
measures that are intended to improve the downstream survival of
juvenile and adult Atlantic salmon at the four projects. On October 5,
2022, Commission staff noticed the filing and solicited comments.
Numerous comments were filed by stakeholders. The EIS will consider
Brookfield's additional measures and the comments filed in response to
the notice.
Therefore, by this notice, Commission staff is updating the
procedural schedule for completing a draft and final EIS. The revised
schedule is shown below. Further revisions to the schedule may be made
as appropriate.
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Milestone Target date
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Issue Draft EIS........................ August 2023.
Issue Final EIS........................ March 2024.
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Any questions regarding this notice may be directed to Matt Cutlip
at (503)
[[Page 11431]]
552-2762, or by email at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#adc0ccd9d983ced8d9c1c4ddedcbc8dfce83cac2db"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="88e5e9fcfca6ebfdfce4e1f8c8eeedfaeba6efe7fe">[email protected]</span></a>.
Dated: February 15, 2023.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2023-03687 Filed 2-22-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P
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