Notice2026-17945
Columbia Basin Hydropower; Notice of Intent To File License Application, Filing of Pre-Application Document (Pad), Commencement of Pre-Filing Process, and Scoping; Request for Comments on the Pad and Scoping Document, and Identification of Issues and Associated Study Requests
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
September 2, 2026
Issuing agencies
Energy DepartmentFederal Energy Regulatory Commission
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 169 (Wednesday, September 2, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 169 (Wednesday, September 2, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 56439-56441]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-17945]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Project No. 2840-024]
Columbia Basin Hydropower; Notice of Intent To File License
Application, Filing of Pre-Application Document (Pad), Commencement of
Pre-Filing Process, and Scoping; Request for Comments on the Pad and
Scoping Document, and Identification of Issues and Associated Study
Requests
a. Type of Filing: Notice of Intent to File License Application for
a New License and Commencing Pre-filing Process.
b. Project No.: 2840-024.
c. Dated Filed: July 1, 2026.
d. Submitted By: Columbia Basin Hydropower (CBH).
e. Name of Project: Potholes East Canal Headworks Hydroelectric
Project.
f. Location: The project is located on the Potholes East Canal at
O'Sullivan Dam, which is part of the Bureau of Reclamation's Columbia
Basin Project irrigation system in Grant County Washington. The project
occupies 71 acres of land managed by the Bureau of Reclamation.
g. Filed Pursuant to: 18 CFR part 5 of the Commission's
Regulations.
h. Potential Applicant Contact: Alan Lackner, Manager, Columbia
Basin Hydropower, 107 D Street NW, Ephrata, Washington 98823; phone at
(509) 754-2227 or email at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#caaba6aba9a1a4afb88aa9a8a2b3aeb8a5baa5bdafb8e4a5b8ad"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="9efff2fffdf5f0fbecdefdfcf6e7faecf1eef1e9fbecb0f1ecf9">[email protected]</span></a>.
i. FERC Contact: John Baummer at (202) 502-6837 or email at
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#3a5055525414585b4f57575f487a5c5f4859145d554c"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="741e1b1c1a5a1615011919110634121106175a131b02">[email protected]</span></a>.
j. Cooperating agencies: Federal, state, local, and tribal agencies
with jurisdiction and/or special expertise with respect to
environmental issues that wish to cooperate in the preparation of the
environmental document should follow the instructions for filing such
requests described in item o below. Cooperating agencies should note
the Commission's policy that agencies that cooperate in the preparation
of the environmental document cannot also intervene. See 94 FERC ]
61,076 (2001).
k. With this notice, we are initiating informal consultation with:
(a) the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and/or NOAA Fisheries under
section 7 of the Endangered Species Act and the joint agency
regulations thereunder at 50 CFR, part 402; (b) NOAA Fisheries under
section 305(b) of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and
Management Act and implementing regulations at 50 CFR 600.920; and (c)
the State Historic Preservation Officer, as required by section 106,
National Historic Preservation Act, and the implementing regulations of
the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation at 36 CFR 800.2.
l. With this notice, we are designating CBH as the Commission's
non-federal representative for carrying out informal consultation
pursuant to section 7 of the Endangered Species Act, section 305(b) of
the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, and
section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act.
m. CBH filed with the Commission a Pre-Application Document (PAD;
including a proposed process plan and schedule), pursuant to 18 CFR 5.6
of the Commission's regulations.
n. A copy of the PAD may be viewed on the Commission's website
(<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#f99f9c8b9a969590979c8a8c8989968b8db99f9c8b9ad79e968f"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="1b7d7e6978747772757e686e6b6b74696f5b7d7e6978357c746d">[email protected]</span></a>, (866) 208-3676 (toll free), or (202) 502-
8659 (TTY). A copy is also available for inspection and
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reproduction at the address in paragraph h.
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 filing and issuances
related to this or other pending projects. For assistance, contact FERC
Online Support.
o. With this notice, we are soliciting comments on the PAD and
Commission's staff Scoping Document 1 (SD1), as well as study requests.
All comments on the PAD and SD1, and study requests should be sent to
the address above in paragraph h. In addition, all comments on the PAD
and SD1, study requests, requests for cooperating agency status, and
all communications to and from Commission staff related to the merits
of the potential application must be filed with the Commission.
The Commission strongly encourages electronic filing. Please file
all documents 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/FERCOnline.aspx">https://ferconline.ferc.gov/FERCOnline.aspx</a>. For
assistance, please contact FERC Online Support at
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#5e383b2c3d31303237303b2d2b2e2e312c2a1e383b2c3d70393128"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="f0969582939f9e9c999e95838580809f8284b096958293de979f86">[email protected]</span></a>. 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: Potholes
East Canal Headworks Hydroelectric Project (P-2840-024).
All filings with the Commission must bear the appropriate heading:
``Comments on Pre-Application Document,'' ``Study Requests,''
``Comments on Scoping Document 1,'' ``Request for Cooperating Agency
Status,'' or ``Communications to and from Commission Staff.'' Any
individual or entity interested in submitting study requests,
commenting on the PAD or SD1, and any agency requesting cooperating
status must do so on or before 5:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time on
October 29, 2026.
p. Scoping Sessions.
Commission staff will hold two scoping sessions in the vicinity of
the project at the time and place noted below. All interested
individuals, organizations, and agencies are invited to attend one or
both of the sessions to provide oral comments. The times and locations
of these sessions are as follows:
Daytime Scoping Session
Date: Wednesday, September 23, 2026.
Time: 9:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time (PDT).
Location: Columbia Basin Hydropower.
Address: 107 D Street NW, Ephrata, Washington 98823.
Evening Scoping Session
Date: Wednesday, September 23, 2026.
Time: 7:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m. PDT.
Location: Columbia Basin Hydropower.
Address: 107 D Street NW, Ephrata, Washington 98823.
Scoping Document 1 (SD1), which outlines the subject areas to be
addressed in the environmental document, was mailed to the individuals
and entities on the Commission's mailing list. Copies of SD1 will be
available at the scoping sessions, or may be viewed on the web at
<a href="http://www.ferc.gov">http://www.ferc.gov</a>, using the ``eLibrary'' link. Follow the directions
for accessing information in paragraph n. Based on all oral and written
comments, a Scoping Document 2 (SD2) may be issued. SD2 may include a
revised process plan and schedule, as well as a list of issues,
identified through the scoping process.
Environmental Site Review
The applicant and Commission staff will conduct an environmental
site review of the project. All interested individuals, agencies,
tribes, and NGOs are invited to attend. Please RSVP via email to
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#14637d667d675477767c7c6d70667b647b6371663a7b6673"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="f2859b809b81b291909a9a8b96809d829d859780dc9d8095">[email protected]</span></a> or at (509) 995-3663 on or before September 18,
2026 if you plan to attend the environmental site review. The time and
location of the environmental site review is as follows:.
Date: Wednesday, September 23, 2026.
Time: 1:00 p.m. PDT.
Place: Columbia Basin Hydropower.
Address: 107 D Street NW, Ephrata, Washington 98823.
Participants will meet at Columbia Basin Hydropower's office and
depart at 1:00 p.m. (PDT) to the project facilities. All participants
are responsible for their own transportation to Columbia Basin
Hydropower and the project facilities.
All persons attending the environmental site review must wear
sturdy, closed-toe shoes or boots. The applicant will provide hearing
protection to attendees for entry into noisy areas, if needed;
participants who have their own hardhats should bring them.
Scoping Session Objectives
The primary goal of these scoping sessions is to have you identify
the specific environmental issues and concerns that should be
considered in the environmental document. Commission staff will prepare
either an environmental assessment (EA) or an environmental impact
statement (EIS) that will present Commission staff's independent
analysis of the issues. The Commission's scoping process will help
determine the required level of analysis and satisfy the NEPA scoping
requirements, irrespective of whether the Commission prepares an EA or
an EIS.
Scoping session participants should come prepared to discuss their
issues and/or concerns. Please review the PAD and SD1 in preparation
for the scoping sessions. Directions on how to obtain a copy of the PAD
and SD1 are included in item n. of this document.
Meeting Procedures
The scoping sessions will begin promptly at their respective start
times listed above. If you wish to speak, Commission staff will hand
out numbers in the order of your arrival. If no additional numbers have
been handed out and all individuals who wish to provide comments have
had an opportunity to do so, staff may conclude the session a half hour
earlier than the scheduled time.
Your oral comments will be recorded by a court reporter (with FERC
staff or FERC representative present) and become part of the public
record for this proceeding. Transcripts will be publicly available on
FERC's eLibrary system (see paragraph (n) of this notice for
instructions on using eLibrary). If a significant number of people are
interested in providing oral comments in the one-on-one settings, a
time limit of 5 minutes may be implemented for each commentor. Although
there will not be a formal presentation, Commission staff will be
available throughout the scoping session to answer your questions about
the environmental review process. Representatives from CBH will also be
present to answer project-specific questions.
Proper conduct will help the sessions maintain a respectful
atmosphere for attendees to provide comments effectively. Loudspeakers,
lighting,
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oversized visual aids, other visual or audible disturbances, and
disruptive video and photographic equipment are not permitted. Recorded
interviews are also not permitted within the session space. FERC
reserves the right to end the session if disruptions interfere with the
opportunity for individuals to provide oral comments or if there is a
safety or security risk.
It is important to note that the Commission provides equal
consideration to all comments received, whether filed in written form
or provided orally at a scoping session.
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#07485757476162756429606871"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="baf5eaeafadcdfc8d994ddd5cc">[email protected]</span></a>.
(Authority: 18 CFR 2.1)
Dated: August 28, 2026.
Carlos D. Clay,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2026-17945 Filed 9-1-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P
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