Notice2024-06043
Beaver Falls Municipal Authority; Notice of Scoping Meetings and Environmental Site Review and Soliciting Scoping Comments
Primary source
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Published
March 21, 2024
Issuing agencies
Energy DepartmentFederal Energy Regulatory Commission
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 89 Issue 56 (Thursday, March 21, 2024)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 56 (Thursday, March 21, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20194-20196]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2024-06043]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Project No. 3451-047]
Beaver Falls Municipal Authority; Notice of Scoping Meetings and
Environmental Site Review and Soliciting Scoping Comments
Take notice that the following hydroelectric application has been
filed with the Commission and is available for public inspection.
[[Page 20195]]
a. Type of Application: New Major License.
b. Project No.: 3451-047.
c. Date filed: August 1, 2022.\1\
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\1\ The Commission's Rules of Practice and Procedure provide
that if a deadline falls on a Saturday, Sunday, holiday, or other
day when the Commission is closed for business, the deadline does
not end until the close of business on the next business day. 18 CFR
385.2007(a)(2). Because the deadline for filing a license
application fell on a Sunday (i.e., July 31, 2022), the deadline was
extended until the close of business on Monday, August 1, 2022.
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d. Applicant: Beaver Falls Municipal Authority.
e. Name of Project: Townsend Water Power Project (Townsend Project
or project).
f. Location: On the Beaver River, in the Borough of New Brighton in
Beaver County, Pennsylvania.
g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act, 16 U.S.C. 791(a)-825(r).
h. Applicant Contact: James Riggio, General Manager, Beaver Falls
Municipal Authority, P.O. Box 400, Beaver Falls, PA 15010; (724) 846-
2400.
i. FERC Contact: Claire Rozdilski at (202) 502-8259; or email at
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#741718151d06115a061b0e101d18071f1d34121106175a131b02"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="71121d101803145f031e0b15181d021a1831171403125f161e07">[email protected]</span></a>.
j. Deadline for filing scoping comments: May 17, 2024.
The Commission strongly encourages electronic filing. Please file
scoping comments 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#1f595a4d5c50717376717a4c6a6f6f706d6b5f797a6d7c31787069"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="80c6c5d2c3cfeeece9eee5d3f5f0f0eff2f4c0e6e5f2e3aee7eff6">[email protected]</span></a>, (866) 208-3676 (toll free), or (202) 502-
8659 (TTY). In lieu of electronic filing, please send a paper copy via
U.S. Postal Service 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. All
filings must clearly identify the project name and docket number on the
first page: Townsend Water Power Project (P-3451-047).
The Commission's Rules of Practice and Procedure 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 is not ready for environmental analysis at this
time.
l. The Townsend Project includes: (1) a 450-foot-long and 13-foot-
high dam, constructed of rock-filled timber cribs encased in concrete,
with a 350-foot-long spillway and an average dam crest elevation of
698.63 feet National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929 (NGVD29); (2) an
approximately 25-acre reservoir with a gross storage capacity of 200
acre-feet at normal pool elevation of 698.78 feet NGVD29; (3) a short
entrance channel excavated in rock near the left dam abutment that
directs water to an intake structure with two 17-foot-wide trashracks
with 5-inch clear bar spacing; (4) a 52-foot-long by 46-foot-wide
concrete powerhouse; (5) two double-regulated open-pit type turbine-
generator units each rated at 2,500 kilowatts (kW) for a total
installed capacity of 5 megawatts; (6) an approximately 230-foot-long
tailrace, excavated in rock at a normal tailwater elevation of 681.17
feet NGVD29; (7) a 500-foot-long, 23-kilovolt (kV) transmission line
owned by Duquesne Light Company; (8) 4.16-kV generator leads, a 60-
foot-long section of 5-kV underground cable leading to a 5-megavolt-
ampere, 4.16/23-kV step-up transformer in an outdoor substation; and
(9) appurtenant facilities. The average annual generation was 19,524
megawatt-hours for the period from 2015 to 2019.
The Townsend Project operates in a run-of-river mode with a
continuous minimum flow of 304 cubic feet per second (cfs), or inflow,
whichever is less conveyed to the bypassed reach. Because the minimum
hydraulic capacity for operating a single unit is 600 cfs, the minimum
river flow needed for project operation is 904 cfs (304 cfs plus 600
cfs). There is minimal to no available usable storage behind the dam
and if river flow is less than 904 cfs, all water is spilled over the
dam. The project is typically operated automatically, but manual
operation may occur during high-water events. The project is returned
to automatic operation when flow decreases.
m. Copies of the application can be viewed on the Commission's
website at <a href="https://www.ferc.gov">https://www.ferc.gov</a>, using the ``eLibrary'' link. Enter the
project's docket number, excluding the last three digits in the docket
number field, to access the document. For assistance, contact FERC
Online Support.
You may also register 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, please
contact FERC Online Support at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#0b4d4e594844656762656e587e7b7b64797f4b6d6e7968256c647d"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="14525146575b7a787d7a71476164647b666054727166773a737b62">[email protected]</span></a>.
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 at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#09465959496f6c7b6a276e667f"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="08475858486e6d7a6b266f677e">[email protected]</span></a>.
n. Scoping Process: Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy
Act (NEPA), Commission staff intends to prepare either an environmental
assessment (EA) or an environmental impact statement (EIS)
(collectively referred to as the ``NEPA document'') that describes and
evaluates the probable effects, including an assessment of the site-
specific and cumulative effects, if any, of the proposed action and
alternatives. The Commission's scoping process will help determine the
required level of analysis and satisfy the NEPA scoping requirements,
irrespective of whether the Commission issues an EA or an EIS.
Scoping Meetings
Commission staff will hold two public scoping meetings and an
environmental site review in the vicinity of the project to receive
input on the scope of the NEPA document. An evening meeting will focus
on receiving input from the public and a daytime meeting will focus on
the concerns of resource agencies, non-governmental organizations
(NGOs), and Indian Tribes. We invite all interested agencies, Indian
Tribes, NGOs, and individuals to attend one or both meetings. The times
and locations of these meetings are as follows:
Evening Scoping Meeting
Date: Tuesday, April 16, 2024
Time: 7:00 p.m. EDT
Place: Hampton Inn Pittsburgh Area--Beaver Valley
Address: 202 Fairview Drive, Monaca, PA 15061
Daytime Scoping Meeting
Date: Wednesday, April 17, 2024
Time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
Place: Hampton Inn Pittsburgh Area--Beaver Valley
[[Page 20196]]
Address: 202 Fairview Drive, Monaca, PA 15061
Copies of the Scoping Document (SD1) outlining the subject areas to
be addressed in the NEPA document were distributed to the parties on
the Commission's mailing list. Copies of the SD1 will be available at
the scoping meeting or may be viewed on the web at <a href="http://www.ferc.gov">http://www.ferc.gov</a>
using the ``eLibrary'' link (see item m above).
Environmental Site Review
The applicant and Commission staff will conduct an environmental
site review of the project. All interested individuals, agencies,
Indian Tribes, and NGOs are invited to attend. All participants are
responsible for their own transportation to the site. Please RSVP via
email to Laura Cowen at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#c5a9a4b0b7a4eba6aab2a0ab85aea9a0acabb6a6ada8aca1b1a2b7aab0b5eba6aaa8"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="94f8f5e1e6f5baf7fbe3f1fad4fff8f1fdfae7f7fcf9fdf0e0f3e6fbe1e4baf7fbf9">[email protected]</span></a> or by phone
at (717) 983-4056 if you plan to attend the environmental site review.
The time and location of the environmental site review is as follows:
Date: Wednesday, April 17, 2024
Time: 9:00 a.m. EDT
Place: Townsend Water Power Project Station Entrance
Address: 900 1st Avenue, New Brighton, PA 15066
All persons attending the environmental site review must adhere to
the following requirements: (1) all persons must wear sturdy, closed-
toe shoes or boots; (2) persons with open-toed shoes/sandals/flip
flops/high heels, etc. will not be allowed on the environmental site
review; (3) persons must be 18 years or older; (4) no photography will
be allowed inside the powerhouse; (5) no weapons are allowed on-site;
(6) no alcohol/drugs are allowed on-site (or persons exhibiting the
effects thereof); and (7) no animals (except for service animals) are
allowed on the environmental site review.
Objectives
At the scoping meetings, Commission staff will: (1) summarize the
environmental issues tentatively identified for analysis in the NEPA
document; (2) solicit from the meeting participants all available
information, especially quantifiable data, on the resources at issue;
(3) encourage statements from experts and the public on issues that
should be analyzed in the NEPA document, including viewpoints in
opposition to, or in support of, the staff's preliminary views; (4)
determine the resource issues to be addressed in the NEPA document; and
(5) identify those issues that require a detailed analysis, as well as
those issues that do not require a detailed analysis.
Procedures
The meetings are recorded by a stenographer and become part of the
formal record of the Commission proceeding on the project. Individuals,
NGOs, Indian Tribes, and agencies with environmental expertise and
concerns are encouraged to attend the meeting and to assist the staff
in defining and clarifying the issues to be addressed in the NEPA
document.
Dated: March 15, 2024.
Debbie-Anne A. Reese,
Acting Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2024-06043 Filed 3-20-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P
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