[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 134 (Friday, July 14, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45194-45195]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-14899]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 2853-073]


Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation; Notice 
of Application Ready for Environmental Analysis and Soliciting 
Comments, Recommendations, Terms and Conditions, and 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.: 2853-073.
    c. Date filed: June 30, 2022.
    d. Applicant: Montana Department of Natural Resources and 
Conservation (Montana DNRC).
    e. Name of Project: Broadwater Hydroelectric Project (project).
    f. Location: On the Missouri River near the town of Toston in 
Broadwater County, Montana. The project is adjacent to and includes 
federal lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management.
    g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act 16 U.S.C. 791(a)-825(r).
    h. Applicant Contact: David Lofftus, Hydro Power Program Manager, 
Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, 1424 9th 
Avenue, P.O. Box 201601, Helena, Montana 59620; Phone at (406) 444-
6659; or email at [email protected]
    i. FERC Contact: Ingrid Brofman at (202) 502-8347, or 
[email protected].
    j. Deadline for filing comments, recommendations, terms and 
conditions, and 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 strongly encourages electronic filing. Please file 
comments, recommendations, terms and conditions, and prescriptions 
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 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: Broadwater Hydroelectric Project (P-
2853-073).
    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 and is now ready for 
environmental analysis.
    l. The existing Broadwater Hydroelectric Project consists of: (1) a 
630-foot-long, 24-foot-high concrete gravity dam with a 360-foot-long 
spillway containing seven inflatable rubber gates capable of raising 
the dam's crest elevation by 11 feet; (2) a 275-acre, 9-mile-long 
reservoir; (3) a 160-foot long rock jetty that extends upstream into 
the reservoir that serves to separate inflow to the powerhouse from the 
headworks

[[Page 45195]]

of the non-project irrigation canal adjacent to the dam; (4) an intake 
integral with the powerhouse and covered by two inclined trashracks, 
each 20 feet wide and 40 feet high, with a clear bar spacing of 3 
inches; (5) a 160-foot-long, 46-foot-wide, 64-foot high powerhouse 
containing a single Kaplan turbine with a rated capacity of 9.66 
megawatts; (6) a 100-kilovolt, 2.8-mile-long transmission line; and (6) 
appurtenant facilities.
    The project is operated in a run-of-river mode and generates an 
estimated average of 40,669 megawatt-hours per year.
    Montana DNRC proposes to remove the jetty that separates the 
hydropower intake and the irrigation canal intake and install two 
parallel 100-foot-long, 10-foot-wide by 10-foot-high box culverts 
within the irrigation intake canal and a bulkhead near the current 
irrigation headworks. Once these facilities are installed, any water 
diverted for irrigation would first pass through a new angled screen 
with 6-inch spacing between the bars and then pass through the two new 
box culverts before entering the existing irrigation intake at the dam. 
The existing irrigation intake and facilities at the dam conveying 
water to the Broadwater-Missouri irrigation canal system would remain 
in place. Montana DNRC proposes to include the new tilted screen and 
box culverts as licensed project facilities.
    Montana DNRC also proposes to modernize the project trash rake 
(i.e., replace and recalibrate sensors on the rake) to minimize debris 
buildup on the dam intake and to upgrade its SCADA monitoring system 
(i.e., improving connectivity to the substation, protective relaying, 
and automation upgrades).
    Montana DNRC proposes to continue to operate the project in an 
automated run-of-river mode throughout the year where outflow from the 
project approximates inflow (minus flows diverted for irrigation). 
Montana DNRC proposes to modify its procedures for responding to an 
unplanned unit trip to reduce the potential for fish stranding 
downstream of the project.
    m. A copy of the application is available for review via the 
internet through the Commission's Home Page (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. 
At this time, the Commission has suspended access to the Commission's 
Public Reference Room. For assistance, contact FERC at 
[email protected] or call toll free, (886) 208-3676 or TTY 
(202) 502-8659.
    You may also register online at https://ferconline.ferc.gov/FERCOnline.aspx 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].
    All filings must (1) bear in all capital letters the title 
``COMMENTS,'' ``REPLY COMMENTS,'' ``RECOMMENDATIONS,'' ``TERMS AND 
CONDITIONS,'' or ``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 submitting the filing; 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. Each filing must be 
accompanied by proof of service on all persons listed on the service 
list prepared by the Commission in this proceeding, in accordance with 
18 CFR 4.34(b) and 385.2010.
    n. 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.
    o. Procedural schedule: The application will be processed according 
to the following schedule. Revisions to the schedule will be made as 
appropriate.

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              Milestone                           Target date
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Deadline for Filing Comments,          September 2023.
 Recommendations, and Agency Terms
 and Conditions/Prescriptions.
Licensee's Reply to REA Comments.....  October 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.

    Dated: July 7, 2023.
Debbie-Anne A. Reese,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2023-14899 Filed 7-13-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P