Notice2024-04174
Notice of Application Accepted for Filing, Soliciting Motions To Intervene and Protests, Ready for Environmental Analysis, and Soliciting Comments, Recommendations, Preliminary Terms and Conditions, and Preliminary Fishway Prescriptions; Northfield Mountain LLC
Primary source
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Published
February 29, 2024
Issuing agencies
Energy DepartmentFederal Energy Regulatory Commission
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 89 Issue 41 (Thursday, February 29, 2024)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 41 (Thursday, February 29, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14827-14828]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2024-04174]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Project No. 2485-071]
Notice of Application Accepted for Filing, Soliciting Motions To
Intervene and Protests, Ready for Environmental Analysis, and
Soliciting Comments, Recommendations, Preliminary Terms and Conditions,
and Preliminary Fishway Prescriptions; Northfield Mountain LLC
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.: 2485-071.
c. Date Filed: April 29, 2016; material amendment filed December 4,
2020.
d. Applicant: Northfield Mountain LLC (Northfield).
e. Name of Project: Northfield Mountain Pumped Storage Project
(project).
f. Location: The project is located on the Connecticut River in
Windham County, Vermont, Cheshire County, New Hampshire, and Franklin
County, Massachusetts.
g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act 16 U.S.C. 791(a)-825(r).
h. Applicant Contact: Mr. Alan Douglass, Regulatory Compliance
Manager, 99 Millers Falls Road, Northfield, MA 01360; (413) 659-4416 or
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#95f4f9f4fbbbf1fae0f2f9f4e6e6d5f3fce7e6e1f9fcf2fde1e5fae2f0e7bbf6faf8"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="95f4f9f4fbbbf1fae0f2f9f4e6e6d5f3fce7e6e1f9fcf2fde1e5fae2f0e7bbf6faf8">[email protected]</span></a>.
i. FERC Contact: Steve Kartalia, (202) 502-6131 or
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#087b7c6d78606d662663697a7c69646169486e6d7a6b266f677e"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="46353223362e2328682d273432272a2f27062023342568212930">[email protected]</span></a>.
j. Deadline for filing motions to intervene and protests, comments,
recommendations, preliminary terms and conditions, and preliminary
fishway 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
motions to intervene and protests, 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#0b4d4e594844656762656e587e7b7b64797f4b6d6e7968256c647d"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="9fd9dacddcd0f1f3f6f1facceaefeff0edebdff9faedfcb1f8f0e9">[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: Debbie-Anne A. Reese, Acting Secretary, Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE, Room 1A, Washington, DC
20426. Submissions sent via any other carrier must be addressed to:
Debbie-Anne A. Reese, Acting Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission, 12225 Wilkins Avenue, Rockville, Maryland 20852. The first
page of any filing should include docket number P-2485-071.
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.
l. Project Description: The Northfield Mountain Pumped Storage
Project consists of: (1) a 1-mile-long, 30-foot-wide, 30- to 140-foot-
high main dam that includes: (i) an intake structure with two 7-foot-
wide, 9-foot-high sluice gates and an 8-foot-diameter outlet pipe; and
(ii) a 589-foot-long, 2-foot-diameter low-level outlet pipe; (2) a 425-
foot-long, 25-foot-high dike (North dike); (3) a 2,800-foot-long, 45-
foot-high dike (Northwest dike); (4) a 1,700-foot-long, 40-foot-long
dike (West dike); (5) a 327-foot-long, 10- to 20-foot-high gravity dam;
(6) an ungated 550-foot-long, 6-foot-high spillway structure with a 20-
foot-long notch at an elevation of
[[Page 14828]]
1,005.0 feet National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929 (NGVD 29); (7) a
286-acre impoundment (upper reservoir) with a useable storage volume of
12,318 acre-feet between elevations 938.0 feet and 1,000.5 feet NGVD
29; (8) a 2,110-acre impoundment (lower reservoir or Turners Falls
impoundment); (9) a 1,890-foot-long, 130-foot-wide intake channel with
a 63-foot-long, 9-foot-high submerged check dam and two 6-foot-wide,
2.75-foot-high sluice gates and two 18-foot-wide stoplogs; (10) a 200-
foot-long, 55-foot-wide, 80-foot-high pressure shaft; (11) an 853-foot-
long, 31-foot-diameter penstock; (12) two 22-foot-diameter, 100- to
150-foot-long penstocks; (13) four 340-foot-long, 9.5- to 14-foot-
diameter penstocks; (14) a 328-foot-long, 70-foot-wide powerhouse that
contains four reversible pump turbine-generator units with a total
installed capacity of 1,166.8 megawatts (MW); (15) four 25-foot-long,
11-foot-diameter draft tubes that transition to a 20-foot-long, 17-
foot-diameter draft tube; (16) a 5,136-foot-long, 33-foot-wide, 31-
foot-high horseshoe-shaped tailrace tunnel; (17) 35-foot-long, 40-foot-
high trapezoid-shaped stoplogs with 74.3- to 99.5-foot-wide, 48-foot-
high trashracks with 6-inch clear-bar spacing; (18) four 26-foot-long,
13.8-kilovolt (kV) generator leads that connect the turbine-generator
units to four transformers; (19) two 3,000-foot-long, 345-kV
transmission lines; and (20) appurtenant facilities.
The Northfield Mountain Pumped Storage Project generally operates
in pumping mode when electricity demand is low and generating mode when
electricity demand is high. In the summer and winter, the project
generally operates in a peaking mode in the morning and late afternoon.
In the spring and fall, the project may operate in a peaking mode one
or two times a day depending on electricity demand. The existing
license requires maintaining the upper reservoir between elevations
938.0 feet and 1,000.5 feet NGVD 29 (i.e., a maximum reservoir drawdown
of 62.5 feet). Average annual generation at the Northfield Mountain
Project from 2011-2019 was 889,845 MW-hours, and average annual energy
consumption for pumping from 2011 to 2019 was 1,189,640 MW-hours.
Northfield proposes three changes to the current project boundary:
(1) remove 0.2 acre of land associated with residential property; (2)
remove 8.1 acres of land referred to as ``Fuller Farm'' that include
residential and agricultural structures; and (3) add 135.5 acres of
land that include recreation trails.
Northfield proposes to increase the maximum water surface elevation
of the upper reservoir to 1,004.5 feet NGVD 29 and decrease the minimum
water surface elevation of the upper reservoir to 920.0 feet NGVD 29
(i.e., a maximum reservoir drawdown of 84.5 feet) year-round.
Northfield proposes to install a barrier net in the lower impoundment
to prevent fish entrainment. Northfield also proposes to periodically
dredge the upper reservoir and to construct new recreation access
trails. The specific proposed changes are described in the amended
application and the settlement agreements filed on March 31, 2023 and
June 12, 2023.
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.
n. Anyone may submit comments, a protest, or a motion to intervene
in accordance with the requirements of Rules of Practice and Procedure,
18 CFR 385.210, .211, and .214. In determining the appropriate action
to take, the Commission will consider all protests or other comments
filed, but only those who file a motion to intervene in accordance with
the Commission's Rules may become a party to the proceeding. Any
comments, protests, or motions to intervene must be received on or
before the specified comment date for the particular application.
All filings must: (1) bear in all capital letters the title
``PROTEST,'' ``MOTION TO INTERVENE,'' ``COMMENTS,'' ``REPLY COMMENTS,''
``RECOMMENDATIONS,'' ``PRELIMINARY TERMS AND CONDITIONS,'' or
``PRELIMINARY FISHWAY 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. A copy of any protest or
motion to intervene must be served upon each representative of the
applicant specified in the particular application. A copy of all other
filings in reference to this application 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.
The Commission's Office of Public Participation (OPP) supports
meaningful public engagement and participation in Commission
proceedings. OPP can help members of the public, including landowners,
environmental justice communities, Tribal members and others, access
publicly available information and navigate Commission processes. For
public inquiries and assistance with making filings such as
interventions, comments, or requests for rehearing, the public is
encouraged to contact OPP at (202) 502-6595 or <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#551a050515333027367b323a23"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="e4abb4b4a482819687ca838b92">[email protected]</span></a>.
You may also 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. 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.
p. 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 motions to intervene, April 2024.
protests, comments, recommendations,
preliminary terms and conditions, and
preliminary fishway prescriptions.
Deadline for filing reply comments........ May 2024.
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q. Final amendments to the application must be filed with the
Commission no later than 30 days from the issuance date of this notice.
Dated: February 22, 2024.
Debbie-Anne A. Reese,
Acting Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2024-04174 Filed 2-28-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P
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