[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 120 (Friday, June 23, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41096-41097]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-13381]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 14775-005]


Marine Renewable Energy Collaborative of New England; Notice of 
Application Tendered and Accepted for Filing; Soliciting Motions To 
Intervene and Protests; Ready for Environmental Analysis; Soliciting 
Comments, Recommendations, Terms and Conditions, and Fishway 
Prescriptions; Waiving the Timing Requirement for Filing Competing 
Development Applications; and Intent To Prepare Environmental 
Assessment

    Take notice that the following application has been filed with the 
Commission and is available for public inspection.
    a. Type of Application: Hydrokinetic Pilot Project License.
    b. Project No.: 14775-005.
    c. Date Filed: June 1, 2023.
    d. Applicant: Marine Renewable Energy Collaborative of New England.
    e. Name of Project: Bourne Tidal Hydrokinetic Test Site Project.
    f. Location: In the Cape Cod Canal near the Town of Bourne, in 
Barnstable County, MA. The project would occupy land administered by 
the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) and would be within the 
boundary of the Corps' Cape Cod Canal Navigation Project.
    g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act 16 U.S.C. 791 (a)-825(r).
    h. Applicant Contact: Stephen Barrett, Barrett Energy Resources 
Group, LLC, P.O. Box 1004, Concord, MA 01742; Phone at (339) 234-2696; 
email at [email protected].
    i. FERC Contact: Robert Haltner at (202) 502-8612 or email at 
[email protected].
    j. Deadline for filing motions to intervene and protests, comments, 
recommendations, terms and conditions, and prescriptions: 30 days from 
the issuance date of this notice; reply comments are due 60 days from 
the issuance date of this notice.
    The Commission strongly encourages electronic filing. Please file 
motions to intervene, protests, comments, recommendations, terms and 
conditions, and 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 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: Bourne Tidal 
Hydrokinetic Project (P-14775-005).
    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. Based on the information in the project 
record, staff does not anticipate that licensing the project would 
constitute a major federal action significantly affecting the quality 
of the human environment. Therefore, staff intends to prepare an 
Environmental Assessment (EA) on the application. The EA will be issued 
and circulated for public review. Comments filed on the EA will be 
analyzed by staff and considered in the Commission's final licensing 
decision.
    l. The proposed Bourne Tidal Hydrokinetic Project would consist of:

[[Page 41097]]

(1) an existing 56.2-foot-high, 23-foot-wide steel support structure 
comprising a platform mounted to three piles embedded in the Cape Cod 
Canal; (2) an existing vertical turbine mounting pole that is attached 
to the platform and equipped with an electric lift; (3) a tidal 
turbine-generator unit that would have a maximum installed capacity of 
50 kilowatts (kW); (4) a 50-kW inverter that would be located on the 
support structure and used to convert the generated power from Direct 
Current to Alternating Current; (5) an approximately 775-foot-long, 
13.2-kilovolt overhead transmission line that would connect the project 
to the regional grid; (6) an onshore station consisting of a 20-foot-
long, 8-foot-wide modular steel structure that would house power 
control and data management equipment; and (7) appurtenant facilities. 
A variety of turbine-generator units would be tested at the project, 
but only one will be tested at a time.
    m. A copy of the application may be viewed on the Commission's 
website at (https://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. For 
assistance, contact FERC Online Support at [email protected] 
or call toll-free, (886) 208-3676 or TTY, (202) 502-8659.
    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.
    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].
    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,'' ``TERMS AND CONDITIONS,'' or '' 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.
    o. Procedural Schedule: The application will be processed according 
to the following schedule. Revisions to the schedule may be made as 
appropriate.

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                Milestone                           Target date
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Filing of recommendations, preliminary    July 16, 2023.
 terms and conditions, and preliminary
 fishway prescriptions.
Filing of response comments.............  August 15, 2023.
Commission issues EA....................  September 2023.
Comments on EA..........................  October 2023.
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    p. Waiver of deadline to file competing applications filed pursuant 
to a notice of intent (NOI): Any qualified applicant desiring to file a 
competing application must submit to the Commission, on or before the 
specified intervention deadline date, a competing development 
application or an NOI to file such an application. Section 4.36(b)(2) 
of the Commission's regulations, which allows 120 days from the 
specified intervention deadline date for interested parties to file 
competing development applications in which timely NOIs have been 
submitted, is hereby waived. Due to the expedited nature of the pilot 
project licensing procedures, an interested person who submits a timely 
NOI must file the competing development application no later than 30 
days after the specified intervention deadline date. Applications for 
preliminary permits will not be accepted in response to this notice.
    An NOI must specify the exact name, business address, and telephone 
number of the prospective applicant, and must include an unequivocal 
statement of intent to submit a development application. An NOI must be 
served on the applicant named in this public notice.

    Dated: June 16, 2023.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2023-13381 Filed 6-22-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P