[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