[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 126 (Monday, July 3, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42705-42707]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-13995]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 2333-094]


Rumford Falls Hydro LLC; 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: New Major License.
    b. Project No.: 2333-094.
    c. Date filed: September 29, 2022. Supplemented on March 30 and 
June 9, 2023.

[[Page 42706]]

    d. Applicant: Rumford Falls Hydro LLC.
    e. Name of Project: Rumford Falls Hydroelectric Project.
    f. Location: On the Androscoggin River in the Town of Rumford, 
Oxford County, Maine.
    g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act 16 U.S.C. 791(a)-825(r).
    h. Applicant Contact: Mr. Luke Anderson, Rumford Falls Hydro LLC, 
Brookfield Renewable, 150 Main St., Lewiston, Maine 04240, (207) 755-
5613, [email protected].
    i. FERC Contact: Ryan Hansen at (202) 502-8074 or email at 
[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'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].
    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 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, 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: Rumford Falls Hydroelectric Project (P-2333-
094).
    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 23453-70). 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 existing Rumford Falls Project consists of two developments, 
the Upper Station and Lower Station. The Upper Station Development 
consists of the following existing facilities: (1) a concrete gravity 
dam with a 464-foot-long, 37-foot-high ogee type spillway section with 
32-inch-high, pin-supported wooden flashboards; (2) a reservoir with a 
storage capacity of 2,900 acre-feet and a surface area of approximately 
419 acres at a maximum headwater elevation of 601.24 feet; \1\ (3) a 
2,300-foot-long, 150-foot-wide forebay; (4) a gatehouse containing two 
headgates for each of the four penstocks for a total of eight headgates 
with trashracks; (5) four 110-foot-long underground steel-plate 
penstocks, three of which are 12 feet in diameter, and one of which is 
13 feet in diameter; (6) a masonry powerhouse integral with the dam 
that is composed of two adjoining stations (a) a 30-foot-wide, 110-
foot-long, 92-foot-high Old Station, containing one horizontal 
generating unit with a capacity of 4,300 kilowatts (kW), and (b) a 60-
foot-wide, 140-foot-long, 76-foot-high New Station containing three 
vertical generating units, two with a capacity of 8,100 kW each, and 
one with a capacity of 8,800 kW; (7) four 11.5-kilovolt (kV) overhead 
transmission lines, two of which are de-energized, and the other two 
are: a 4,500-foot-long line 2 and a 4,200-foot-long line 3; and (8) 
appurtenant facilities.
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    \1\ All elevations are in National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 
1929.
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    The Lower Station Development consists of the following existing 
facilities: (1) a rock-filled, wooden cribbed and concrete-capped 
Middle Dam, with a 328.6-foot-long, 20-foot-high gravity spillway 
section with a crest elevation of 502.74 feet with 16-inch-high, pin-
supported, wooden flashboards; (2) a reservoir with storage capacity of 
141 acre-feet and a surface area of 21 acres at a normal maximum 
headwater elevation of 502.7 feet; (3) a 120-foot-long concrete 
headgate structure located adjacent to the dam with ten steel headgates 
and a waste weir section perpendicular to the headgate structure with a 
crest elevation of 502.6 feet and 10-inch-high flashboards regulating 
flow to the Middle Canal; (4) a 2,400-foot-long Middle Canal with a 
width ranging from 75 to 175 feet and a depth from 8 to 11 feet; (5) a 
gatehouse containing two headgates, trashracks, and other appurtenant 
equipment regulating flow from the canal into two penstocks; (6) two 
815-foot-long, 12-foot-diameter, steel-plate penstocks conveying flow 
from the gatehouse to two surge tanks; (7) two 36-foot-diameter, 50.5-
foot-high cylindrical surge tanks; (8) two 77-foot-long, 12-foot-
diameter steel penstocks conveying flow from the surge tanks to the 
powerhouse; (9) a masonry powerhouse containing two identical vertical 
units, each with a 7,600-kW capacity; (10) two 600-foot-long, 11.5-kV 
parallel generator leads; and (11) appurtenant facilities.
    Rumford Falls Hydro LLC operates the project in a run-of-river mode 
and does not propose any changes to project facilities or operation. 
The project would continue to generate an estimated average of 270,800 
megawatt-hours annually.
    m. This filing may 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. 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, 
call 1-866-208-3676 or email [email protected], for TTY, call 
(202) 502-8659. Agencies may obtain copies of the application directly 
from the applicant.

[[Page 42707]]

    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.
    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 Comments, Recommendations, Preliminary  August 25, 2023.
 Terms and Conditions, and Preliminary Fishway
 Prescriptions.
Filing of Reply Comments........................  October 9, 2023.
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    p. Final amendments to the application must be filed with the 
Commission no later than 30 days from the issuance date of this notice.
    q. The 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 also note that the certification request 
must be sent to the certifying authority and to the Commission 
concurrently.

    Dated: June 26, 2023.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2023-13995 Filed 6-30-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P