[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 212 (Thursday, November 3, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 66295-66297]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-23944]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 2361-056]


Allete, Inc.; Notice of Application Accepted for Filing, 
Soliciting Motions To Intervene and Protests, Ready for Environmental 
Analysis, and Soliciting Comments, Recommendations, Preliminary Terms 
and Conditions, and Preliminary Fishway Prescriptions

    Take notice that the following hydroelectric application has been 
filed with the Commission and is available for public inspection.
    a. Type of Application: Subsequent License.
    b. Project No.: 2361-056.
    c. Date filed: December 20, 2021.
    d. Applicant: Allete, Inc. (Allete).
    e. Name of Project: Prairie River Hydroelectric Project (Prairie 
River Project).
    f. Location: On the Prairie River, near the Township of Arbo in 
Itasca County, Minnesota. The project does not include any federal 
lands.
    g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act 16 U.S.C. 791(a)-825(r).
    h. Applicant Contact: Mr. David R. Moeller, Senior Attorney & 
Director of Regulatory Compliance, ALLETE, Inc., d.b.a. Minnesota 
Power, 30 West Superior Street, Duluth, MN 55802, 218-723-3963, 
[email protected].
    i. FERC Contact: Laura Washington (202) 502-6072, 
[email protected].
    j. Deadline for filing motions to intervene and protests, comments, 
recommendations, preliminary terms and conditions, and preliminary 
prescriptions: 60 days from the issuance date of this notice; reply 
comments are due 105 days from the issuance date of this notice.
    The Commission strongly encourages electronic filing. Please file 
motions to intervene, protests, comments, recommendations, preliminary 
terms and conditions, and preliminary fishway prescriptions 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], (866) 208-3676 (toll free), or (202) 502-
8659 (TTY). In lieu of electronic filing, you may submit a paper 
request. Submissions sent via the U.S. Postal Service must be addressed 
to: Kimberly

[[Page 66296]]

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-2361-056.
     The Commission's Rules of Practice require all intervenors filing 
documents with the Commission to serve a copy of that document on each 
person on the official service list for the project. Further, if an 
intervenor files comments or documents with the Commission relating to 
the merits of an issue that may affect the responsibilities of a 
particular resource agency, they must also serve a copy of the document 
on that resource agency.
    k. This application has been accepted for filing and is now ready 
for environmental analysis.
    The Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) issued a final rule on 
April 20, 2022, revising the regulations under 40 CFR parts 1502, 1507, 
and 1508 that federal agencies use to implement the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) (see National Environmental Policy Act 
Implementing Regulations Revisions, 87 FR 23,453-70). The final rule 
became effective on May 20, 2022. Commission staff intends to conduct 
its NEPA review in accordance with CEQ's new regulations.
    l. The Prairie River Project consists of the following existing 
facilities: (1) a 1,305-acre reservoir with a storage capacity of 
15,800 acre-feet at water surface at elevation 1,289.4  0.1 
feet National Geodetic Vertical Datum (NGVD); (2) a 985-foot-long dam 
consisting of: (a) overflow sections, (b) 729-foot-long left embankment 
with a top elevation of 1.293.6 feet NGVD, (c) a 186-foot-long right 
embankment with a top elevation of 1,293.6 feet, (d) 260-foot-long 
concrete emergency spillway with a crest elevation of 1,289.9 feet 
NGVD, (e) a gated spillway containing two 16-foot-long, 10-foot-high 
steel Tainter gates with an elevation of 1,280.05 feet NGVD, (f) one 6-
foot-long, 6-foot-high steel Tainter gate with an elevation of 1,284.0 
feet NGVD, (g) and two 7-foot-long, 6-foot-high timber slide gate bays 
with an elevation of 1,284.0 feet NGVD; (3) a forebay consisting of: 
(a) an inlet channel from the main reservoir, (b) an earthen dam, (c) a 
concrete retaining dam; (4) a 23.5-foot-wide concrete intake structure 
with a 20-foot-long, 13-foot-high steel Tainter gate, (5) a 20-foot-
long, 3-inch deep trashrack with 1.5 inch bar spacing; (6) a 450-foot-
long penstock; (7) a 76-foot-long, 28-foot-wide, 43.5-foot-high 
reinforced concrete powerhouse containing: (a) a steel-lined, 
reinforced concrete surge tank with a top elevation of 1,301.5 feet 
NGVD, and (b) two vertical shaft Francis turbines with a total 
installed capacity of 1.1 megawatts; (8) a 480-foot-long tailrace; and 
(5) a 2.3/23 kilovolt transmission bank.
    The Prairie River Project is currently operated in a run-of-river 
mode and generates an annual average of approximately 3,087 megawatt-
hours. Allete proposes to continue operating the project as a run-of-
river facility and does not propose any new construction to the 
project.
    m. A copy of the application can be viewed on the Commission's 
website 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.
    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, (886) 208-3676 or 
TTY, (202) 502-8659.
    n. Anyone may submit comments, a protest, or a motion to intervene 
in accordance with the requirements of Rules of Practice and Procedure, 
18 CFR 385.210, .211, and .214. In determining the appropriate action 
to take, the Commission will consider all protests or other comments 
filed, but only those who file a motion to intervene in accordance with 
the Commission's Rules may become a party to the proceeding. Any 
comments, protests, or motions to intervene must be received on or 
before the specified comment date for the particular application.
    All filings must (1) bear in all capital letters the title 
``PROTEST'', ``MOTION TO INTERVENE'', ``COMMENTS,'' ``REPLY COMMENTS,'' 
``RECOMMENDATIONS,'' ``PRELIMINARY TERMS AND CONDITIONS,'' or 
``PRELIMINARY FISHWAY PRESCRIPTIONS''; (2) set forth in the heading the 
name of the applicant and the project number of the application to 
which the filing responds; (3) furnish the name, address, and telephone 
number of the person protesting or intervening; and (4) otherwise 
comply with the requirements of 18 CFR 385.2001 through 385.2005. All 
comments, recommendations, terms and conditions or prescriptions must 
set forth their evidentiary basis and otherwise comply with the 
requirements of 18 CFR 4.34(b). Agencies may obtain copies of the 
application directly from the applicant. A copy of any protest or 
motion to intervene must be served upon each representative of the 
applicant specified in the particular application. A copy of all other 
filings in reference to this application must be accompanied by proof 
of service on all persons listed in the service list prepared by the 
Commission in this proceeding, in accordance with 18 CFR 4.34(b) and 
385.2010.
    You may also register online at https://www.ferc.gov/ferc-online/overview to be notified via email of new filings and issuances related 
to this or other pending projects. For assistance, contact FERC Online 
Support.
    o. The license applicant must file no later than 60 days following 
the date of issuance of this notice: (1) a copy of the water quality 
certification; (2) a copy of the request for certification, including 
proof of the date on which the certifying agency received the request; 
or (3) evidence of waiver of water quality certification. Please note 
that the certification request must comply with 40 CFR 121.5(b), 
including documentation that a pre-filing meeting request was submitted 
to the certifying authority at least 30 days prior to submitting the 
certification request. Please note that the certification request must 
be sent to the certifying authority and to the Commission concurrently.
    p. Procedural schedule: The application will be processed according 
to the following schedule. Revisions to the schedule will be made as 
appropriate.

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                  Milestone                           Target date
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Deadline for Filing Protest, Motion to        December 2022.
 Intervene, Comments, Recommendations,
 Preliminary Terms and Conditions, and
 Preliminary Fishway Prescriptions.
Deadline for Filing Reply Comments..........  February 2023.
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[[Page 66297]]

    q. Final amendments to the application must be filed with the 
Commission no later than 30 days from the issuance date of this notice.

    Dated: October 28, 2022.
Debbie-Anne A. Reese,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2022-23944 Filed 11-2-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P