[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 155 (Monday, August 16, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45717-45718]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-17513]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project Nos. 2572-133 2458-247]


Great Lakes Hydro America, LLC; Notice of Intent To File License 
Applications, Filing of Pre-Application Document, Commencement of Pre-
Filing Process, and Scoping; Request for Comments on the Pad and 
Scoping Document, Identification of Issues and Associated Study 
Requests, and Virtual Public Scoping Meetings and Virtual Environmental 
Site Review

    a. Type of Filing: Notices of Intent to File License Applications 
for New License and Commencing Pre-filing Process.
    b. Project Nos.: 2572-133 and 2458-247.
    c. Date Filed: June 11, 2021.
    d. Submitted By: Great Lakes Hydro America, LLC.
    e. Name of Projects: Ripogenus Hydroelectric Project and Penobscot 
Mills Hydroelectric Project.
    f. Location: On the West Branch of the Penobscot River and 
Millinocket Stream in Piscataquis and Penobscot Counties, Maine.
    g. Filed Pursuant to: 18 CFR part 5 of the Commission's 
Regulations.
    h. Licensee Contact: Randall Dorman, Licensing Manager, Brookfield 
Renewable, 150 Main Street, Lewiston, ME 04240; (207) 755-5605; 
[email protected].
    i. FERC Contact: Allan Creamer at (202) 502-8365, or email at 
[email protected].
    j. 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 o 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).
    k. 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.
    l. With this notice, we are designating Great Lakes Hydro America, 
LLC as the Commission's non-federal representative for carrying out 
informal consultation, pursuant to section 7 of the Endangered Species 
Act and section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act.
    m. Great Lakes Hydro America, 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.
    n. 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(s), excluding the last three 
digits in the docket number field, to access the document. At this 
time, the Commission has suspended access to the Commission's Public 
Reference Room, due to the proclamation declaring a National Emergency 
concerning the Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19), issued by the 
President on March 13, 2020. For assistance, contact FERC Online 
Support at [email protected], or call toll-free, (866) 208-
3676 or TYY, (202) 502-8659.
    Register online at http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/esubscription.asp to be notified via email of new filings and issuances 
related to these or other pending projects. For assistance, contact 
FERC Online Support.
    o. With this notice, we are soliciting comments on the PAD and 
Commission staff's 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 h. 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 applications must be filed with the Commission.
    The Commission strongly encourages electronic filing. Please file 
all documents using the Commission's

[[Page 45718]]

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, 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.
    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 October 9, 2021.
    p. Scoping Process: The Commission's scoping process will help 
determine the required level of analysis and satisfy the NEPA scoping 
requirements, irrespective of whether the Commission prepares an 
environmental assessment or Environmental Impact Statement. Due to on-
going concerns with large gatherings related to COVID-19, we do not 
intend to hold in-person public scoping meetings or an in-person 
environmental site review. Rather, we will hold virtual public scoping 
meetings and a virtual environmental site review.

Scoping Meetings

    Commission staff will hold two virtual public scoping meetings. A 
daytime meeting will focus on concerns of resource agencies, Native 
American tribes, and NGOs while an evening meeting will focus on 
receiving input from the public. We invite all interested agencies, 
Native American tribes, NGOs, and individuals to attend one of these 
meetings to assist us in identifying the scope of environmental issues 
that should be analyzed in the NEPA document. The scoping meetings will 
be recorded by a court reporter. All oral and written comments will 
become part of the Commission's public record. Oral comments will be 
limited to 5 minutes in duration.

Date and Time

    Meeting for resource agencies, Tribes, and NGOs: Thursday, 
September 9, 2021, 9:00-11:00 am EDT, Call in number: 888-604-9359, 
Participant passcode: 8998724.
    Meeting for the general public: Thursday, September 9, 2021, 6:30-
8:30 pm EDT, Call in number: 888-604-9359, Participant passcode: 
8998724.
    Scoping Document 1 (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 and Great Lakes Hydro 
America, LLC'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 n. 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

    Great Lakes Hydro America, LLC and Commission staff will hold a 
virtual Environmental Site Review of the Ripogenus Project and the 
Penobscot Mills Projects on September 9, 2021, starting at 1:30 p.m. 
Please contact Cate Russell of HDR, Inc. at (207) 239-3792, or 
[email protected], by September 3, 2021, if you plan to attend 
the environmental site review. WebEx meeting details will be provided 
by HDR staff once attendance is confirmed.

Meeting Objectives

    At the scoping meetings, staff will: (1) Briefly describe the 
relicensing process, as well as the projects and their operation; (2) 
initiate scoping of the issues; (3) review existing information and 
identify preliminary information and study needs; and (4) review the 
process plan and schedule for pre-filing activities. Meeting 
participants should come prepared to discuss their issues and/or 
concerns. Please review the PAD in preparation for the scoping 
meetings. Directions on how to obtain a copy of the PAD and SD1 are 
included in item n of this notice.

    Dated: August 10, 2021.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2021-17513 Filed 8-13-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P