[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 164 (Thursday, August 25, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52382-52383]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-18336]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 14876-002]


Western Minnesota Municipal Power Agency; Notice of Intent To 
File License Application, Filing of Pre-Application Document (Pad), 
Commencement of ILP 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 
an Original License and Commencing Pre-filing Process.
    b. Project No.: 14876-002.
    c. Dated Filed: June 28, 2022.
    d. Submitted By: Western Minnesota Municipal Power Agency (Western 
Minnesota Power).
    e. Name of Project: Gregory County Pumped Storage Project.
    f. Location: The project would be located in Gregory and Charles 
Mix Counties, South Dakota. The project would use Lake Francis Case, 
which is formed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' (Corps) Fort 
Randall Dam at river mile 880 on the Missouri River, as its lower 
reservoir. The project would include the construction of a new upper 
reservoir located on the western side of Lake Francis Case 
approximately 38 river miles upstream of Fort Randall Dam. The project 
would be located primarily on private and state lands, but would also 
occupy an unknown acreage of federal land.
    g. Filed Pursuant to: 18 CFR part 5 of the Commission's 
Regulations.
    h. Applicant Contacts: Terry Wolf, Second Assistant Secretary, 
Western Minnesota Municipal Power Agency, P.O. Box 88920, Sioux Falls, 
SD 57109-8920; (605) 330-6977; [email protected].
    Tim Sullivan, Gomez and Sullivan Engineers, D.P.C, 41 Liberty Hill 
Road, P.O. Box 2179, Henniker, NH 03242; (603) 428-4960; 
[email protected].
    i. FERC Contacts: Aaron Liberty at (202) 502-6862 or email at 
[email protected]; or Nicholas Ettema at (312) 596-4447 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 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 Western Minnesota Power 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. Western Minnesota Power 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. A copy of the PAD may be viewed 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. For assistance, contact FERC at 
[email protected] or call toll-free, (866) 208-3676 or TYY, 
(202) 502-8659. A copy of the PAD is also available for public 
inspection during normal business hours at Missouri River Energy 
Services' offices located at 3724 West Avera Drive, Sioux Falls, SD 
57109.
    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 addresses 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 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. 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: Gregory County Pumped Storage Project (P-14876-002).
    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

[[Page 52383]]

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 26, 2022.
    p. 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.

Scoping Process

    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, Commission staff will hold 
two public scoping meetings using a telephone conference line. 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. Additionally, a virtual site tour of the proposed project 
should be posted on Western Minnesota Power's licensing website prior 
to the scoping meetings. Visuals included in the virtual site tour will 
be referenced during Western Minnesota Power's presentation of the 
project during the scoping meetings. The dates and times of the 
meetings as well as how to access the virtual site tour are listed 
below.

Virtual Site Tour of the Project

Access online at: https://www.mrenergy.com/energy-resources/gregory-county-pumped-storage-project

Meeting for Resource Agencies, Tribes, and NGOs

Thursday, September 22, 2022, 10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. CDT, Call in 
number: (800) 779-8625, Access code: 3472916

    Following entry of the access code, please provide the required 
details when prompted.

Meeting for the General Public

Thursday, September 22, 2022, 6:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m. CDT, Call in number: 
(800) 779-8625, Access code: 3472916

    Following entry of the access code, please provide the required 
details when prompted.
    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 Western Minnesota Power's 
distribution list. Copies of SD1 may be viewed on the web 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. Based on all oral and written comments, a Scoping 
Document 2 (SD2) may be issued. SD2 will include a revised process plan 
and schedule, as well as a list of issues, based on the scoping 
process.

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 Indian 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 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

    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 time period for 
comments and questions. We ask for your patience as staff present 
information and field participant comments in an orderly manner. To 
indicate you have a question or comment, press * and 3 to virtually 
``raise your hand.'' Oral comments will be limited to 5 minutes in 
duration for each participant. The meetings will be recorded by a 
stenographer and will be filed to the public record of the project.
    Please note, that if no participants join the meetings within 15 
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, whichever occurs first.

    Dated: August 19, 2022.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2022-18336 Filed 8-24-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P