Notice2024-04176
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; Great River Hydro, LLC
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
February 29, 2024
Issuing agencies
Energy DepartmentFederal Energy Regulatory Commission
Full Text
<html>
<head>
<title>Federal Register, Volume 89 Issue 41 (Thursday, February 29, 2024)</title>
</head>
<body><pre>
[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 41 (Thursday, February 29, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14824-14825]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2024-04176]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Project No. 1904-078]
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; Great River Hydro, 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.: 1904-078.
c. Date Filed: May 1, 2017; material amendment filed December 7,
2020.
d. Applicant: Great River Hydro, LLC (Great River Hydro).
e. Name of Project: Vernon Hydroelectric Project (project).
f. Location: The project is located on the Connecticut River in
Windham County, Vermont, and Cheshire County, New Hampshire.
g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act 16 U.S.C. 791(a)-825(r).
h. Applicant Contact: John Ragonese, FERC License Manager, Great
River Hydro, LLC, 40 Pleasant Street, Suite 202, Portsmouth, NH 03801;
(603) 498-2851 or <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#741e0615131b1a110711341306111500061d0211061c0d10061b5a171b19"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="91fbe3f0f6fefff4e2f4d1f6e3f4f0e5e3f8e7f4e3f9e8f5e3febff2fefc">[email protected]</span></a>.
i. FERC Contact: Steve Kartalia, (202) 502-6131 or
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#c5b6b1a0b5ada0abebaea4b7b1a4a9aca485a3a0b7a6eba2aab3"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="6a191e0f1a020f0444010b181e0b06030b2a0c0f1809440d051c">[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#91d7d4c3d2defffdf8fff4c2e4e1e1fee3e5d1f7f4e3f2bff6fee7"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="d79192859498b9bbbeb9b284a2a7a7b8a5a397b1b2a5b4f9b0b8a1">[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-1904-078.
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 Vernon Project consists of: (1) a 956-
foot-long, 58-foot-high concrete dam that includes: (a) 356-foot-long
section integral to the powerhouse; and (b) a 600-foot-long overflow
spillway section that includes: (i) a 9-foot-high, 6-foot-wide
downstream fishway sluice; (ii) a 13-foot-high, 13-foot-wide trash/ice
sluice; (iii) two 20-foot-high, 50-foot-wide tainter gates; (iv) four
10-foot-high, 50-foot-wide tainter gates; (v) two 10-foot-high, 50-
foot-wide hydraulic panel bays; (vi) two 10-foot-high, 50-foot-wide
stanchion bays; (vii) a 10-foot-high, 42.5-foot-wide stanchion bay; and
(viii) eight 7-foot-high, 9-foot-wide hydraulic flood gates; (2) a 26-
mile-long, 2,550-acre impoundment with a useable storage volume of
18,300 acre-feet between elevations 212.13 and 220.13 feet National
Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929 (NGVD 29); (3) eight approximately 30-
foot-high trashracks with 1.75-inch clear bar spacing and two
approximately 30-foot-high trashracks with 3.625-inch clear bar
spacing; (4) a 356-foot-long, 55-foot-wide, 45-foot-high reinforced
concrete, steel, and brick powerhouse containing four 2-megawatt (MW)
vertical Francis turbine-generator units, four 4-MW vertical Kaplan
turbine-generator units, and two 4.2-MW vertical Francis turbine-
generator units, for a total project capacity of 32.4 MW; (5) ten
concrete draft tubes ranging from 16 to 27 feet in diameter; (6) a 500-
foot-long, 13.8-kilovolt underground generator lead that connects the
turbine-generator units to two step-up transformers; (7) a
[[Page 14825]]
984-foot-long, 15-foot-wide upstream fishway; and (8) appurtenant
facilities.
Great River Hydro operates the project in a peaking mode in
coordination with its upstream Wilder Project No. 1892 and Bellows
Falls Project No. 1855. Average annual generation is approximately
158,028 MW-hours. Great River Hydro is proposing changes to project
operation that would reduce impoundment fluctuations and increase the
stability of downstream flow releases relative to current project
operation, including targeted water surface elevation levels and flow
ramping rates. Great River Hydro also proposes several protection,
mitigation, and enhancement measures for aquatic, terrestrial,
cultural, recreation resources, and threatened and endangered species.
The specific proposed changes are described in the amended application
and the settlement agreement filed on August 4, 2022.
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#d19e818191b7b4a3b2ffb6bea7"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="501f000010363522337e373f26">[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.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Milestone Target date
------------------------------------------------------------------------
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.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
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. 2024-04176 Filed 2-28-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P
</pre><script data-cfasync="false" src="/cdn-cgi/scripts/5c5dd728/cloudflare-static/email-decode.min.js"></script></body>
</html>Indexed from Federal Register on February 29, 2024.
This is legal information, not legal advice. Laws vary by jurisdiction and change frequently. Always verify current law with official sources and consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction for advice on your specific situation.