[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 110 (Thursday, June 8, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 37533-37534]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-12239]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 2589-095]


Marquette Board of Light and Power; Notice of Application 
Accepted for Filing and Soliciting Comments, Motions To Intervene, and 
Protests

    Take notice that the following hydroelectric application has been 
filed with the Commission and is available for public inspection.
    a. Type of Application: Request for a Temporary Variance of Flow 
and Reservoir Elevation Requirements.
    b. Project No.: 2589-095.
    c. Dates Filed: May 26, 2023.
    d. Applicant: Marquette Board of Light and Power (licensee).
    e. Name of Project: Marquette Hydroelectric Project.
    f. Location: The project is located on the Dead River, near the 
City of Marquette, in Marquette County, Michigan. The project does not 
occupy federal lands.
    g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act, 16 U.S.C. 791(a)-825(r).
    h. Applicant Contact: Thomas J. Skewis, Environmental Compliance, 
Marquette Board of Light and Power, 2200 Wright Street, Marquette, MI 
49855, (906) 225-8670, tskewis@mblp.
    i. FERC Contact: Aneela Mousam, (202) 502-8357, 
[email protected].
    j. Deadline for filing comments, motions to intervene, and protests 
is 30 days from the issuance of this notice by the Commission. The 
Commission strongly encourages electronic filing. Please file comments, 
motions to intervene, and protests 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/doc-sfiling/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 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, MD 20852. The first page of any filing should 
include docket number P-2589-095.
    The Commission's Rules of Practice and Procedure 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. Description of Request: The licensee requests Commission 
approval for a temporary variance of the minimum powerhouse flow and 
reservoir elevation requirements outlined in license articles 403 and 
404. The purpose of the variance request is to accommodate controls 
upgrade and minor maintenance at the Forestville powerhouse (No. 2 
Development), scheduled to take place for a duration of 6-10 weeks in 
June-July 2023. To facilitate the controls upgrade, the licensee plans 
to take both hydro units offline. Prior to taking the hydro units 
offline, the licensee would gradually reduce the powerhouse flows \1\ 
to allow the reservoir elevation to exceed the maximum allowable limit 
(771.0 feet), and overflow the spillway \2\ to prevent areas within the 
river channel from drying up before suspending the powerhouse flows.
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    \1\ 40 cubic feet per second.
    \2\ The overflow spillway has a crest elevation of 771.4 feet.
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    For the duration of the planned upgrades, the licensee would 
provide flows \3\ from the spillway to the river by allowing the 
reservoir elevation to exceed the spillway crest elevation of 771.4 
feet. Once the project upgrades are complete, the licensee would place 
the hydro units online and lower the reservoir level to meet the 
license requirements. The licensee would work closely with the relevant 
resource agencies to prevent any adverse environmental effects from 
occurring prior to, during, and after the temporary variance.
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    \3\ The flows would be run of the river.
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    l. In addition to publishing the full text of this document in the 
Federal Register, the Commission provides all interested persons an 
opportunity to view and/or print the contents of this document via the 
internet through the Commission's Home Page (http://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, (886) 208-3676 or TYY, (202) 502-8659.
    m. Individuals desiring to be included on the Commission's mailing 
list should so indicate by writing to the Secretary of the Commission.
    n. Comments, Motions to Intervene, or Protests: Anyone may submit 
comments, a motion to intervene, or a protest in accordance with the 
requirements of Rules of Practice and Procedure, 18 CFR 385.210, .211, 
.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, motions to 
intervene, or protests must be received on or before the specified 
comment date for the particular application.
    o. Filing and Service of Responsive Documents: Any filing must (1) 
bear in all capital letters the title ``COMMENTS'', ``MOTION TO 
INTERVENE'', or ``PROTEST'' as applicable; (2) set forth in the heading 
the name of the applicant and the project number(s) of the application 
to which the filing responds; (3) furnish the name, address, and 
telephone number of the person intervening or protesting; and (4) 
otherwise comply with the requirements of 18 CFR 385.2001 through 
385.2005. All comments, motions to intervene, or protests must set 
forth their evidentiary basis. 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 385.2010.
    p. 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

[[Page 37534]]

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: June 2, 2023.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2023-12239 Filed 6-7-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P