Notice2026-00983
Idaho Power Company; Notice of Availability of the Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement and Revised Procedural Schedule for the Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
January 20, 2026
Issuing agencies
Energy DepartmentFederal Energy Regulatory Commission
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 12 (Tuesday, January 20, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 12 (Tuesday, January 20, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2345-2346]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-00983]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Project No. 1971-079]
Idaho Power Company; Notice of Availability of the Draft
Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement and Revised Procedural
Schedule for the Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement
In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969
and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's (Commission)
regulations, 18 CFR part 380, the Office of Energy Projects has
reviewed Idaho Power Company's (Idaho Power) application for a new
license to continue to operate and maintain the Hells Canyon
Hydroelectric Project No. 1971 (project) and has prepared a draft
supplemental environmental impact statement (SEIS) for the project.\1\
The project is located on the Snake River in Washington and Adams
Counties, Idaho, and Wallowa, Malheur, and Baker Counties, Oregon and
occupies a total of about 5,270 acres of federal land administered by
the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Department of
Agriculture, Forest Service (Forest Service). The Hells Canyon Project
consists of three developments (dams, reservoirs, and powerhouses) on
the segment of the Snake River forming the border between Idaho and
Oregon. The three developments are Brownlee, Oxbow, and Hells Canyon,
which combined provide 1,222.3 megawatts of power generating capacity
and an average of 5,571,005 megawatt-hours of electricity annually.
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\1\ For tracking purposes under the National Environmental
Policy Act, the unique identification number for documents relating
to this environmental review is SEIS-019-20-000-1756911632.
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On August 31, 2007, Commission staff issued a final environmental
impact statement (EIS) for the proposed relicensing of the project. On
December 30, 2019, Idaho Power filed an Offer of Settlement and
Stipulation and Implementation Agreement (2019 Settlement), resolving
disputed issues related to spring Chinook salmon and summer steelhead
passage and reintroduction with the states of Oregon and Idaho in the
context of their respective water quality certifications for the
project under section 401 of the Clean Water Act (401 certifications).
Pursuant to the 2019 Settlement, the states of Oregon and Idaho each
issued 401 certifications for the project on May 24, 2019. On July 8,
2020, Idaho Power filed a supplement to its license application that
included new and revised environmental measures proposed under the 2019
Settlement, additional refinements to the proposed action, and new
information on project-affected resources. On October 14, 2020,
pursuant to the Endangered Species Act (ESA), Idaho Power filed revised
draft biological assessments (BAs) for species managed by the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service, which
were subsequently revised again in July 1 and July 16, 2025, filings.
On October 23, 2024, Idaho Power filed a settlement agreement on behalf
of itself and the Forest Service (2024 Settlement), resolving between
the parties the appropriate terms and conditions pursuant to section
4(e) of the Federal Power Act to be incorporated into any new license
issued for the project for the protection and utilization of federal
lands administered by the Forest Service.
In accordance with Commission staff's June 13, 2022 notice of
intent to prepare a draft and final SEIS, staff has prepared this draft
SEIS to supplement the final EIS with analyses of the new and revised
proposed measures and mandatory conditions (i.e., modified 4(e)
conditions and 401 certification conditions) filed subsequent to the
issuance of the final EIS, as well as the potential effects of the new
and revised measures on federally listed species and their designated
critical habitats. The draft SEIS describes staff's analysis of the
applicant's proposal and the alternatives for relicensing the project
and documents the views of governmental agencies, non-governmental
organizations, affected Indian tribes, the public, the license
applicant, and Commission staff.
The Commission provides all interested persons with an opportunity
to view and/or print the draft SEIS 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. For assistance, contact
FERC Online Support at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#672122352428090b0e090234121717081513270102150449000811"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="2c6a697e6f6342404542497f595c5c435e586c4a495e4f024b435a">[email protected]</span></a>, or toll-free at
(866) 208-3676, or for TTY, (202) 502-8659.
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.
Any comments should be filed by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on
Monday, March 2, 2026.
The Commission strongly encourages electronic filing. Please file
comments 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
10,000 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>. For assistance,
please contact FERC Online Support. 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 P-1971-079.
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#c689969686a0a3b4a5e8a1a9b0"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="f5baa5a5b593908796db929a83">[email protected]</span></a>.
Anyone may intervene in this proceeding based on this draft SEIS
(18 CFR 380.10). You must file your request to intervene as specified
above.\2\ You do not need intervenor status to have your comments
considered.
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\2\ Interventions may also be filed electronically via the
internet in lieu of paper. See the previous discussion on filing
comments electronically.
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The notice of intent included a schedule for preparing a draft and
final SEIS, which was revised by notices issued on October 12, 2023,
May 17, 2024, and April 24, 2025. By this notice, Commission staff is
updating the procedural schedule for completing the final SEIS. The
revised schedule is shown below. Further revisions to the schedule may
be made as appropriate.
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Milestone Target date
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Issue final SEIS.................... September 4, 2026.
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For further information, contact Aaron Liberty, the Commission's
relicensing coordinator for the project, at (202) 502-6862 or
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#6d0c0c1f02034301040f081f19142d0b081f0e430a021b"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="9bfafae9f4f5b5f7f2f9fee9efe2dbfdfee9f8b5fcf4ed">[email protected]</span></a>.
(Authority: 18 CFR 2.1)
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Dated: January 14, 2026.
Debbie-Anne A. Reese,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2026-00983 Filed 1-16-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P
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