Notice2026-04191
Pacific Gas and Electric Company; Notice of Application for Temporary Variance of Flow Requirements Accepted for Filing and Soliciting Comments, Motions To Intervene, and Protests
Primary source
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Published
March 3, 2026
Issuing agencies
Energy DepartmentFederal Energy Regulatory Commission
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 41 (Tuesday, March 3, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 41 (Tuesday, March 3, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10384-10385]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-04191]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Project No. 803-129]
Pacific Gas and Electric Company; Notice of Application for
Temporary Variance of Flow Requirements Accepted for Filing and
Soliciting Comments, Motions To Intervene, and Protests
Take notice that the following hydroelectric application has been
filed with the Commission and is available for public inspection:
a. Application Type: Application for Temporary Variance of Flow
Requirements.
b. Project No: 803-129.
c. Date Filed: February 6, 2026.
d. Applicant: Pacific Gas and Electric Company (licensee).
e. Name of Project: DeSabla-Centerville Project.
f. Location: The project is located on Butte Creek, West Branch
Feather River, and their tributaries in Butte County, California. The
project occupies federal lands managed by the U.S. Forest Service and
Bureau of Land Management.
g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act, 16 U.S.C. 791a-825r.
h. Applicant Contact: Mr. Sky Ramirez-Doble, License Coordinator,
Pacific Gas and Electric Company, P.O. Box 28209, Oakland, CA 94604,
(530) 250-7002.
i. FERC Contact: Joy Kurtz, (202) 502-6760, <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#a6ccc9df88cdd3d4d2dce6c0c3d4c588c1c9d0"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="056f6a7c2b6e7077717f45636077662b626a73">[email protected]</span></a>.
j. Cooperating agencies: With this notice, the Commission is
inviting federal, state, local, and Tribal agencies with jurisdiction
and/or special expertise with respect to environmental issues affected
by the proposal, that wish to cooperate in the preparation of any
environmental document, if applicable, to follow the instructions for
filing such requests described in item k below. Cooperating agencies
should note the Commission's policy that agencies that cooperate in the
preparation of any environmental document cannot also intervene. See 94
FERC ] 61,076 (2001).
k. Deadline for filing comments, motions to intervene, and
protests: March 30, 2026 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time.
The Commission strongly encourages electronic filing. Please file
comments, motions to intervene, and protests 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>. For assistance, please contact FERC Online
Support at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#de989b8c9d91b0b2b7b0bb8dabaeaeb1acaa9eb8bbacbdf0b9b1a8"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="084e4d5a4b47666461666d5b7d7878677a7c486e6d7a6b266f677e">[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 the docket number P-803-129. Comments emailed to
Commission staff are not considered part of the Commission record.
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 whose name appears 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.
l. Description of Request: The licensee requests a temporary
variance of the instantaneous minimum flow requirements in the West
Branch Feather River below Hendricks Head Dam and in Philbrook Creek
below Philbrook Reservoir. Specifically, the licensee requests that the
instantaneous minimum flow requirement in the West Branch Feather River
of 15 cubic feet per second (cfs) in a normal water year and 7 cfs in a
dry water year, be temporarily modified to 7 cfs over 48 hours
regardless of water year type (the water year type has not yet been
determined). In Philbrook Creek, it requests that the instantaneous
minimum flow requirement of 2 cfs in both normal and dry water years be
temporarily modified to between 1 and 2 cfs over 48 hours. The
modifications would begin on May 4, 2026, and continue through
September 30, 2026, with one potential exception. That is, in the event
that water storage in Philbrook Reservoir has not exceeded 2,116 acre-
feet by April 1, 2026, the licensee would
[[Page 10385]]
commence modifications in Philbrook Creek sometime between April 1,
2026 and May 4, 2026, if supported by the California Department of Fish
and Wildlife, National Marine Fisheries Service, and the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service (resource agencies)). The licensee states that the
temporary variance would maximize the delivery of flows released from
Philbrook to Butte Creek by eliminating the need to release additional
buffer flows to ensure the requisite instantaneous minimum instream
flows are always met. The proposed variance would help preserve cold
water storage in Philbrook Reservoir, increase flow to Butte Creek via
the Hendricks Canal, and decrease water residence time in the DeSabla
Forebay, thus providing additional water to Butte Creek during the hot
summer months to minimize high temperature effects to Central Valley
spring-run Chinook salmon, and to preserve water for release later in
the summer months towards the end of their holding period when the
situation is most critical. Decisions on when and how to implement
variance flows, as well as any changes under the variance, will be made
in consultation and proceed with concurrence of licensee staff and the
resource agencies.
m. Locations of the Application: This filing may be viewed on the
Commission's website at <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. 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#61272433222e0f0d080f04321411110e131521070413024f060e17"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="88cecddacbc7e6e4e1e6eddbfdf8f8e7fafcc8eeedfaeba6efe7fe">[email protected]</span></a>, for TTY, call (202) 502-8659. Agencies may
obtain copies of the application directly from the applicant.
n. Individuals desiring to be included on the Commission's mailing
list should so indicate by writing to the Secretary of the Commission.
o. Comments, Protests, or Motions to Intervene: 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, .211,
.214, respectively. 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.
p. Filing and Service of Documents: Any filing must (1) bear in all
capital letters the title ``COMMENTS'', ``PROTEST'', or ``MOTION TO
INTERVENE'' as applicable; (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, address, and telephone number of the
person commenting, protesting or intervening; and (4) otherwise comply
with the requirements of 18 CFR 385.2001 through 385.2005. All
comments, motions to intervene, or protests must set forth their
evidentiary basis. Any filing made by an intervenor must be accompanied
by proof of service on all persons listed in the service list prepared
by the Commission in this proceeding, in accordance with 18 CFR
385.2010.
q. 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#135c434353757661703d747c65"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="ade2fdfdedcbc8dfce83cac2db">[email protected]</span></a>.
(Authority: 18 CFR 2.1)
Dated: February 26, 2026.
Debbie-Anne A. Reese,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2026-04191 Filed 3-2-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P
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