[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 200 (Wednesday, October 18, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 71848-71849]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-22979]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 3240-040]


Briar Hydro Associates, LLC; Notice of Application Accepted for 
Filing and Soliciting 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: New License.
    b. Project No.: 3240-040.
    c. Date Filed: November 30, 2022.
    d. Applicant: Briar Hydro Associates, LLC.
    e. Name of Project: Rolfe Canal Hydroelectric Project.
    f. Location: On the Contoocook River, in the City of Concord, 
Merrimack County New Hampshire. No federal lands are located within the 
project boundary.
    g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act 16 U.S.C. 791(a)-825(r).
    h. Applicant Contact: Andrew J. Locke, Essex Hydro Associates, LLC, 
55 Union Street, Boston, MA 02108; (617) 357-0032; email: 
[email protected].
    i. FERC Contact: Jeanne Edwards at (202) 502-6181; or 
[email protected].
    j. Deadline for filing motions to intervene and protests: 60 days 
from the issuance date of this notice.
    The Commission strongly encourages electronic filing. Please file 
motions to intervene and protests using the Commission's eFiling system 
at https://ferconline.ferc.gov/FERCOnline.aspx. 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: Rolfe Canal Hydroelectric Project (P-3240-040).
    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 but is not ready for 
environmental analysis.
    l. The Rolfe Canal Project diverts water from the York Dam into the 
Rolfe Canal and consists of the following existing facilities: (1) York 
impoundment with a surface area of 50-acres, at elevation of 342.5 feet 
National Geodetic Vertical Datum 1929 (NGVD29); (2) a 300-foot-long, 
10-foot-high diversion dam (York Dam); (3) a 50-foot-wide concrete 
gated intake structure; (4) a 7,000-foot-long, 75-foot-

[[Page 71849]]

wide, and 9-foot-deep power canal; (5) an additional impoundment 
(created by York Dam at the end of the power canal) with surface area 
of 3-acres, at elevation of 342.5 feet NGVD29, and a negligible storage 
capacity; (6) a 130-foot-long, 17-foot-high granite block intake dam; 
(7) a 950-foot-long underground penstock; (8) a 32-foot-wide by 90-
foot-long, concrete powerhouse containing one Kaplan turbine-generating 
unit with a capacity of 4.285 megawatts; (9) a 1,200-foot-long 
tailrace; (10) transmission facilities consisting of a three-phase 
4.16/34.5- kilovolt (kV) transformer, and a 34.5-kV, 650-foot-long 
transmission line; and (11) other appurtenances. The project has a 
4,000-foot-long bypassed reach.
    The project operates in a run-of-river mode with a minimum flow of 
338 cubic feet per second (cfs), or inflow, whichever is less, into the 
York impoundment, a minimum flow of 50 cfs into the York bypass, and a 
minimum flow of 5 cfs into a historic channel that bypasses the 
penstock. The project had an average annual generation of 19,585,884 
kilowatt-hours between 2014 and 2018. Briar Hydro proposes to increase 
the minimum flow into the York bypass to 100 cfs.
    m. 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://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 (886) 208-3676 (toll free) or (202) 
502-8659 (TTY).
    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, 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 a protest or a motion to intervene in 
accordance with the requirements of Rules of Practice and Procedure, 18 
CFR 385.210, 385.211, and 385.214. In determining the appropriate 
action to take, the Commission will consider all protests 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 protests 
or motions to intervene must be received on or before the specified 
deadline date for the particular application.
    All filings must (1) bear in all capital letters the title 
``PROTEST'' or ``MOTION TO INTERVENE;'' (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. 
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.
    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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Issue Scoping Document 1 for comments.....  November 2023.
Request Additional Information (if          November 2023.
 necessary).
Issue Scoping Document 2..................  December 2023.
Issue Notice of Ready for Environmental     December 2023.
 Analysis.
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    Dated: October 12, 2023.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2023-22979 Filed 10-17-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P