Brown Bear II Hydro, Inc.; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment

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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 194 (Thursday, October 8, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 194 (Thursday, October 8, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Page 64363]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-20578]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 3428-205]


Brown Bear II Hydro, Inc.; Notice of Intent To Prepare an 
Environmental Assessment

    On November 29, 2023, Brown Bear II Hydro, Inc. (Brown Bear Hydro) 
filed an application to relicense the 19.4-megawatt Worumbo 
Hydroelectric Project No. 3428, located on the Androscoggin River in 
Androscoggin County, Maine.\1\
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    \1\ On July 27, 2026, Brown Bear Hydro amended the license 
application (see Accession No. 20260727-5331).
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    In accordance with the Commission's regulations, on January 14, 
2026, Commission staff issued a notice that the project was ready for 
environmental analysis (REA Notice).\2\ Based on the information in the 
record, including comments filed on the REA Notice, staff does not 
anticipate that licensing the project would constitute a major federal 
action significantly affecting the quality of the human environment. 
Therefore, staff intends to prepare an Environmental Assessment (EA) on 
the application to license the Worumbo Project.\3\
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    \2\ In notices issued February 10, 2026 and April 23, 2026, 
staff granted Brown Bear Hydro's request to extend deadlines 
established in the REA Notice for filing motions to intervene, 
protests, comments, recommendations, preliminary terms and 
conditions, and preliminary fishway prescriptions and for Brown Bear 
Hydro to request water quality certification. Additional time was 
needed to complete ongoing evaluations of fish passage alternatives 
at the project in consultation with licensing stakeholders.
    \3\ For tracking purposes under the National Environmental 
Policy Act, the unique identification number for documents relating 
to this environmental review is EAXX-019-20-000-1785830510.
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    The EA will be issued and circulated for review by all interested 
parties. All comments filed on the EA will be analyzed by staff and 
considered in the Commission's final licensing decision.
    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#f0bfa0a0b096958293de979f86"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="d49b848494b2b1a6b7fab3bba2">[email&#160;protected]</span></a>.
    The application will be processed according to the following 
schedule. The EA will be issued for a 30-day comment period. Revisions 
to the schedule may be made as appropriate.

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                 Milestone                           Target date
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Commission issues EA......................  September 10, 2027.
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    Any questions regarding this notice may be directed to Erin Kimsey 
at 202-502-8621 or <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#84c1f6edeaaacfede9f7e1fdc4e2e1f6e7aae3ebf2"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="1653647f78385d7f7b65736f567073647538717960">[email&#160;protected]</span></a>.

(Authority: 18 CFR 2.1)

    Dated: October 2, 2026.
Debbie-Anne A. Reese,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2026-20578 Filed 10-7-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P


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