[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 106 (Friday, June 2, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 36304-36305]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-11768]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 2532-094, Project No. 2454-085, Project No. 2663-064]


ALLETE, Inc.; Notice of Intent To File License Applications, 
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 Applications 
for New Licenses and Commencing Pre-filing Process.
    b. Project Nos.: P-2532-094, P-2454-085, and P-2663-064.
    c. Dated Filed: March 30, 2023.
    d. Submitted By: ALLETE, Inc. (ALLETE).
    e. Name of Projects: Little Falls Hydroelectric Project (Little 
Falls Project), Sylvan Hydroelectric Project (Sylvan Project), and 
Pillager Hydroelectric Project (Pillager Project).
    f. Location: The Little Falls Project is on the Mississippi River 
near the City of Little Falls in Morrison County, Minnesota. The Sylvan 
Project is located on the Crow Wing River near the City of Baxter in 
Cass, Crow Wing, and Morrison Counties, Minnesota. The Pillager Project 
is located on the Crow Wing River near the City of Pillager in Cass and 
Morrison Counties, Minnesota.
    g. Filed Pursuant to: 18 CFR part 5 of the Commission's 
Regulations.
    h. Applicant Contact: Mr. Greg Prom, Senior Environmental 
Compliance Specialist, Minnesota Power/ALLETE, Inc., 30 West Superior 
Street, Duluth, MN 55802-2093; Phone at (218) 355-3191 or email at 
[email protected].
    i. FERC Contact: Jay Summers at (202) 502-8764; 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 ALLETE 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. ALLETE 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.
    You may register online at https://ferconline.ferc.gov/FERCOnline.aspx to be notified via email of new filings and issuances 
related to these 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,

[[Page 36305]]

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: 
Little Falls Hydroelectric Project No. 2532-094 and/or Sylvan 
Hydroelectric Project No. 2454-085 and/or Pillager Hydroelectric 
Project No. 2663-064.
    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 28, 2023.
    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 Meetings

    Commission staff will hold two scoping meetings for the projects to 
receive input on the scope of the NEPA document. An evening meeting 
will be held at 7:00 p.m. on June 21, 2023, at the Little Falls Service 
Center in Little Falls, Minnesota, and will focus on receiving input 
from the public. A daytime meeting will be held at 9:30 a.m. on June 
22, 2023, at the same location, and will focus on the concerns of 
resource agencies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and Indian 
tribes. We invite all interested agencies, Indian Tribes, non-
governmental organizations, and individuals to attend one or both of 
these meetings. The times and locations of these meetings are as 
follows:

Evening Scoping Meeting

Date: Wednesday, June 21, 2023
Time: 7:00 p.m. (CDT)
Place: Little Falls Service Center
Address: 1201 11th St. NE, Little Falls, MN 56345
Phone: (320) 632-2318 Ext. 5010

Daytime Scoping Meeting

Date: Thursday, June 22, 2023
Time: 9:30 a.m. (CDT)
Place: Little Falls Service Center
Address: 1201 11th St. NE, Little Falls, MN 56345
Phone: (320) 632-2318 Ext. 5010

    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. Copies of SD1 will be available at the 
scoping meetings, or 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.

Environmental Site Reviews

    The applicant and Commission staff will conduct environmental site 
reviews of the projects. All interested individuals, agencies, tribes, 
and NGOs are invited to attend. All participants are responsible for 
their own transportation to the sites and during the site visits. 
Please RSVP via email to [email protected] or notify Greg Prom at (218) 
355-3191 on or before June 14, 2023 if you plan to attend the 
environmental site reviews. The times and locations of the 
environmental site reviews are as follows:

Little Falls Hydroelectric Project

Date: Wednesday, June 21, 2023
Time: 10:30 a.m. (CDT)
Place: Little Falls Service Center; Little Falls Hydroelectric Project
Address: 1201 11th St. NE, Little Falls, MN 56345

Pillager Hydroelectric Project

Date: Wednesday, June 21, 2023
Time: 1:00 p.m. (CDT)
Place: Pillager Hydroelectric Project
Address: 13449 Pillager Dam Rd., Pillager, MN 56473

Sylvan Hydroelectric Project

Date: Wednesday, June 21, 2023
Time: 2:00 p.m. (CDT)
Place: Sylvan Hydroelectric Project
Address: 13753 Sylvan Dam Rd. SW, Pillager, MN 56473

    Participants will meet at the Little Falls Service Center parking 
lot and depart to the Little Falls Project at 10:30 a.m. (CDT). All 
participants are responsible for their own transportation. After the 
site visit for the Little Falls Hydroelectric Project, participants 
will travel to the Pillager Project, located at 13449 Pillager Dam Rd., 
Pillager, MN 56473. After the site visit for the Pillager Project, 
participants will travel to the Sylvan Hydroelectric Project, located 
at 13753 Sylvan Dam Rd. SW, Pillager, MN 56473.
    The applicant will provide hard hats and safety glasses to 
participants. However, all persons attending the environmental site 
reviews must wear sturdy, closed-toe shoes or boots.

Meeting Objectives

    At the scoping meetings, 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 acting 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 paragraphs n and p, respectively, of this document.

Meeting Procedures

    The meetings are recorded by a stenographer and become part of the 
formal record of the Commission proceeding on the project. Individuals, 
NGOs, Indian tribes, and agencies with environmental expertise and 
concerns are encouraged to attend the meeting and to assist the staff 
in defining and clarifying the issues to be addressed in the NEPA 
document.
    q. The Commission's Office of Public Participation (OPP) supports 
meaningful public engagement and participation in Commission 
proceedings. OPP can help members of the public, including landowners, 
environmental justice communities, Tribal members and others, access 
publicly available information and navigate Commission processes. For 
public inquiries and assistance with making filings such as 
interventions, comments, or requests for rehearing, the public is 
encouraged to contact OPP at (202) 502-6595 or [email protected].

    Dated: May 26, 2023.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2023-11768 Filed 6-1-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P