[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 227 (Monday, November 25, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 64883-64885]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-25532]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 2333-091]


Rumford Falls Hydro, LLC; Notice of Intent To File License 
Application, Filing of Pre-Application Document, 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 
New License and Commencing Pre-filing Process.
    b. Submitted By: Rumford Falls Hydro, LLC.
    c. Name of Project: Rumford Falls Hydroelectric Project.
    d. Location: On the Androscoggin River, in Oxford County, Maine.
    e. Filed Pursuant to: 18 CFR part 5 of the Commission's 
Regulations.
    f. Licensee Contact: Luke Anderson, Rumford Falls Hydro, LLC, 
Brookfield Renewable, 150 Main St., Lewiston, Maine, 04240, (207) 755-
5613, [email protected].
    g. FERC Contact: Ryan Hansen at (202) 502-8074 or email at 
[email protected].

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    h. 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 m 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).
    i. 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 and (b) 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.
    j. With this notice, we are designating Rumford Falls Hydro, LLC as 
the Commission's non-federal representatives for carrying out informal 
consultation, pursuant to section 7 of the Endangered Species Act and 
section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act.
    k. Rumford Falls Hydro, LLC 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.
    l. Copies of the PAD are available for review at the Commission in 
the Public Reference Room or may be viewed on the Commission's website 
(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 Online Support at 
[email protected], (866) 208-3676 (toll free), or (202) 502-
8659 (TTY). Copies are also available for inspection and reproduction 
at the address in paragraph f.
    Register online at http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/esubscription.asp to be notified via email of new filing and issuances 
related to this or other pending projects. For assistance, contact FERC 
Online Support.
    m. 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 f. 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 http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/efiling.asp. Commenters can submit brief 
comments up to 6,000 characters, without prior registration, using the 
eComment system at http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/ecomment.asp. You 
must include your name and contact information at the end of your 
comments. For assistance, please contact FERC Online Support at 
[email protected]. In lieu of electronic filing, please send a 
paper copy to: Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 
First Street NE, Washington, DC 20426. The first page of any filing 
should include docket number P-2333-091.
    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 by January 25, 2020.
    n. Although our current intent is to prepare an environmental 
assessment (EA), there is the possibility that an Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS) will be required. Nevertheless, this meeting will 
satisfy the NEPA scoping requirements, irrespective of whether an EA or 
EIS is issued by the Commission.

Scoping Meetings

    Commission staff will hold two scoping meetings in the vicinity of 
the project at the time and place noted below. The daytime meeting will 
focus on resource agency, Native-American tribes, and non-governmental 
organization concerns, while the evening meeting is primarily for 
receiving input from the public. We invite all interested individuals, 
organizations, and agencies to attend one or both of the meetings, and 
to assist staff in identifying particular study needs, as well as the 
scope of environmental issues to be addressed in the environmental 
document. The times and locations of these meetings are as follows:

Daytime Scoping Meeting

    Date: Tuesday, December 17, 2019.
    Time: 1 p.m.
    Location: Rumford Municipal Building, 145 Congress St., Rumford, ME 
04276.
    Phone: (207) 364-4576.

Evening Scoping Meeting

    Date: Tuesday, December 17, 2019.
    Time: 6 p.m.
    Location: Rumford Municipal Building, 145 Congress St., Rumford, ME 
04276.
    Phone: (207) 364-4576.
    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 may be viewed on the web 
at http://www.ferc.gov, using the ``eLibrary'' link. Follow the 
directions for accessing information in paragraph l. 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 licensee and Commission staff conducted an Environmental Site 
Review of the project on October 24, 2019. An environmental site review 
is typically held in conjunction with the scoping meetings. However, 
access to some project facilities may be limited by winter weather 
during December of 2019 when scoping for this project will be 
conducted. For this reason, the Commission conducted the environmental 
site review in October before the onset of winter.

Meeting Objectives

    At the scoping meetings, staff will: (1) Initiate scoping of the 
issues; (2) review and discuss existing conditions and resource 
management objectives; (3) review and discuss existing information and 
identify preliminary information and study needs; (4) review and 
discuss the process plan and schedule for pre-filing activity that 
incorporates the time frames provided for in Part 5 of the Commission's 
regulations and, to the extent possible, maximizes coordination of 
federal, state, and tribal permitting and certification processes; and 
(5) discuss the appropriateness of any federal or state agency or 
Native-American tribe acting as a cooperating agency for development of 
an environmental document.
    Meeting participants should come prepared to discuss their issues 
and/or concerns. Please review the PAD in

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preparation for the scoping meetings. Directions on how to obtain a 
copy of the PAD and SD1 are included in item l of this document.

Meeting Procedures

    The meetings will be recorded by a stenographer and will be placed 
in the public records of the project.

    Dated: November 19, 2019.
Kimberly D. Bose,
 Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2019-25532 Filed 11-22-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6717-01-P