[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 112 (Friday, June 10, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 35544-35545]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-12541]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 2445-028]


Green Mountain Power Corporation; Notice Soliciting Scoping 
Comments

    Take notice that the following hydroelectric application has been 
filed

[[Page 35545]]

with the Commission and is available for public inspection.
    a. Type of Application: Subsequent Minor License.
    b. Project No.: 2445-028.
    c. Date Filed: December 23, 2021.
    d. Applicant: Green Mountain Power Corporation (GMP).
    e. Name of Project: Center Rutland Hydroelectric Project (project).
    f. Location: On Otter Creek in Rutland County, Vermont. The project 
does not occupy any federal land.
    g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act, 16 U.S.C. 791(a)-825(r).
    h. Applicant Contact: Mr. John Greenan, P.E., Green Mountain Power 
Corporation, 2152 Post Road, Rutland, VT 05701; Phone at (802) 770-
2195, or email at [email protected].
    i. FERC Contact: Taconya D. Goar at (202) 502-8394, or 
[email protected].
    j. Deadline for Filing Scoping Comments: July 6, 2022.
    The Commission strongly encourages electronic filing. Please file 
scoping comments using the Commission's eFiling system at https://ferconline.ferc.gov/FERCOnline.aspx. Commenters can submit brief 
comments up to 6,000 characters, without prior registration, using the 
eComment system at https://ferconline.ferc.gov/QuickComment.aspx. You 
must include your name and contact information at the end of your 
comments. For assistance, please contact FERC Online Support at 
[email protected], (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: 
Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 
First Street NE, Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426. Submissions sent via 
any other carrier must be addressed to: Kimberly D. Bose, 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: Center Rutland Hydroelectric Project (P-2445-
028).
    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 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.
    k. The application is not ready for environmental analysis at this 
time.
    l. The existing Center Rutland Hydroelectric Project consists of: 
(1) a 190-foot-long, 14-foot-high concrete and stone masonry gravity 
dam that includes: (a) a 174-foot-long spillway section with a crest 
elevation of 504.8 feet National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929 (NGVD 
29); and (b) a 16-foot-long non-overflow section; (2) an impoundment 
with a surface area of 13 acres and a storage capacity of 30 acre-feet 
at an elevation of 507.4 feet NGVD 29; (3) a 13-foot-long, 7- to 30-
foot-wide forebay; (4) a 39.58-foot-wide, 18-foot-high concrete and 
marble masonry intake structure with a 6.7-foot-wide, 6.5-foot-high 
steel headgate and a 30-foot-wide, 12-foot-high trashrack with \9/16\-
inch clear bar spacing; (5) a 6-foot-diameter, 75-foot-long steel 
penstock; (6) a 40-foot-long, 33-foot-wide stone and marble masonry 
powerhouse containing one 275-kilowatt horizontal-shaft turbine-
generator; (7) a 480-volt/12.47-kilovolt (kv) transformer and 80-foot-
long, 12.47-kV transmission line that interconnects with the local 
distribution grid; (8) a 0.35-mile-long fiber optic cable for smart 
grid communications with the electric system; and (9) appurtenant 
facilities.
    The current license requires: (1) run-of-river operation, such that 
outflow from the project approximates inflow to the impoundment; (2) a 
minimum bypassed reach flow of 80 cubic feet per second (cfs) or inflow 
to the impoundment, whichever is less, from June 1 through October 15; 
and (3) a minimum flow release of 154 cfs or 90 percent of inflow to 
the impoundment, whichever is less, downstream of the powerhouse when 
refilling the impoundment following a drawdown for maintenance or 
emergencies.
    The applicant proposes to: (1) continue operating the project in a 
run-of-river mode; (2) continue releasing a minimum bypassed reach flow 
of 80 cfs or inflow, whichever is less, from June 1 through October 15; 
(3) release a minimum bypassed reach flow of 40 cfs or inflow, 
whichever is less, from October 16 through May 31; (4) implement a 
seasonal clearing restriction from April 15 through October 31, for 
trees that are 4 inches in diameter or greater, to protect the 
federally threatened northern long-eared bat; (5) develop and implement 
a flow management and monitoring plan; and (6) develop and implement a 
historic properties management plan. In addition, the applicant 
proposes to reinstall the 2.3-foot-high flashboards, and develop a 
water quality monitoring study to test the release of the minimum 
bypassed reach flows after installing the flashboards.
    m. In addition to publishing the full text of this document in the 
Federal Register, the Commission provides all interested persons an 
opportunity to view and/or print the contents via the internet through 
the Commission's Home Page (http://www.ferc.gov) 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 at [email protected] or call toll-free, (866) 208-3676 or 
TYY, (202) 502-8659.
    n. You may also register online at https://ferconline.ferc.gov/FERCOnline.aspx to be notified via email of new filings and issuances 
related to this or other pending projects. For assistance, contact FERC 
Online Support.
    o. Scoping Process: Commission staff will prepare either an 
environmental assessment (EA) or an Environmental Impact Statement 
(EIS) that describes and evaluates the probable effects of the 
licensee's proposed action and alternatives. The EA or EIS will 
consider both site-specific and cumulative environmental impacts and 
reasonable alternatives to the proposed action. The Commission's 
scoping process will help determine the required level of analysis and 
satisfy the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) scoping 
requirements, irrespective of whether the Commission prepares an EA or 
an EIS.
    At this time, we do not anticipate holding on-site scoping 
meetings. Instead, we are soliciting written comments and suggestions 
on the preliminary list of issues and alternatives to be addressed in 
the NEPA document, as described in scoping document 1 (SD1), issued 
June 6, 2022.
    Copies of the SD1 outlining the subject areas to be addressed in 
the NEPA document were distributed to the parties on the Commission's 
mailing list and the applicant's distribution list. Copies of SD1 may 
be viewed on the web at http://www.ferc.gov using the ``eLibrary'' 
link. Enter the docket number excluding the last three digits in the 
docket number field to access the document. For assistance, call 1-866-
208-3676 or for TTY, (202) 502-8659.

    Dated: June 6, 2022.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2022-12541 Filed 6-9-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P


