Notice2024-04177
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
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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 14819-14821]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2024-04177]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Project No. 1892-030]
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.: 1892-030.
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: Wilder Hydroelectric Project (project).
f. Location: The project is located on the Connecticut River in
Orange and Windsor Counties, Vermont, and Grafton 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#d9b3abb8beb6b7bcaabc99beabbcb8adabb0afbcabb1a0bdabb6f7bab6b4"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="8ce6feedebe3e2e9ffe9ccebfee9edf8fee5fae9fee4f5e8fee3a2efe3e1">[email protected]</span></a>.
i. FERC Contact: Steve Kartalia, (202) 502-6131 or
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#2e5d5a4b5e464b4000454f5c5a4f42474f6e484b5c4d00494158"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="205354455048454e0e4b415254414c494160464552430e474f56">[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>.
[[Page 14820]]
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#387e7d6a7b77565451565d6b4d4848574a4c785e5d4a5b165f574e"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="34727166777b5a585d5a51674144445b464074525146571a535b42">[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-
1892-030.
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 Wilder Project consists of: (1) a
1,546-foot-long, 59-foot-high, concrete dam that includes: (a) a 400-
foot-long non-overflow, earthen embankment (north embankment); (b) a
232-foot-long non-overflow, concrete bulkhead; (c) a 208-foot-long
concrete forebay; (d) a 526-foot-long concrete, gravity spillway that
includes: (i) six 30-foot-high, 36-foot-long tainter gates; (ii) four
17-foot-high, 50-foot-wide stanchion flashboards; (iii) a 15-foot-high,
20-foot-long skimmer gate (north gate); and (iv) a 10-foot-high, 10-
foot-long skimmer gate (south gate); and (e) a 180-foot-long non-
overflow, earthen embankment (south embankment); (2) a 45-mile-long,
3,100-acre impoundment with a useable storage volume of 13,350 acre-
feet between elevations 380 and 385 feet National Geodetic Vertical
Datum of 1929 (NGVD 29); (3) four approximately 25-foot-high, 20-foot-
wide trashracks with 5-inch clear bar spacing and one approximately 28-
foot-high, 20-foot-wide trashrack with 1.625-inch clear bar spacing;
(4) a 181-foot-long, 50-foot-wide, 50-foot-high steel frame, brick
powerhouse containing two 16.2-megawatt (MW) adjustable-blade Kaplan
turbine-generator units and one 3.2-MW vertical Francis turbine-
generator unit for a total project capacity of 35.6 MW; (5) three
concrete draft tubes ranging from 9.5 to 20.5 feet in diameter; (6)
13.8-kilovolt generator leads that connect the turbine-generator units
to two substation transformers; (7) an approximately 580-foot-long, 6-
foot-wide fishway; and (8) appurtenant facilities.
Great River Hydro operates the project in a peaking mode in
coordination with its downstream Bellows Falls Project No. 1855 and
Vernon Project No. 1904. Average annual generation is approximately
156,303 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#3b746b6b7b5d5e4958155c544d"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="b0ffe0e0f0d6d5c2d39ed7dfc6">[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.
[[Page 14821]]
Dated: February 22, 2024.
Debbie-Anne A. Reese,
Acting Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2024-04177 Filed 2-28-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on February 29, 2024.
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