Notice2025-18315
Oglethorpe Power Corporation; Notice of Scoping Period Requesting Comments on Environmental Issues for the Proposed Rocky Mountain Pumped Storage Hydroelectric Project
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Published
September 22, 2025
Issuing agencies
Energy DepartmentFederal Energy Regulatory Commission
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 90 Issue 181 (Monday, September 22, 2025)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 181 (Monday, September 22, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45380-45382]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2025-18315]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Project No. P-2725-076]
Oglethorpe Power Corporation; Notice of Scoping Period Requesting
Comments on Environmental Issues for the Proposed Rocky Mountain Pumped
Storage Hydroelectric Project
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.: 2725-076.
c. Date Filed: December 6, 2024.
d. Applicant: Oglethorpe Power Corporation (OPC).
e. Name of Project: Rocky Mountain Pumped Storage Hydroelectric
Project.
f. Location: On Heath Creek, in Floyd County, Georgia.
g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act, 16 U.S.C. 791(a)-825(r).
[[Page 45381]]
h. Applicant Contact: Jeff Swartz, Oglethorpe Power Corporation,
Senior Vice President of Plant Operations, 2100 East Exchange Place,
Tucker, Georgia 30084; phone at (770) 270-7600; email at Jeff
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#93c0e4f2e1e7e9d3fce3f0bdf0fcfe"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="580b2f392a2c221837283b763b3735">[email protected]</span></a>.
i. FERC Contact: David Gandy, Project Coordinator, South Branch,
Division of Hydropower Licensing; phone at (202) 502-8560; email at
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#e68287908f82c8818788829fa680839485c8818990"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="d2b6b3a4bbb6fcb5b3bcb6ab92b4b7a0b1fcb5bda4">[email protected]</span></a>.
j. The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or
Commission) will prepare an environmental document that will discuss
the environmental effects of relicensing the Rocky Mountain Pumped
Storage Hydroelectric Project. The Commission will use this
environmental document in its decision-making process to determine
whether to issue a new license for the project.
k. This notice announces the opening of the scoping process the
Commission will use to gather input from the public and interested
agencies regarding the project. This notice is intended to advise all
participants as to the potential scope of the National Environmental
Policy Act (NEPA) document and to seek additional information pertinent
to this analysis. Commission staff does not intend to issue a separate
scoping document.
As part of the NEPA review process, the Commission takes into
account concerns the public may have about proposals and the
environmental effects that could result from its action whenever it
considers the issuance of a hydropower license. This gathering of
public input is referred to as ``scoping.'' The main goal of the
scoping process is to focus the analysis in the environmental document
on the important environmental issues.
l. Scoping Comments: By this notice, the Commission requests
written public comments on the scope of issues to address in the
environmental document. To ensure that your comments are timely and
properly recorded, please submit your comments so that the Commission
receives them in Washington, DC on or before 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on
October 20, 2025.
Comments should focus on the potential environmental effects and
reasonable alternatives. Your input will help the Commission staff
determine what issues they need to evaluate in the environmental
document. Commission staff will consider all written comments during
the preparation of the environmental document.
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>. For
assistance, please contact FERC Online Support at
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#ce888b9c8d81a0a2a7a0ab9dbbbebea1bcba8ea8abbcade0a9a1b8"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="9ed8dbccddd1f0f2f7f0fbcdebeeeef1eceadef8fbecfdb0f9f1e8">[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, 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,
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: Rocky Mountain Pumped Storage
Hydroelectric Project (P-2725-076).
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.
m. The application is not ready for environmental analysis at this
time.
n. The Rocky Mountain Pumped Storage Project consists of the
following existing facilities: (1) a 120-foot-high, 12,895-foot-long
earth and rockfill upper dam; (2) a 221 acre upper reservoir with
10,650 acre-feet of storage and a normal operating pool elevation of
1,392 feet North American Vertical Datum of 1988 (NAVD88); (3) a 35-
foot-diameter, 567-foot-high concrete-lined power shaft; (4) a 35-foot-
diameter, 1,935-foot-long concrete lined tunnel with two concrete lined
bifurcations; (5) three 19-foot-diameter, 470-foot-long steel lined
penstocks; (6) a 348-foot-long, 156-foot-wide, 175-foot-high powerhouse
containing three reversible Francis pump-turbines, with a combined
installed capacity of 904 megawatts; (7) a 600 acre lower reservoir
with 18,800 acre-feet of storage and a maximum elevation of 710.5 ft
NAVD88 created by a combination of three dams; (8) a 120-foot-high,
942-foot-long combination earth and rockfill embankment, and a concrete
gravity main dam; a 70-foot-high, 1,260-foot-long earth and rockfill
structure with an impervious core; and a 10-foot-high, 690-foot-long
earthfill structure; (9) three 230 kilovolt, 2.7-mile-long transmission
lines; (10) a substation; and (11) appurtenant facilities.
The project also has reserve storage water contained in two
auxiliary pools adjacent to the lower reservoir. Pool I's (Antioch
Lakes East and West) surface area is 400 acres and is formed by four
dams. The pool I dams consist of: (a) a 25-foot-high earthen dam of
unspecified length; (b) a 20-foot-high, 775-foot-long earth and
rockfill dam; (c) a 50-foot-high, 700-foot-long earth and rockfill dam;
and (d) a 50-foot-high, 405-foot-long earth and rockfill dam. Pool II's
(Heath Lake) surface area is 200 acres and is formed by a 30-foot-high,
335-foot-long earth and rockfill dam.
Under a new license, OPC proposes to: (1) continue operating the
pumped storage project has it has historically, with no changes
generation capacity or other project modifications; (2) continue to
release a continuous minimum flow of 1.2 cfs from the Lower Reservoir
into Heath Creek; (3) implement a study to examine the effects of
different minimum flows under summer low-flow operations on dissolved
oxygen in Heath Creek downstream of the Main Dam; (4) implement Bald
Eagle Management and Invasive Species Management Plans filed with the
license application; (5) implement bat habitat protection measures; and
(5) implement a Recreation Enhancement Plan for Heath Lake, and Antioch
Lakes East and West. OPC also proposes to develop and implement a
Historic Properties Management Plan through a Programmatic Agreement.
o. A copy of the application, with details of the proposed project,
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 (P-
2725). For assistance, contact FERC at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#9adcdfc8d9d5f4f6f3f4ffc9efeaeaf5e8eedafcffe8f9b4fdf5ec"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="03454651404c6d6f6a6d66507673736c717743656671602d646c75">[email protected]</span></a>,
(866) 208-3676 (toll free), or (202) 502-8659 (TTY).
p. NEPA Process and the Environmental Document: Any environmental
document issued by the Commission will discuss effects that could occur
as a result of the project's relicensing under the relevant general
resource areas, such as:
<bullet> geology and soils;
<bullet> aquatic resources;
<bullet> terrestrial resources;
<bullet> threatened and endangered species;
<bullet> recreation, land use, and aesthetic resources;
<bullet> cultural resources; and
<bullet> developmental resources.
[[Page 45382]]
Commission staff will also evaluate reasonable alternatives to the
proposed project or portions of the project and make recommendations on
how to lessen or avoid effects on the various resource areas. Your
comments will help Commission staff identify and focus on the issues
that might have an effect on the human environment and potentially
eliminate others from further discussion in the environmental document.
Following this scoping period, Commission staff will determine
whether to prepare an Environmental Assessment (EA) or an Environmental
Impact Statement (EIS). The EA or EIS will present Commission staff's
independent analysis of the issues. If Commission staff prepares an EA,
a Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Assessment will be
issued. The EA may be issued for an allotted public comment period. The
Commission would consider timely comments on the EA before making its
decision regarding the proposed project. If Commission staff prepares
an EIS, a Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement
will be issued. Staff will then prepare a draft EIS which will be
issued for public comment. Commission staff will consider all timely
comments received during the comment period on the draft EIS and revise
the document, as necessary, before issuing a final EIS. Any EA or draft
and final EIS will be available in electronic format in the public
record through eLibrary. If eSubscribed, you will receive instant email
notification when the environmental document is issued (see paragraph
(r) of this notice for instructions on using eSubscription).
q. 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,
community organizations, 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#bef1eeeefed8dbccdd90d9d1c8"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="93dcc3c3d3f5f6e1f0bdf4fce5">[email protected]</span></a>.
r. This notice is being distributed to the Commission's official
mailing list for the project and any additional entities on the
applicant's distribution list. You can access the Commission's official
mailing list for this project at <a href="https://ferconline.ferc.gov/MailListLOR.aspx?Type=MailList&ListVar=P-2725">https://ferconline.ferc.gov/MailListLOR.aspx?Type=MailList&ListVar=P-2725</a>. If you want to receive
future mailings for the project and are not included on the
Commission's official mailing list, or if you wish to be removed from
the Commission's official mailing list, please send your request by
email to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#8dcbc8dfcec2e3e1e4e3e8def8fdfde2fff9cdebe8ffeea3eae2fb"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="c0868592838faeaca9aea593b5b0b0afb2b480a6a5b2a3eea7afb6">[email protected]</span></a>. In lieu of an email request, you
may submit a paper request. Submissions sent via the U.S. Postal
Service must be addressed to: Debbie-Anne A. Reese, 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, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission,
12225 Wilkins Avenue, Rockville, MD 20852. All written or emailed
requests must specify your wish to be added to or removed from the
mailing list, and must clearly identify the following on the first
page: Rocky Mountain Pumped Storage Hydroelectric Project (P-2725-076).
Additionally, the Commission offers a free service called
eSubscription, which makes it easy to stay informed of all issuances
and submittals regarding the dockets/projects to which you subscribe.
These instant email notifications are the fastest way to receive
notification and provide a link to the document files which can reduce
the amount of time you spend researching proceedings. Go to <a href="https://www.ferc.gov/ferc-online/overview">https://www.ferc.gov/ferc-online/overview</a> to register for eSubscription.
In addition to publishing the full text of this notice in the
Federal Register, the Commission provides all interested persons an
opportunity to view and/or print the contents of this notice, as well
as other documents in the proceeding (e.g., license application) via
the internet through the Commission's Home Page (<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 (P-
2725). For assistance, contact FERC at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#a3e5e6f1e0eccdcfcacdc6f0d6d3d3ccd1d7e3c5c6d1c08dc4ccd5"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="377172657478595b5e595264424747584543775152455419505841">[email protected]</span></a>,
(866) 208-3676 (toll free), or (202) 502-8659 (TTY).
Dated: September 17, 2025.
Debbie-Anne A. Reese,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2025-18315 Filed 9-19-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P
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