Notice2023-03722
Alice Falls 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
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 11428-11429]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2023-03722]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Project No. 5867-054]
Alice Falls 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.: 5867-054.
c. Date filed: September 29, 2021.
d. Applicant: Alice Falls Hydro, LLC (Alice Falls Hydro).
e. Name of Project: Alice Falls Hydroelectric Project.
f. Location: The existing project is located on the Ausable River
in the Town of Chesterfield, Clinton and Essex counties, New York. The
project does not occupy federal land.
g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act 16 U.S.C. 791 (a)-825(r).
h. Applicant Contact: Jody Smet, Vice President, Regulatory
Affairs, Eagle Creek Renewable Energy, LLC, 7315 Wisconsin Avenue,
Suite 1100W, Bethesda, Maryland 20814; (804) 739-0654 or
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#1a70757e633469777f6e5a7f7b7d767f79687f7f71687f34797577"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="0d67626974237e6068794d686c6a61686e7f6868667f68236e6260">[email protected]</span></a>.
i. FERC Contact: Chris Millard at (202) 502-8256, or email at
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#f19299839882859e81999483df9c989d9d908395b197948392df969e87"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="a4c7ccd6cdd7d0cbd4ccc1d68ac9cdc8c8c5d6c0e4c2c1d6c78ac3cbd2">[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.asp">https://ferconline.ferc.gov/FERCOnline.asp</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.asp">https://ferconline.ferc.gov/QuickComment.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#12545740515d7c7e7b7c772e73327a6077742f" mailto:Support@ferc.gov"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="aaf9dfdadac5d8deeacccfd8c984cdc5dc">[email protected]</span></a>">FERCOnline<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#88dbfdf8f8e7fafcc8eeedfaeba6efe7fe"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="5a092f2a2a35282e1a3c3f2839743d352c">[email protected]</span></a></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. All filings must clearly identify the project name and
docket number on the first page: Alice Falls Hydroelectric Project P-
5867-054.
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 now ready for
environmental analysis.
The Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) issued a final rule on
April 20, 2022, revising the regulations under 40 CFR parts 1502, 1507,
and 1508 that federal agencies use to implement the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) (see National Environmental Policy Act
Implementing Regulations Revisions, 87 FR 23,453-70). The final rule
became effective on May 20, 2022. Commission staff intends to conduct
its NEPA review in accordance with CEQ's new regulations.
l. The project consists of: (1) a stone masonry dam, 88 feet long
and 63 feet high; (2) a 110-foot-long section of rock ledge adjacent to
the dam with 2.5-foot-high pipe-supported flashboards; (3) a reservoir
with a surface area of 4.8 acres at the normal water surface elevation
of 350 feet; \1\ (4) a 110-foot-wide, 150-foot-long intake structure
with a 41-foot-wide by 14-foot-high trash rack opening and fitted with
a trash rack with 1-inch clear bar spacing; (5) a divided, 45-foot-
long, reinforced concrete penstock, where the Unit 1 penstock is 18
feet wide by 12 feet high and the Unit 2 penstock is 10 feet wide by 12
feet high; (6) a powerhouse, approximately 34 feet wide and 26 feet
long, containing two turbine-generator units of 1.5 megawatts (Unit 1)
and 0.6 megawatt (Unit 2); (7) a substation, 51 feet wide and 88 feet
long; (8) a 745-foot-long, 5-kilovolt (kV) buried generator lead and a
700-foot-long, 46-kV buried transmission line; and (9) appurtenant
facilities.
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\1\ Elevation data are presented using the National Geodetic
Vertical Datum of 1929.
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Alice Falls Hydro currently operates the project in a run-of-river
mode and releases a year-round minimum flow over the spillway of 25
cubic feet per second (cfs) for the protection of aquatic resources and
a 125-cfs minimum flow from May 20 to September 8 for the enhancement
of aesthetic resources. A 20-cfs conveyance flow is released through
the fish bypass facility from April 1 through November 30.
Alice Falls Hydro proposes to continue to operate the project in a
run-of-river mode and provide a year-round, continuous minimum flow of
25 cfs; however, it would discontinue providing a 125-cfs aesthetic
flow. Alice Falls Hydro would also shorten the duration of the
operation of the fish bypass facility and temporarily increase
conveyance flows, providing 42 cfs, or inflow, whichever is less, from
April 15 through May 31 and 20 cfs or inflow, whichever is less, from
June 1 through November 15.
m. A copy of the application can be viewed on the Commission's
website 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. For assistance, contact FERC Online
Support. 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#d3959681909cbdbfbabdb6efb2f3bba1b6b5ee" mailto:Support@ferc.gov"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="de8dabaeaeb1acaa9eb8bbacbdf0b9b1a8">[email protected]</span></a>">FERCOnline<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#9ccfe9ececf3eee8dcfaf9eeffb2fbf3ea"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="5c0f292c2c332e281c3a392e3f723b332a">[email protected]</span></a></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
[[Page 11429]]
``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. The applicant must file no later than 60 days following the date
of issuance of this notice: (1) a copy of the water quality
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 water quality 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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Filing of Comments, Recommendations, April 2023.
Terms and Conditions, and Fishway
Prescriptions.
Filing of Reply Comments............. June 2023.
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Dated: February 16, 2023.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2023-03722 Filed 2-22-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on February 23, 2023.
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