[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 195 (Tuesday, October 11, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 61312-61313]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-21952]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 3025-031]


Green Mountain Power Corporation; Notice of Application Accepted 
for Filing, Soliciting Motions To Intervene and Protests, Ready for 
Environmental Analysis, and Soliciting Comments, Recommendations, 
Preliminary Terms and Conditions, and Preliminary Fishway Prescriptions

    Take notice that the following hydroelectric application has been 
filed with the Commission and is available for public inspection.
    a. Type of Application: Subsequent Minor License.
    b. Project No.: 3025-031.
    c. Date Filed: March 30, 2022.
    d. Applicant: Green Mountain Power Corporation (GMP).
    e. Name of Project: Kelley's Falls Hydroelectric Project (project).
    f. Location: On the Piscataquog River in Hillsborough County, New 
Hampshire. 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: John Greenan, Green Mountain Power 
Corporation, 2152 Post Road, Rutland, VT 05701; phone at (802) 770-
2195; email at [email protected].
    i. FERC Contact: Arash Barsari at (202) 502-6207, or 
[email protected].
    j. Deadline for filing motions to intervene and protests, comments, 
recommendations, preliminary terms and conditions, and preliminary 
fishway prescriptions: 60 days from the issuance date of this notice; 
reply comments are due 105 days from the issuance date of this notice.
    The Commission strongly encourages electronic filing. Please file 
motions to intervene and protests, comments, recommendations, 
preliminary terms and conditions, and preliminary fishway prescriptions 
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, 
Maryland 20852. The first page of any filing should include docket 
number P-3025-031.
    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. This application has been accepted for filing and is now ready 
for environmental analysis.
    The Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) issued a final rule on 
April 20, 2022, revising the regulations under 40 CFR parts 1502, 1507, 
and 1508 that federal agencies use to implement the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) (see National Environmental Policy Act 
Implementing Regulations Revisions, 87 FR 23453-70). The final rule 
became effective on May 20, 2022. Commission staff intends to conduct 
its NEPA review in accordance with CEQ's new regulations.
    l. Project Description: The existing Kelley's Falls Project 
consists of: (1) an approximately 230-foot-long, 31-foot-high concrete 
and stone masonry dam that includes: (a) an approximately 31-foot-long 
stone masonry east abutment with an intake structure that includes an 
11-foot-wide, 11-foot-high headgate equipped with a 22.2-foot-wide, 17-
foot-high trashrack with 2.5-inch clear bar spacing; (b) a 192-foot-
long concrete ogee spillway section with: (i) a 6-foot-wide, 2.75-foot-
high steel slide gate that includes a 3-foot-wide, 2-foot-high notch; 
(ii) a 3-foot-diameter, low-level outlet pipe that is plugged and non-
operational; (iii) 2.75-foot-high flashboards; and (iv) a crest 
elevation of 160.75 feet National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929 (NGVD 
29) at the top of the flashboards; and (c) an approximately 7-foot-long 
concrete west abutment with a 3.5-foot-diameter gated, low-level outlet 
pipe; (2) a 284-foot-long, 2.5-foot-wide stone retaining wall on the 
east river bank that connects to the east abutment of the dam; (3) an 
impoundment (Namaske Lake) with a surface area of 154 acres at an 
elevation of 160.75 feet NGVD 29; (4) a 65-foot-long underground steel 
and concrete penstock; (5) a 28-foot-long, 28-foot-wide brick masonry 
and steel powerhouse containing a 450-kilowatt vertical Francis 
turbine-generator unit; (6) a 125-foot-long, 2.4-kilovolt (kV) 
underground transmission line that connects the generator to a 2.4/12-
kV step-up transformer; and (7) appurtenant facilities. The project 
creates an approximately 65-foot-long bypassed reach of the Piscataquog 
River.
    GMP voluntarily operates the project in a run-of-river mode using 
an automatic pond level control system, such that project outflow 
approximates inflow to the impoundment. GMP maintains the impoundment 
at the flashboard crest elevation of 160.75 feet NGVD 29.
    Article 25 of the current license requires GMP to release a 
continuous minimum flow of 45 cubic feet per

[[Page 61313]]

second or inflow to the impoundment, whichever is less, as measured 
immediately downstream of the powerhouse. Downstream fish passage is 
provided for river herring through the notch in the slide gate located 
on top of the spillway. There are no upstream fish passage facilities 
at the project.
    The minimum and maximum hydraulic capacities of the powerhouse are 
175 and 420 cfs, respectively. The average annual generation of the 
project was approximately 1,572 megawatt-hours from 2014 through 2020.
    GMP is not proposing any changes to project facilities or 
operation.
    m. A copy of the application can be viewed on the Commission's 
website at https://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 Online 
Support.
    n. 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, and .214. 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.
    All filings must: (1) bear in all capital letters the title 
``PROTEST,'' ``MOTION TO INTERVENE,'' ``COMMENTS,'' ``REPLY COMMENTS,'' 
``RECOMMENDATIONS,'' ``PRELIMINARY TERMS AND CONDITIONS,'' or 
``PRELIMINARY FISHWAY PRESCRIPTIONS;'' (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 protesting or intervening; and (4) otherwise 
comply with the requirements of 18 CFR 385.2001 through 385.2005. All 
comments, recommendations, terms and conditions, or prescriptions must 
set forth their evidentiary basis and otherwise comply with the 
requirements of 18 CFR 4.34(b). Agencies may obtain copies of the 
application directly from the applicant. A copy of any protest or 
motion to intervene must be served upon each representative of the 
applicant specified in the particular application. A copy of all other 
filings in reference to this application must be accompanied by proof 
of service on all persons listed on the service list prepared by the 
Commission in this proceeding, in accordance with 18 CFR 4.34(b) and 
385.2010.
    You may also register online at https://www.ferc.gov/ferc-online/overview to be notified via email of new filings and issuances related 
to this or other pending projects. For assistance, contact FERC Online 
Support.
    o. The applicant must file no later than 60 days following the date 
of issuance of this notice: (1) a copy of the water quality 
certification; (2) a copy of the request for certification, including 
proof of the date on which the certifying agency received the request; 
or (3) evidence of waiver of water quality certification. Please note 
that the certification request must comply with 40 CFR 121.5(b), 
including documentation that a pre-filing meeting request was submitted 
to the certifying authority at least 30 days prior to submitting the 
certification request. Please also note that the certification request 
must be sent to the certifying authority and to the Commission 
concurrently.
    p. Procedural schedule: The application will be processed according 
to the following preliminary schedule. Revisions to the schedule will 
be made as appropriate.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                 Milestone                           Target date
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Deadline for filing interventions,          December 2022.
 protests, comments, recommendations,
 preliminary terms and conditions, and
 preliminary fishway prescriptions.
Deadline for filing reply comments........  January 2023.
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    q. Final amendments to the application must be filed with the 
Commission no later than 30 days from the issuance date of this notice.

    Dated: October 3, 2022.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2022-21952 Filed 10-7-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P


