[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 189 (Monday, October 4, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54689-54690]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-21545]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 2569-150; Project No. 2538-093]


Erie Boulevard Hydropower, L.P.; Notice of Intent To File License 
Application, Filing of Pre-Application Document (Pad), 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 
a New License and Commencing Pre-filing Process.
    b. Project No.: 2569-150 and 2538-093.
    c. Dated Filed: July 30, 2021.
    d. Submitted By: Erie Boulevard Hydropower, L.P. (Erie).
    e. Name of Projects: Black River Hydroelectric Project (Black River 
Project; P-2569) and Beebee Island Hydroelectric Project (Beebee Island 
Project; P-2538).
    f. Locations: The Black River Project consists of five developments 
located along the Black River in Jefferson County, New York (from 
upstream to downstream): Herrings, Deferiet, Kamargo, Black River, and 
Sewalls. The Beebee Island Project consists of a single development 
also located along the Black River in Jefferson County, New York. The 
projects do not occupy federal land.
    g. Filed Pursuant to: 18 CFR part 5 of the Commission's 
Regulations.
    h. Potential Applicant Contact: Mr. Steven P. Murphy, Director, 
U.S. Licensing Brookfield Renewable 33 West 1st Street South, Fulton, 
New York 13069; (315) 598-6130; [email protected].
    i. FERC Contact: Samantha Pollak at (202) 502-6419 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 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 Office, 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 Erie 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. Erie 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 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 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 this or other pending projects. For assistance, contact FERC 
Online Support.
    o. 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 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 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, 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-2569-150 for the Black River Project and P-
2538-093 for the Beebee Island Project.
    All filings with the Commission must bear the appropriate heading: 
``Comments on Pre-Application

[[Page 54690]]

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 November 29, 2021.
    p. 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 environmental assessment or environmental impact 
statement.

Scoping Meetings

    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. The daytime 
scoping meeting will focus on resource agency, Indian tribes, and non-
governmental organization (NGO) concerns, while the evening scoping 
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. 
These meetings will also cover the Beaver River Hydroelectric Project 
(P-2645), as this project has the same applicant who filed a PAD and 
NOI simultaneously with these projects.
    The dates and times of these meetings are as follows:

Date and Time

    Virtual site tour for all stakeholders:

Wednesday, October 27, 2021
9:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m. EDT
WebEx meeting details provided by HDR staff

    Meeting for resource agencies, Tribes, and NGOs:
Thursday, October 28, 2021
9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. EDT
Call in number: 888-604-9359, Participant passcode: 8998724

    Meeting for the general public:
Thursday, October 28, 2021
6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m. EDT
Call in number: 888-604-9359, Participant passcode: 8998724

    The individuals and entities on the Commission's mailing list were 
notified, via electronic notification, of the availability of SD1 on 
the web. 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 Erie's distribution 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

    Erie and Commission staff will hold a virtual environmental site 
review of the Black River and Beebee Island projects on October 27, 
2021, starting at 9 a.m. Please contact Kelsey Scott of HDR, Inc. at 
(315) 414-2206 or [email protected], by October 26, 2021, if you 
plan to attend. WebEx meeting details will be provided by HDR staff 
once attendance is confirmed.

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

Meeting Procedures

    The meetings will be recorded by a stenographer and will be filed 
in the public records of the projects.

    Dated: September 28, 2021.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2021-21545 Filed 10-1-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P