[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 91 (Thursday, May 11, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30306-30307]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-10058]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 4472-031]


Union Falls Hydropower, L.P.; Notice Soliciting Scoping Comments

    Take notice that the following hydroelectric application has been 
filed with the Commission and is available for public inspection.
    a. Type of Application: New Major License.
    b. Project No.: 4472-031.
    c. Date filed: June 30, 2022.
    d. Applicant: Union Falls Hydropower, L.P. (Union Falls Hydro).
    e. Name of Project: Saranac Hydroelectric Project (Saranac Project 
or project).
    f. Location: The existing project is located on the Saranac River, 
in the town of Franklin in Franklin County and the town of Black Brook 
in Clinton County, New York.
    g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act, 16 U.S.C. 791(a)-825(r).
    h. Applicant Contact: Ms. Sherri Loon, Coordinator--Operations USA, 
Kruger Energy, 423 Brunswick Ave., Gardiner, ME 04345; phone: (207) 
203-3026; email: [email protected]; and Mr. Lewis Loon, General 
Manager, Operations and Maintenance--USA, Kruger Energy, 432 Brunswick 
Ave., Gardiner, ME 04345; phone: (207) 203-3027; email: 
[email protected].
    i. FERC Contact: Joshua Dub at (202) 502-8138, or 
[email protected].
    j. Deadline for filing scoping comments: June 5, 2023.\1\
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    \1\ The Commission's Rules of Practice and Procedure provide 
that if a deadline falls on a Saturday, Sunday, holiday, or other 
day when the Commission is closed for business, the deadline does 
not end until the close of business on the next business day. 18 CFR 
385.2007(a)(2). Because the 30-day deadline falls on a Sunday (i.e., 
June 4, 2023), the deadline is extended until the close of business 
on Monday, June 5, 2023.
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    The Commission strongly encourages electronic filing. Please file 
scoping comments 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, please send a paper copy via 
U.S. Postal

[[Page 30307]]

Service 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: Saranac 
Hydroelectric Project (P-4472-031).
    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 is not ready for environmental analysis at this 
time.
    l. The Saranac Project consists of the following existing 
facilities: (1) a 151-foot-long, 24-foot-high dam having a 147-foot-
long spillway section with a crest elevation of 1,408.49 feet \2\ 
topped with 1-foot-high flashboards; (2) an integral, 36-foot-long, 
gated intake structure at the dam's north side; (3) a reservoir having 
a surface area of 1,630 acres and a gross storage capacity of 8,900 
acre-feet at a pool elevation of 1,409.49 feet; (4) an 11-foot-
diameter, 1,433-foot-long steel penstock that bifurcates into two 7-
foot-diameter, 71-foot-long penstocks; (5) a surge vent; (6) a 
powerhouse containing two turbine-generator units with a total rated 
capacity of 2.6 megawatts; (7) two 4.16-kilovolt (kV) generator leads; 
(8) a 4.16/46-kV, 3,000-kV-amps step-up transformer bank; (9) a 90-
foot-long, 46-kV transmission line; (10) a tailrace; and (11) 
appurtenant facilities.
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    \2\ All elevations are in National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 
1929.
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    The Saranac Project operates in a modified run-of-river mode 
through the use of a float control for the purpose of generating 
electric power, with a minimum flow of 30 cubic feet per second (cfs) 
in the bypassed reach from April 1 through June 30, and a minimum flow 
of 10 cfs during the remainder of the year. The project has an average 
annual generation of 745 megawatt-hours.
    Union Falls Hydro does not propose changes to project facilities. 
Union Falls Hydro proposes to: (1) limit the maximum daily drawdown of 
the project impoundment to no more than 3 inches in a 24-hour period, 
and limit the total drawdown to 6 inches below the top of the project's 
flashboards, or below the spillway crest when flashboards are not 
present; (2) provide a minimum base flow of 165 cfs or inflow, 
whichever is less, at the dam year-round; (3) increase the minimum flow 
in the bypassed reach to 30 cfs from December 1 through March 1 and 50 
cfs from March 2 through November 30; and (4) install signage for the 
canoe portage trail and tailrace parking area. In addition, Union Falls 
Hydro proposes to implement the following proposed plans: bald eagle 
management plan, invasive species management plan, impoundment drawdown 
plan, and operation compliance monitoring plan.
    m. In addition to publishing the full text of this document in the 
Federal Register, the Commission provides all interested individuals an 
opportunity to view and/or print the contents of this document via the 
internet through the Commission's Home Page (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 (P-4472). At 
this time, the Commission has suspended access to the Commission's 
Public Access Room. For assistance, contact FERC at 
[email protected] or call toll-free, (886) 208-3676 or TTY, 
(202) 502-8659.
    n. You may also 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. Scoping Process: Commission staff will prepare either an 
environmental assessment (EA) or an environmental impact statement 
(EIS) that describes and evaluates the probable effects, if any, of the 
licensee's proposed action and alternatives. The EA or EIS will 
consider environmental impacts and reasonable alternatives to the 
proposed action. 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 EA or an EIS. At this time, we do not anticipate 
holding on-site scoping meetings. Instead, we are soliciting written 
comments and suggestions on the preliminary list of issues and 
alternatives to be addressed in the NEPA document, as described in 
scoping document 1 (SD1), issued May 5, 2023.
    Copies of SD1 outlining the subject areas to be addressed in the 
NEPA document were distributed to the parties on the Commission's 
mailing list and the applicant'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. For assistance, call 1-866-
208-3676 or for TTY, (202) 502-8659.

    Dated: May 5, 2023.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2023-10058 Filed 5-10-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P