[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 102 (Friday, May 24, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45878-45879]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-11503]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 2818-025]


The City and Borough of Sitka; Notice of Intent To File License 
Application, Filing of Pre-Application Document (PAD), Commencement of 
ILP Pre-Filing Process and Scoping; Request for Comments on the PAD and 
Scoping Document, and Identification of Issues and Associated Study 
Requests

    a. Type of Filing: Notice of Intent to File License Application for 
a New License and Commencing Pre-filing Licensing Process.
    b. Project No.: 2818-025.
    c. Dated Filed: March 26, 2024.
    d. Submitted By: The City and Borough of Sitka.
    e. Name of Project: Green Lake Hydroelectric Project.
    f. Location: On the Vodopad River, between Green Lake and Silver 
Bay, in the City and Borough of Sitka, Alaska. The project does not 
occupy Federal land.
    g. Filed Pursuant to: 18 CFR part 5 of the Commission's 
regulations.
    h. Applicant Contact: Kord Christianson, City and Borough of Sitka; 
105 Jarvis Street, Sitka, Alaska 99835; 
[email protected].; 907-747-1886.
    i. FERC Contact: Jeffrey Ackley at [email protected].
    j. Cooperating Agencies: Federal, State, local, and Tribal agencies 
with jurisdiction and/or special expertise with respect to 
environmental issues that wish to cooperate in the preparation of the 
environmental document should follow the instructions for filing such 
requests described in item o below. Cooperating agencies should note 
the Commission's policy that agencies that cooperate in the preparation 
of the environmental document cannot also intervene. See 94 FERC ] 
61,076 (2001).
    k. With this notice, we are initiating informal consultation with 
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries 
Service under section 7 of the Endangered Species Act and the joint 
agency regulations thereunder at 50 CFR, part 402; and National Marine 
Fisheries Service under section 305(b) of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 
Conservation and Management Act and implementing regulations at 50 CFR 
600.920. We are also initiating consultation with the Alaska State 
Historic Preservation Officer, as required by section 106, National 
Historic Preservation Act, and the implementing regulations of the 
Advisory Council on Historic Preservation at 36 CFR 800.2.
    l. With this notice, we are designating the City and Borough of 
Sitka as the Commission's non-Federal representative for carrying out 
informal consultation, pursuant to section 7 of the Endangered Species 
Act, the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Management and Conservation Act, and 
section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act.
    m. The City and Borough of Sitka filed with the Commission a Pre-
Application Document (PAD; including proposed process plan and 
schedule), pursuant to 18 CFR 5.6 of the Commission's regulations.
    n. A copy of the PAD is available for review on the Commission's 
website (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. For assistance, contact FERC Online 
Support at [email protected], (866) 208-3676 (toll free), or 
(202) 502-8659 (TTY).
    You may 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.
    o. With this notice, we are soliciting comments on the PAD and 
Commission staff's Scoping Document 1 (SD1), as well as study requests. 
All comments on the PAD and SD1, and study requests should be sent to 
the address above in paragraph h. In addition, all comments on the PAD 
and SD1, study requests, requests for cooperating agency status, and 
all communications to and from Commission staff related to the merits 
of the potential application must be filed with the Commission.
    The Commission strongly encourages electronic filing. Please file 
all documents 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. For 
assistance, please contact FERC Online. In lieu of electronic filing, 
you may submit a paper copy. Submissions sent via the U.S. Postal 
Service must be addressed to: Debbie-Anne A. Reese, Deputy Secretary, 
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE, Room 1A, 
Washington, DC 20426. Submissions sent via any other carrier must be 
addressed to: Debbie-Anne A. Reese, Deputy 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: Green Lake Hydroelectric Project (P-2818-025).
    All filings with the Commission must bear the appropriate heading: 
``Comments on Pre-Application Document,'' ``Study Requests,'' 
``Comments on Scoping Document 1,'' ``Request for Cooperating Agency 
Status,'' or ``Communications to and from Commission Staff.'' Any 
individual or entity interested in submitting study requests, 
commenting on the PAD or SD1, and any agency requesting cooperating 
status must do so by July 24, 2024.
    p. 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 at [email protected].
    q. The Commission's scoping process will help determine the 
required level of analysis and satisfy the National Environmental 
Policy Act (NEPA)

[[Page 45879]]

scoping requirements, irrespective of whether the Commission prepares 
an environmental assessment or environmental impact statement.

Scoping Meetings

    Commission staff will hold two scoping meetings for the project to 
receive input on the scope of the NEPA document. An evening meeting 
will focus on receiving input from the public and a daytime meeting 
will focus on concerns of resource agencies, Native American Tribes, 
and non-governmental organizations (NGO). We invite all interested 
agencies, Native American Tribes, NGOs, and the public to attend one or 
both meetings to assist us in identifying the scope of environmental 
issues that should be analyzed in the NEPA document. The dates and 
times of the scoping meetings are listed below.

Daytime Scoping Meeting

    Date: Wednesday, June 12, 2024.
    Time: 10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. Alaska Standard Time (AST).
    Location: Harrigan Centennial Hall, 330 Harbor Dr., Sitka, AK 
99835.
    Phone: (907) 747-4090.

Evening Scoping Meeting

    Date: Wednesday, June 12, 2024.
    Time: 6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m. (AST).
    Location: Harrigan Centennial Hall, 330 Harbor Dr., Sitka, AK 
99835.
    Phone: (907) 747-4090.
    Scoping Document 1 (SD1), which outlines the subject areas to be 
addressed in the environmental document, was mailed to the individuals 
and entities on the Commission's mailing list. Copies of SD1 will be 
available at the scoping meetings, or may be viewed on the web at 
http://www.ferc.gov, using the ``eLibrary'' link. Follow the directions 
for accessing information in paragraph n. Based on all oral and written 
comments, a Scoping Document 2 (SD2) may be issued. SD2 may include a 
revised process plan and schedule, as well as a list of issues, 
identified through the scoping process.

Environmental Site Visit

    The City and Borough of Sitka and Commission staff will hold an 
environmental site visit of the Green Lake Hydroelectric Project on 
Wednesday, June 12, 2024, 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. AST. You must register 
in advance if you are interested in attending a site visit. Please 
contact Elizabeth Lack and Kord Christianson via email at 
[email protected], and [email protected], on or before 
June 5, 2024, for site review access details, if you plan to attend.

Meeting Objectives

    At the scoping meetings, Commission staff will: (1) initiate 
scoping of the issues; (2) review and discuss existing conditions; (3) 
review and discuss existing information and identify preliminary 
information and study needs; (4) review and discuss the process plan 
and schedule for pre-filing activity that incorporates the time frames 
provided for in Part 5 of the Commission's regulations and, to the 
extent possible, maximizes coordination of Federal, State, and Tribal 
permitting and certification processes; and (5) discuss the potential 
of any Federal or State agency or Native American Tribe to act as a 
cooperating agency for development of an environmental document.
    Meeting participants should come prepared to discuss their issues 
and/or concerns. Please review the project's PAD in preparation for the 
scoping meetings. Directions on how to obtain a copy of the PAD and SD1 
are included in item n of this document.

Meeting Procedures

    Commission staff are moderating the scoping meetings. The meetings 
are recorded by an independent stenographer and become part of the 
formal record of the Commission proceeding on the project. Individuals, 
NGOs, Indian Tribes, and agencies with environmental expertise and 
concerns are encouraged to attend the meeting and to assist the staff 
in defining and clarifying the issues to be addressed in the NEPA 
document.

    Dated: May 20, 2024.
Debbie-Anne A. Reese,
Acting Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2024-11503 Filed 5-23-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P