[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 228 (Wednesday, November 25, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 75318-75319]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-26082]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 14635-001]


Village of Gouverneur, New York; Notice of Application Ready for 
Environmental Analysis and Soliciting Comments, Recommendations, Terms 
and Conditions, and Prescriptions

    Take notice that the following hydroelectric application has been 
filed with the Commission and is available for public inspection.
    a. Type of Application: Original Minor License.
    b. Project No.: 14635-001.
    c. Date filed: September 20, 2019.
    d. Applicant: Village of Gouverneur, New York (Village of 
Gouverneur).
    e. Name of Project: Gouverneur Hydroelectric Project.
    f. Location: On the Oswegatchie River, in the Village of Gouverneur 
in St. Lawrence County, New York. The project does not occupy federal 
land.
    g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act 16 U.S.C. 791(a)-825(r).
    h. Applicant Contact: Ronald P. McDougall, Mayor, Village of 
Gouverneur, 33 Clinton Street, Gouverneur, NY 13642; (315) 287-1720.
    i. FERC Contact: Jody Callihan, (202) 502-8278 or 
[email protected].
    j. Deadline for filing comments, recommendations, terms and 
conditions, and 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 
comments, recommendations, terms and conditions, and 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).
    k. This application has been accepted and is now ready for 
environmental analysis.
    The Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) issued a final rule on 
July 15, 2020, revising the regulations under 40 CFR parts 1500--1518 
that federal agencies use to implement NEPA (see Update to the 
Regulations Implementing the Procedural Provisions of the National 
Environmental Policy Act, 85 FR 43,304). The Final Rule became 
effective on and applies to any NEPA process begun after September 14, 
2020. An agency may also apply the regulations to ongoing activities 
and environmental documents begun before September 14, 2020, which 
includes the proposed Gouverneur Project. Commission staff intends to 
conduct its NEPA review in accordance with CEQ's new regulations.
    l. The Gouverneur Project consists of the following existing 
facilities: (1) A 250-foot-long concrete gravity dam that includes two 
bridge piers and three separate spillways that range in crest elevation 
from 403.4 to 403.7 feet North American Vertical Datum of 1988 
(NAVD88); (2) an impoundment with a surface area of 109 acres at the 
normal pool elevation of 403.8 feet NAVD88; (3) a concrete intake 
structure containing two trash rack bays separated by a 2-

[[Page 75319]]

foot-wide center pier, each containing a 14-foot-wide trash rack; (4) a 
20-foot by 36-foot powerhouse integral to the dam and containing two 
vertical axial flow propeller type turbines rated at 100 kilowatts each 
and two 100-kilovolt-ampere Westinghouse generators with a power factor 
of 0.8; (5) two generator leads from the turbine-generator units to a 
switchgear at the powerhouse interconnecting with the local grid; and 
(6) appurtenant facilities.
    The Village of Gouverneur proposes to continue operating the 
project in a run-of-river mode and release a minimum flow of 110 cubic 
feet per second over the project's spillways. In addition, the 
applicant proposes to enhance the existing boat launch located on River 
Street. The project generated an annual average of 1,195 megawatt-hours 
between 2014 and 2017.
    m. A copy of the application can be viewed on the Commission's 
website 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, contact FERC Online 
Support.
    All filings must (1) bear in all capital letters the title 
COMMENTS, REPLY COMMENTS, RECOMMENDATIONS, TERMS AND CONDITIONS, or 
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 
submitting the filing; 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. Each filing 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 http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/esubscription.asp to be notified via email of new filings and issuances 
related to this or other pending projects. For assistance, contact FERC 
Online Support.
    n. The license 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 be sent to the certifying authority 
and to the Commission concurrently.
    o. Procedural schedule: The application will be processed according 
to the following schedule. Revisions to the schedule will be made as 
appropriate.

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                Milestone                           Target date
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Deadline for Filing Comments,              January 2021.
 Recommendations, and Agency Terms and
 Conditions/Prescriptions.
Deadline for Filing Reply Comments.......  February 2021.
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    Dated: November 19, 2020.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2020-26082 Filed 11-24-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P