[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 108 (Monday, June 6, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34259-34261]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-12053]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Project No. 14655-002]
Cat Creek Energy, LLC; Notice of Intent To File License
Application, Filing of Pre-Application Document (Pad), Commencement of
ILP Pre-Filing Process, 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 Reviews
a. Type of Filing: Notice of Intent to File License Application for
an Original License, Commencing Pre-filing Process, and Denial of
Request to Use the Traditional Licensing Process.
b. Project No.: 14655-002.
c. Dated Filed: January 3, 2022.
d. Submitted By: Cat Creek Energy, LLC (CCE).
e. Name of Project: Cat Creek Energy and Water Storage Project (Cat
Creek Project).
f. Location: On the south side of U.S. Bureau of Reclamation's
(Reclamation) Anderson Ranch Reservoir on the South Fork Boise River
approximately 25 miles northeast of Mountain Home in Elmore County,
Idaho. The project would be located primarily on private land but would
also include some federal lands owned and/or administered by
Reclamation, the U.S. Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management,
and Bonneville Power Administration.
g. Filed Pursuant to: 18 CFR part 5 of the Commission's
regulations.
h. Applicant Contact: Mr. James Carkulis, Cat Creek Energy, LLC,
398 S 9th Street, Suite 240, Boise, Idaho 83702; phone: (406) 459-3013.
i. FERC Contact: Michael Tust, (202) 502-6522,
[email protected].
j. CCE filed its Pre-Application Document (PAD) and request to use
the Traditional Licensing Process (TLP) on
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January 3, 2022. CCE published public notice of its Notice of Intent to
file a license application, PAD, and request to use the TLP on January
12, 2022; however, the notice did not indicate a deadline for
stakeholders to submit comments to the Commission. At the direction of
Commission staff, CCE again published its notice on January 26, 2022,
which included a deadline of February 25, 2022, for submitting comments
to the Commission. After reviewing comments submitted by stakeholders,
Commission staff denied CCE's request to use the TLP on April 1, 2022.
CCE must use the Integrated Licensing Process to prepare a license
application for the Cat Creek Project.
k. 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).
l. 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 Idaho 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.
m. With this notice, we are designating CCE 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.
n. A copy of the PAD is available for review 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. 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) pandemic, issued by the President on
March 13, 2020. For assistance, contact FERC Online Support at
[email protected], (866) 208-3676 (toll free), or (202) 502-
8659 (TTY). A copy is also available via the contact in paragraph h.
You may register online at https://ferconline.ferc.gov/FERCOnline.aspx 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 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 application must be filed with the Commission.
The Commission strongly encourages electronic filing. Please file
documents 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. 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 must clearly identify the project name and docket number on
the first page: Cat Creek Energy and Water Storage Project (P-14655-
002).
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 July 30, 2022.
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 ongoing 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
virtual environmental site reviews.
Virtual Scoping Meetings
Commission staff will hold two virtual public scoping meetings via
teleconference. An evening meeting will focus on receiving input from
the public and a daytime meeting will focus on concerns of resource
agencies, Native American tribes, and non-governmental organizations
(NGO). We invite all interested agencies, Native American tribes, NGOs,
and the public to attend one or both of these meetings to assist us in
identifying the scope of environmental issues that should be analyzed
in the NEPA document. The dates and times of the virtual scoping
meetings are listed below.
Evening Meeting for the General Public
Wednesday, June 15, 2022, 7:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m. Mountain Daylight Time
(MDT), Call in number: 800-779-8625, Participant passcode: 3472916
Following entry of the access code, please provide the required
details when prompted.
Daytime Meeting for Resource Agencies, Tribes, and NGOs
Thursday, June 16, 2022, 10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. MDT, Call in number:
800-779-8625, Participant passcode: 3472916
Following entry of the access code, please provide the required
details when prompted.
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 CCE's PAD
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.
Virtual Environmental Site Reviews
CCE and Commission staff will hold two virtual environmental site
reviews of the Cat Creek Project prior to each of the virtual scoping
meetings. The virtual site reviews will be held on Wednesday
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June 15, 2022, starting at 6:00 p.m. MDT, and on Thursday June 16,
2022, starting at 9:00 a.m. MDT Please contact CCE at 406-781-9911, or
[email protected] by Friday June 10, 2022, if you plan to attend one or
both of the environmental site reviews. Directions for accessing the
virtual site reviews will be provided by CCE staff once attendance is
confirmed.
Meeting Objectives
At the scoping meetings, Commission staff will: (1) initiate
scoping of the issues; (2) review and discuss existing conditions; (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 potential
of any federal or state agency or Native American tribe to act as a
cooperating agency for development of an environmental document.
Meeting participants should come prepared to discuss their issues and/
or concerns. Please review CCE's 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
Commission staff will be moderating the scoping meetings. The
meetings will begin promptly at their respective start times listed
above. At the start of the meeting, staff will provide further
instructions regarding the meeting setup, agenda, and how participants
can provide their comments and questions during the meeting. The
scoping meetings will be recorded by a court reporter, and all
statements will become part of the Commission's public record for the
project. Oral comments will initially be limited to 5 minutes in
duration. Interested parties who choose not to speak or who are unable
to attend the scoping meetings may provide written comments and
information to the Commission using the instructions provided in item
o.
Please note, that if no participants join the meetings within 30
minutes after the start time, staff will end the meeting and conference
call. The meetings will end after participants have presented their
oral comments or at the specified end time (listed above), whichever
occurs first.
Dated: May 31, 2022.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2022-12053 Filed 6-3-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P