Notice2025-20926
Lewis Ridge Pumped Storage, LLC; Notice of Scoping Period Requesting Comments on Environmental Issues for the Proposed Lewis Ridge Pumped Storage Project
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Published
November 25, 2025
Issuing agencies
Energy DepartmentFederal Energy Regulatory Commission
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 90 Issue 225 (Tuesday, November 25, 2025)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 225 (Tuesday, November 25, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 53317-53319]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2025-20926]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Project No. 15249-002]
Lewis Ridge Pumped Storage, LLC; Notice of Scoping Period
Requesting Comments on Environmental Issues for the Proposed Lewis
Ridge Pumped Storage Project
Take notice that the following hydroelectric application has been
filed with the Commission and is available for public inspection.
a. Type of Application: Original Major License.
b. Project No.: 15249-002.
c. Date Filed: June 13, 2025.
d. Applicant: Lewis Ridge Pumped Storage, LLC (LRPS).
e. Name of Project: Lewis Ridge Pumped Storage Project.
f. Location: Near the towns of Blackmont, Tejay, Balkan, and
Callaway, in Bell County, Kentucky.
g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act, 16 U.S.C. 791(a)-825(r).
h. Applicant Contact: Sandy Slayton, Rye Development, 1455 SW
Broadway Street, Suite 290, Portland Oregon 97201; (503) 341-1425;
email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#9deefcf3f9e4ddefe4f8f9f8ebf8f1f2edf0f8f3e9b3fef2f0"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="fd8e9c939984bd8f849899988b9891928d90989389d39e9290">[email protected]</span></a>.
i. FERC Contact: Sarah Salazar at (202) 502-6863, or
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#15667467747d3b667479746f746755737067763b727a63"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="a6d5c7d4c7ce88d5c7cac7dcc7d4e6c0c3d4c588c1c9d0">[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 Lewis Ridge Pumped Storage
Project. The Commission will use this environmental document in its
decision-making process to determine whether to issue a 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
December 23, 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 10,000 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#a9efecfbeae6c7c5c0c7ccfadcd9d9c6dbdde9cfccdbca87cec6df"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="5f191a0d1c10313336313a0c2a2f2f302d2b1f393a2d3c71383029">[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: Lewis Ridge Pumped Storage Project
(P-15249-002).
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. On October 24, 2025 the Commission issued a request for
additional information with a response due from the applicant by
December 8, 2025.
n. Project Description: The proposed project boundary would enclose
about 148 acres of privately owned land, primarily owned by Asher Land
and Mineral, LLLP, on which it previously conducted surface and
underground coal mining. About 16 additional parcels of privately owned
property would be included in the project boundary, primarily along the
transmission line and water intake conduit extending from the
Cumberland River to the lower reservoir. These lands are identified in
Exhibit G of the application (Project Boundary Drawing).
The proposed Lewis Ridge Project would consist of a 48.2-acre upper
reservoir created by an 8,241-foot-long, 50-foot-high rocky earth-fill
dam with an integrated emergency overflow spillway passing flows to the
Pound Mill Branch and into Puckett Creek. The upper reservoir would
have an active storage of about 2,602 acre-feet between normal maximum
elevation 2,150 feet and normal minimum elevation 2,076 feet. An intake
in the upper reservoir would pass flows to a 3,134-foot-long, 16-foot-
diameter aboveground penstock. The penstock would connect to a
powerhouse located 267 feet below ground, containing two 154-megawatt
(MW) reversible pump-turbines with a total rated capacity of 308 MW.
Flows from the powerhouse would pass through two 249-foot-long, 12-
foot-diameter draft tubes to a 110-foot-long water intake located at
the lower reservoir. The 51.6-acre lower reservoir would be created by
a 1,120-foot-long, 138-foot-high earth-fill dam and have an integrated
emergency overflow spillway passing flows to the Cumberland River. The
lower reservoir would have a gross storage of 3,486 acre-feet and
active storage of about 2,602 acre-feet between normal maximum
elevation 1,134 feet and normal minimum elevation 1,034 feet.
A permanent intake would be located on the Cumberland River to
provide initial fill flows and maintenance flows. The intake would
consist of 6 screened inlets which connect to a removable/mobile
pumping station. Flows from the pumping station would pass through
three parallel 4,724-foot-long, 24-inch-diameter buried pipelines which
would direct flows to a stilling basin at the lower reservoir.
[[Page 53318]]
LRPS would develop about 7.1 miles of permanent roads for project
access and maintenance, and 4 miles of temporary roads for
construction. LRPS would use two disposal sites to deposit excess spoil
material (excavated soil and rocks). After construction is completed,
these sites would be seeded and revegetated.
The project would include a 2.5-mile-long, 161-kilovolt overhead
transmission line and two switching stations, connecting the project
powerhouse to the existing Pineville-Harlan #1 transmission line. Under
normal operation, the project would have the capacity to produce about
717,000 megawatt hours (MWh) of peak energy annually.
Project Operation
The Lewis Ridge Pumped Storage Project would use flows from the
Cumberland River and Tom Fork River for the initial fill and periodic
recharge of the reservoirs. The project would require about 2,808 acre-
feet of water for the initial fill and 149 acre-feet annually to
replace water that would be lost to evaporation and seepage. All flows
in the Tom Fork River above 2.8 cubic feet per second (cfs) would be
available for maintenance flows and initial fill. About 10% of the mean
monthly flow in the Cumberland River would be used for initial fill and
to supplement Tom Fork River flows for maintenance when needed.
The lower reservoir would inundate part of the 1.8-mile-long Tom
Fork River. The lower reservoir dam would include a low-level outlet,
which would be used for emergency releases, as well as providing
approximately 2.8 cfs (the estimated mean annual flow) to the lower
section of the Tom Fork River.
The proposed project would pump water from the lower reservoir to
the upper reservoir during periods of low electrical demand (i.e., off-
peak energy, likely during nights and weekends) and generate energy by
passing the water from the upper to the lower reservoir through the
generating units during periods of high electrical demand (i.e., peak
energy, likely during weekdays). Water surface elevations in the upper
reservoir would fluctuate about 74 feet under normal operation. The
water surface elevation in the lower reservoir would fluctuate 100
feet. The project would produce 266 MW of energy for an 8-hour
generation cycle and take 8.8 hours to return water from the lower
reservoir to the upper reservoir. The return cycle would require 340 MW
of power. The proposed project would be operated to maximize benefits
to the electrical grid while minimizing evaporation from both
reservoirs.
Under an original license, in addition to constructing, operating,
and maintaining the project as described above, LRPS would implement
the following measures: (1) additional geo-technical analyses; (2) an
Erosion and Sediment Control Plan; (3) a Water Quality Monitoring Plan;
(4) a Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan; (5) a Hazardous Substances
Spill Prevention and Cleanup Plan; (6) a Groundwater Protection Plan;
(7) fish exclusion measures; (8) mussel relocation; (9) a Wildlife
Management Plan; (10) a Vegetation Management Plan; and (11) a Historic
Properties Management Plan.
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-
15249). For assistance, contact FERC at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#9fd9dacddcd0f1f3f6f1facceaefeff0edebdff9faedfcb1f8f0e9"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="85c3c0d7c6caebe9ecebe0d6f0f5f5eaf7f1c5e3e0f7e6abe2eaf3">[email protected]</span></a>,
(866) 208-3676 (toll free), or (202) 502-8659 (TTY).
o. 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 licensing 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.
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
(q) of this notice for instructions on using eSubscription).
p. 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#f5baa5a5b593908796db929a83"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="98d7c8c8d8fefdeafbb6fff7ee">[email protected]</span></a>.
q. 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-15249">https://ferconline.ferc.gov/MailListLOR.aspx?Type=MailList&ListVar=P-15249</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#15535047565a7b797c7b70466065657a676155737067763b727a63"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="45030017060a2b292c2b20163035352a373105232037266b222a33">[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: Lewis Ridge Pumped Storage Project No. 15249-002.
[[Page 53319]]
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-
15249). For assistance, contact FERC at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#de989b8c9d91b0b2b7b0bb8dabaeaeb1acaa9eb8bbacbdf0b9b1a8"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="32747760717d5c5e5b5c57614742425d404672545740511c555d44">[email protected]</span></a>,
(866) 208-3676 (toll free), or (202) 502-8659 (TTY).
Dated: October 24, 2025.
Debbie-Anne A. Reese,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2025-20926 Filed 11-24-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P
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