Notice2024-12985
Yuba County Water Agency; Notice of Scoping Meetings and Environmental Site Review and Soliciting Scoping Comments
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Published
June 13, 2024
Issuing agencies
Energy DepartmentFederal Energy Regulatory Commission
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 89 Issue 115 (Thursday, June 13, 2024)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 115 (Thursday, June 13, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 50320-50321]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2024-12985]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Project No. 1403-068]
Yuba County Water Agency; 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 available for public inspection.
a. Type of Application: New Major License.
b. Project No.: 1403-068.
c. Dated Filed: November 14, 2023.
d. Submitted By: Yuba County Water Agency (YCWA).
e. Name of Project: Narrows Hydroelectric Project (Narrows
Project).
f. Location: At the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' (Corps)
Englebright Dam, located on the mainstem of the Yuba River northeast of
the town of Smartsville in Yuba County, California. The project
currently occupies 0.55 acre of Federal land managed by the Corps.
g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act, 16 U.S.C. 791(a)--825(r).
h. Applicant Contact: Willie Whittlesey, General Manager, Yuba
County Water Agency, 1220 F Street, Marysville, CA 95901; (530) 741-
5000; <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#7b2c2c13120f0f171e081e023b020e191a0c1a0f1e095514091c"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="cb9c9ca3a2bfbfa7aeb8aeb28bb2bea9aabcaabfaeb9e5a4b9ac">[email protected]</span></a>.
i. FERC Contact: Rebecca Kipp at (202) 502-8846 or email at
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#51233433343232307f3a38212111373423327f363e27"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="e795828582848486c98c8e9797a781829584c9808891">[email protected]</span></a>. Deadline for filing scoping comments: August 6,
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#3c7a796e7f7352505552596f494c4c534e487c5a594e5f125b534a"><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, 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: Narrows Hydroelectric Project (P-1403-068).
The Commission's Rules of Practice and Procedure require all
interveners 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 intervener 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.
j. This application is not ready for environmental analysis at this
time.
k. The Narrows Project consists of: (1) an adit portal connecting
to the Corps' tunnel from Englebright Dam; (2) a 1,077-foot-long tunnel
that connects the adit portal to the project penstock; (3) a 266-foot-
long steel penstock pipe that connects the project tunnel to the
project powerhouse; and (4) a reinforced concrete powerhouse containing
a single 12-megawatt Francis turbine capable of passing up to 730 cubic
feet per second (cfs). There are no recreation facilities at the
project. The estimated average annual generation of the project is
52,887 megawatt-hours.
The Narrows Project operates as a run-of-river facility primarily
through remote control using a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition
system. YCWA coordinates operations of the Narrows 1 powerhouse, which
is a facility of the Narrows Project and the Narrows 2 powerhouse,
which is a facility of YCWA's Yuba River Development Project No. 2246
located on the north bank of the river at the base of Englebright, to
meet downstream flow
[[Page 50321]]
requirements and irrigation water demands as follows: (1) lower flow
requirements: when the required releases are less than the Narrows 1
powerhouse's current capacity, only Narrows 1 powerhouse operates; (2)
moderate flow requirement up to 900 cfs: when the required releases
exceed the Narrows 1 powerhouse's capacity but under 900 cfs, the
Narrows 1 powerhouse operates at full capacity. The remaining required
release is provided via Narrows 2 full or partial bypass; (3) high flow
requirement over 900 cfs: when the release is over 900 cfs, the Narrows
2 powerhouse operates either independently or in conjunction with
Narrows 1; (4) transitioning Narrows 1 online: if Narrows 2 is
operating but Narrows 1 needs to come online, synchronization to the
grid occurs while reducing Narrows 2 output; (5) as Narrows 1 gradually
increases its load and water releases, Narrows 2 decreases its release
to maintain the overall required flow; and (6) transitioning Narrows 2
online: if Narrows 1 is operating and Narrows 2 needs to come online,
synchronization to the grid occurs while reducing Narrows 1 output,
allowing Narrows 2 to supplement Narrows 1 load to meet the release
requirements.
l. 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 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.
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#1a554a4a5a7c7f6879347d756c"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="1b544b4b5b7d7e6978357c746d">[email protected]</span></a>.
m. 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 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:
Daytime Scoping Meeting
Date: Wednesday, July 10, 2024
Time: 10:00 a.m. (PST)
Place: Yuba Water Agency
Address: 1220 F Street, Marysville, CA 95901
Phone: (530) 741-5000
Evening Scoping Meeting
Date: Wednesday, July 10, 2024
Time: 6:00 p.m. (PST)
Place: Yuba Water Agency
Address: 1220 F Street, Marysville, CA 95901
Phone: (530) 741-5000
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,
tribes, and NGOs are invited to attend. All participants are
responsible for their own transportation to/from the project and during
the site visit. Participants must wear sturdy, closed-toe shoes, or
boots. Please RSVP to John James via email to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#711b1b101c1402310804131006100514035f1e0316"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="0b61616a666e784b727e696a7c6a7f6e792564796c">[email protected]</span></a> on
or before July 1, 2024, if you plan to attend the environmental site
review. The time and location of the environmental site review is as
follows:
Date: Tuesday, July 9, 2024
Time: 9:00 a.m. (PST)
Place: Yuba Water Agency (meet in parking lot)
Address: 1220 F Street, Marysville, CA 95901
Participants must meet at the Yuba Water Agency parking lot to
begin promptly at 9:00 a.m. where participants will drive in personal
vehicles together to the project.
Meeting 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.
Meeting participants should come prepared to discuss their issues
and/or concerns. Please review SD1 in preparation for the scoping
meetings. Directions on how to obtain a copy of SD1 are included in
item n of this document.
Meeting 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: June 7, 2024.
Debbie-Anne A. Reese,
Acting Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2024-12985 Filed 6-12-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P
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