Notice2026-00716
Carthusian Foundation in America; Notice of Pending Jurisdictional Inquiry and Soliciting Comments, Protests, and Motions To Intervene
Primary source
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Published
January 15, 2026
Issuing agencies
Energy DepartmentFederal Energy Regulatory Commission
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 10 (Thursday, January 15, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 10 (Thursday, January 15, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1783-1784]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-00716]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. UL26-2-000]
Carthusian Foundation in America; Notice of Pending
Jurisdictional Inquiry and Soliciting Comments, Protests, and Motions
To Intervene
On November 14, 2025, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
(Commission) received a request from the Vermont Department of
Environmental Conservation (Vermont DEC) for a jurisdictional
determination for the unlicensed Hopper Brook Hydroelectric Project.
The project is located on Hopper Brook in Bennington County, Vermont.
Pursuant to section 23(b)(1) of the Federal Power Act (FPA),\1\ a
non-federal hydroelectric project must be licensed if it: (a) is
located on a navigable water of the United States; (b) occupies lands
or reservations of the United States; (c) utilizes surplus water or
waterpower
[[Page 1784]]
from a government dam; \2\ or (d) is located on a stream over which
Congress has Commerce Clause jurisdiction, is constructed or modified
on or after August 26, 1935, and affects the interests of interstate or
foreign commerce.
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\1\ 16 U.S.C. 817(1).
\2\ A project that meets condition (a), (b), or (c) is not
required to be licensed if it holds a still valid pre-1920 federal
permit.
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Regarding condition (d) above, for purposes of FPA section
23(b)(1), headwaters and tributaries of navigable waters are Commerce
Clause streams; \3\ ``post-1935'' construction or modification at an
existing project includes enlarging a project, such as increasing size
of the reservoir, height of the dam, or generating capacity; \4\ and
projects that generate energy for transmission on the interstate grid
affect interstate commerce.\5\
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\3\ FPC v. Union Electric Co., 381 U.S. 90, 94-96 (1965).
\4\ See, e.g., L.S. Starrett Co. v. FERC, 650 F.3d 19, 26-27
(1st Cir. 2011); Cent. Vt. Pub. Serv. Corp., 54 FERC ] 61,132, at
61,434 (1991) (citing Puget Sound Power & Light Co. v. FPC, 557 F.2d
1311 (9th Cir. 1977); Aquenergy Systems, Inc., 29 FERC ] 61,026
(1984)).
\5\ See FPC v. Union Elec. Co., 381 U.S. at 94-95. Moreover, it
is well settled that small hydroelectric projects that are connected
to the interstate grid, even if they have no interstate sales,
affect interstate commerce by displacing power from the grid, and
the cumulative effect of the national class of these small projects
is significant for purposes of FPA section 23(b)(1). See Habersham
Mills v. FERC, 976 F.2d 1381, 1384-85 (11th Cir. 1992).
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Vermont DEC requests that the Commission examine its jurisdiction
for the Hopper Brook Project on the grounds that the project is located
on a stream over which Congress has Commerce Clause jurisdiction, that
much of the project was constructed after August 26, 1935, and that the
project is connected to the transmission grid.\6\
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\6\ Vermont DEC November 14, 2025 Request for Determination of
Commission Jurisdiction for the Hopper Brook Hydroelectric Project
at 2-3.
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In response to Vermont DEC's request, Commission staff is
investigating the jurisdictional status of the Hopper Brook
Hydroelectric Project (UL26-2-000). A copy of Vermont DEC's request may
be viewed on the Commission's website at <a href="http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/elibrary.asp">http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/elibrary.asp</a>. Enter the docket number, UL26-2-000. 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, call 1-866-208-3676 or email
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#d5939087969abbb9bcbbb086a0a5a5baa7a195b3b0a7b6fbb2baa3"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="96d0d3c4d5d9f8fafff8f3c5e3e6e6f9e4e2d6f0f3e4f5b8f1f9e0">[email protected]</span></a>, for TTY, call (202) 502-8659.
The Commission is soliciting comments, motions to intervene, and
protests in this proceeding. Comments, motions to intervene, and
protests must be filed by 45 days from notice or February 26, 2026, by
5:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Anyone may submit comments, a protest, or a
motion to intervene in accordance with the requirements of Rules and
Practice and Procedure, 18 CFR 385.210, 211, and 214. In determining
the appropriate action to take, the Commission will consider all
protests or comments filed, but only those who file a motion to
intervene in accordance with the Commission's Rules may become a party
to the proceedings. Any comments, protests, or motions to intervene
must be received on or before the specified comment date.
The Commission strongly encourages electronic filing. Please file
comments, protests, and motions to intervene using the Commission's
eFiling system at <a href="http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/efiling.asp">http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/efiling.asp</a>.
Commenters can submit brief comments up to 6,000 characters, without
prior registration, using the eComment system at <a href="http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/ecomment.asp">http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/ecomment.asp</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#72343720313d1c1e1b1c17210702021d000632141700115c151d04"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="abedeef9e8e4c5c7c2c5cef8dedbdbc4d9dfebcdced9c885ccc4dd">[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, Maryland 20852. The first page of any
filing should include Docket Number UL26-2-000.
For public inquiries and assistance with making filings such as
interventions, comments, or requests for rehearing, contact the Office
of Public Participation at (202) 502-6595 or <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#9cd3ccccdcfaf9eeffb2fbf3ea"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="4c031c1c0c2a293e2f622b233a">[email protected]</span></a>.
For further information, please contact Kelly Fitzpatrick at (202)
502-8435 or <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#bdd6d8d1d1c493dbd4c9c7cddcc9cfd4ded6fddbd8cfde93dad2cb"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="8fe4eae3e3f6a1e9e6fbf5ffeefbfde6ece4cfe9eafdeca1e8e0f9">[email protected]</span></a>.
(Authority: 18 CFR 2.1)
Dated: January 12, 2026.
Debbie-Anne A. Reese,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2026-00716 Filed 1-14-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on January 15, 2026.
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