[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 8 (Thursday, January 11, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1914-1915]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-00421]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 1922-052]


Ketchikan Public Utilities; Notice of Intent To Prepare an 
Environmental Assessment

    On October 27, 2022, Ketchikan Public Utilities (KPU) filed an 
application for a new major license for the 7.1-megawatt Beaver Falls 
Hydroelectric Project (Beaver Falls Project; FERC No. 1922). The Beaver 
Falls Project is located on Beaver Falls Creek in Ketchikan Gateway 
Borough, Alaska. The project currently occupies 478.4 acres of United 
States lands administered by U.S. Forest Service.
    In accordance with the Commission's regulations, on October 10, 
2023, Commission staff issued a notice that the project was ready for 
environmental analysis (REA Notice). Based on the information in the 
record, including comments filed on the REA Notice, 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 a draft and final Environmental 
Assessment (EA) on the application to relicense the Beaver Falls 
Project.
    The EA will be issued and circulated for review by all interested 
parties. All comments filed on the EA will be analyzed by staff and 
considered in the Commission's final licensing decision.
    The Commission's Office of Public Participation (OPP) supports 
meaningful

[[Page 1915]]

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 application will be processed according to the following 
schedule. Revisions to the schedule may be made as appropriate.
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    \1\ The Council on Environmental Quality's (CEQ) regulations 
under 40 CFR 1501.10(b)(1) (2022) require that EAs be completed 
within 1 year of the Federal action agency's decision to prepare an 
EA. See National Environmental Policy Act, 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq., 
as amended by section 107(g)(1)(B)(iii) of the Fiscal Responsibility 
Act of 2023, Public Law 118-5, 4336a, 137 Stat. 42.

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               Milestone                           Target date
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Commission issues draft EA.............  June 2024.
Comments on draft EA due...............  July 2024.
Commission issues final EA.............  December 2024.\1\
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    Any questions regarding this notice may be directed to Golbahar 
Mirhosseini at [email protected].

    Dated: January 5, 2024.
Debbie-Anne A. Reese,
Acting Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2024-00421 Filed 1-10-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P