Notice2024-23940
Northern States Power Company; Notice of Application Accepted for Filing, Soliciting Motions To Intervene and Protests, Ready for Environmental Analysis, and Soliciting Comments, Recommendations, Terms and Conditions, and Prescriptions
Primary source
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Published
October 17, 2024
Issuing agencies
Energy DepartmentFederal Energy Regulatory Commission
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 89 Issue 201 (Thursday, October 17, 2024)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 201 (Thursday, October 17, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 83673-83675]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2024-23940]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Project No. 2610-012]
Northern States Power Company; Notice of Application Accepted for
Filing, Soliciting Motions To Intervene and Protests, Ready for
Environmental Analysis, and Soliciting Comments, Recommendations, Terms
and Conditions, and Prescriptions
Take notice that the following hydroelectric application has been
filed with the Commission and is available for public inspection.
a. Type of Application: Subsequent Minor License.
b. Project No.: 2610-012.
c. Date Filed: December 30, 2022.
d. Applicant: Northern States Power Company (Northern States).
e. Name of Project: Saxon Falls Hydroelectric Project (project).
f. Location: On the Montreal River in Gogebic County, Michigan and
Iron County, Wisconsin.
g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act, 16 U.S.C. 791 (a)-825(r).
h. Applicant Contact: Donald R. Hartinger, Director--Renewable
Operation, 414 Nicollet Mall FL 2, Minneapolis, MN 55401; telephone at
(651) 261-7668; email at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#53373c3d323f377d217d3b3221273a3d343621132b30363f363d3621342a7d303c3e"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="41252e2f202d256f336f29203335282f262433013922242d242f243326386f222e2c">[email protected]</span></a>.
i. FERC Contact: Nicholas Ettema, Project Coordinator, Great Lakes
Branch, Division of Hydropower Licensing; telephone at (312) 596-4447;
email at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#254b4c464d4a4944560b40515140484465434057460b424a53"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="1b7572787374777a68357e6f6f7e767a5b7d7e6978357c746d">[email protected]</span></a>.
j. Deadline for filing motions to intervene and protests, comments,
recommendations, terms and conditions, and 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>. For assistance, please contact FERC Online Support
at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#286e6d7a6b67464441464d7b5d5858475a5c684e4d5a4b064f475e"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="c98f8c9b8a86a7a5a0a7ac9abcb9b9a6bbbd89afacbbaae7aea6bf">[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, MD 20852. All filings must clearly
identify the project name and docket number on the first page: Saxon
Falls Hydroelectric Project (P-2610-012).
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 for filing and is now ready
for environmental analysis.
l. Project Description: The project includes a dam that consists
of: (1) a 250-foot-long non-overflow earthen embankment; (2) a 57-foot-
long non-overflow concrete section; (3) a 31-foot-long non-overflow
concrete section with a 19-foot-long intake structure with an 8-foot-
long gate and a trashrack with 1-inch clear bar spacing; (4) a 30-foot-
long concrete section with an 26-foot-long Tainter gate; and (5) a 127-
foot-long spillway section with a crest elevation of 997.0 feet
National Geodetic Vertical Dam of 1929 (NGVD 29). The dam creates an
impoundment with a surface area of 70 acres at an elevation of 997.0
feet NGVD 29.
From the impoundment, water flows through the intake structure to a
1,607-foot-long conduit with a surge tank, and two 207-foot-long
penstocks. From the penstocks, water is conveyed to a 52-foot-long, 30-
foot-wide powerhouse that contains two 750-kilowatt (kW) horizontal
turbine-generator units, for a total installed capacity of 1,500 kW.
Water is discharged from the
[[Page 83674]]
powerhouse directly to the Montreal River. The project creates an
approximately 2,400-foot-long bypassed reach of the Montreal River. A
minimum flow pipe extends from the 31-foot-long non-overflow section of
the dam to provide flow to the bypassed reach.
Project recreation facilities include a boat ramp on the southern
shoreline of the impoundment approximately 180 feet upstream of the
dam. Northern States also maintains the following non-project
recreation facilities in the project boundary: (1) a hand-carry boat
access site on the southern shore of the impoundment, adjacent to the
dam; (2) a parking area that provides access to the impoundment boat
access site and the project boat ramp; (3) a hand-carry boat access
site (tailwater access site) and parking area on the southern shoreline
of the Montreal River, approximately 1,900 feet downstream of the dam;
and (4) a scenic overlook on the southern shoreline of the bypassed
reach, upstream of the tailwater access site.
Electricity generated at the powerhouse is transmitted to the
electric grid via a 2.4-kilovolt (kV) overhead transmission line and a
2.4/34.5-kV step-up transformer. The minimum and maximum hydraulic
capacities of the powerhouse are 48 and 170 cubic feet per second
(cfs), respectively. The average annual energy production of the
project from 2017 through 2021 was 10,015.3 megawatt-hours.
Northern States operates the project in run-of-river mode, such
that project outflow approximates inflow to the impoundment. The
current license requires Northern States to: (1) minimize fluctuations
of the impoundment surface elevation; (2) maintain a minimum
impoundment elevation of 997.0 feet NGVD 29 from ice-out through June
1; (3) maintain an impoundment elevation between a minimum of 996.5 and
a maximum of 997.0 feet NGVD 29 from June 2 through ice-out; (4)
release a minimum flow of 5 cfs or inflow, whichever is less, to the
bypassed reach from ice-out through October 31 (ice-free season) each
year; (5) limit impoundment drawdowns for maintenance and repair to the
period of June 1 through December 31, and limit the rate of any such
drawdowns to a maximum of 1 foot per 24 hours for the first 2 feet and
0.5 foot per 24 hours thereafter; (6) implement a Cultural Resources
Monitoring Plan to protect cultural resources; and (7) operate and
maintain the project recreation facilities.
Northern States proposes to revise the project boundary around the
impoundment to follow a contour elevation of 997.0 feet NGVD 29, which
would result in a reduction in the total acreage of the project
boundary upstream of the project dam, from 159 acres to 71.7 acres.
Additionally, Northern States proposes to add 2.7 acres of land to the
project boundary near the dam and remove 20 acres of land from the
project boundary along the bypassed reach and river downstream of the
powerhouse.
Northern States proposes to continue to operate the project in run-
of-river mode and maintain water surface elevations as described above.
In addition, Northern States proposes to release a minimum aesthetic
flow of 5 cfs or inflow, whichever is less, from the Saturday before
Memorial Day to October 15, except on weekends and holidays, when a
minimum aesthetic flow of 10 cfs or inflow, whichever is less, would be
released from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Northern States also proposes the
following measures: (1) develop an operation compliance monitoring
plan; (2) develop an invasive species management plan that includes
biennial surveys for invasive species; (3) protect bald eagles by
scheduling any ground-disturbing activities at recreation sites to
occur between August 1 and January 15 for any work within 660 feet of
any eagle nest; (4) avoid the removal of trees greater than 3 inches in
diameter from June 1 through July 31, and follow the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service's guidance to protect the northern long-eared bat and
tricolored bat; (5) continue to maintain the boat ramp as a project
recreation facility and improve the boat ramp via grading and/or adding
gravel; (6) discontinue maintenance of the non-project hand-carry boat
access site that is on the shoreline of the impoundment, adjacent to
the dam; (7) provide impoundment access for hand-carry boaters at the
project boat ramp and install directional and safety signage for hand-
carry boaters at the boat ramp; (8) maintain the parking area for the
boat ramp as a project recreation facility; (9) maintain the scenic
overlook of the bypassed reach as a project recreation facility and
install safety signage at the overlook; (10) maintain the tailwater
access site and associated parking area as project recreation
facilities; (11) develop a whitewater recreation plan that includes
provisions for two, 3-hour whitewater flow releases between May and
September, generator ramping rates for whitewater flow releases,
publishing river flow information on the internet, and improving access
to the tailwater access site by installing an electronic card reader
that opens a locked gate; and (12) develop a historic properties
management plan that includes shoreline erosion surveys every 5 years.
m. A copy 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
docket number excluding the last three digits in the docket number
field to access the document (i.e., P-2610). 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, 385.211, and 385.214. 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,'' ``TERMS AND CONDITIONS,'' or ``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 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
[[Page 83675]]
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#eca3bcbcac8a899e8fc28b839a"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="56190606163033243578313920">[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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Filing of Comments, Recommendations, Terms and December 2024.
Conditions, and Prescriptions.
Filing of Reply Comments........................ January 2025.
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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: October 10, 2024.
Debbie-Anne A. Reese,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2024-23940 Filed 10-16-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on October 17, 2024.
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