[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 121 (Monday, June 24, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52456-52457]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-13720]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 2444-042]


Northern States Power Company; Notice of Application Accepted for 
Filing, Soliciting Motions To Intervene and Protests, 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: Subsequent Minor License.
    b. Project No.: 2444-042.
    c. Date Filed: July 21, 2023.
    d. Applicant: Northern States Power Company (Northern States).
    e. Name of Project: White River Hydroelectric Project (project).
    f. Location: On the White River in Ashland and Bayfield Counties, 
Wisconsin.
    g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act, 16 U.S.C. 791(a)-825(r).
    h. Applicant Contact: Mr. Matthew Miller, Environmental Analyst, 
Northern States Power Company--Wisconsin, 1414 W Hamilton Avenue, P.O. 
Box 8, Eau Claire, WI 54702; telephone at (715) 737-1353; email at 
[email protected].
    i. FERC Contact: Nicholas Ettema, Project Coordinator, Great Lakes 
Branch, Division of Hydropower Licensing; telephone at (312) 596-4447; 
email at [email protected].
    j. Deadline for filing motions to intervene and protests, 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 
motions to intervene and protests, 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. 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: Debbie-Anne A. Reese, Acting 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, Acting Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 
12225 Wilkins Avenue, Rockville, MD 20852. All filings must clearly 
identify the project name and docket number on the first page: White 
River Hydroelectric Project (P-2444-042).
    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.
    l. Project Description: The project includes an approximately 
782.3-foot-long earthen and concrete dam that includes: (1) a 400-foot-
long, 37-foot-high north earthen embankment; (2) a 22-foot-long, 37-
foot-high concrete intake structure equipped with an approximately 16-
foot-long, 20-foot-high trashrack with 1.25-inch clear bar spacing, and 
an approximately 16-foot-long, 20-foot-high stoplog gate upstream of 
the trashrack; (3) an approximately 60.3-foot-long, 35-foot-high 
concrete gated spillway section that includes: (a) a 25-foot-long, 19-
foot-high bottom Tainter gate and a 25-foot-long, 6-foot-high top 
Tainter gate; (b) a 4-foot-long pier; and (c) a 25-foot-long, 26.5-
foot-high Tainter gate; and (4) a 300-foot-long, 37-foot-high south 
earthen embankment. The dam creates an impoundment that has a surface 
area of 39.9 acres at a normal elevation of 711.6 feet National 
Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929 (NGVD 29).
    From the impoundment, water flows through the intake structure to a 
7-foot-diameter, 1,345-foot-long concrete pipe that conveys water to a 
16-foot-diameter, 62-foot-high steel surge tank and two 30-foot-long 
steel penstocks. The penstocks provide water to a 700-kilowatt (kW) 
horizontal Francis turbine-generator unit and a 500-kW horizontal 
Francis turbine-generator unit, for a total installed capacity of 1,200 
kW. The turbine-generators are in a 69-foot-long, 39-foot-wide concrete 
and brick masonry powerhouse. Water is discharged from the powerhouse 
to a 120-foot-long, 40-foot-wide tailrace. The project creates an 
approximately 1,400-foot-long bypassed reach of the White River. A 4.5-
foot-long, 1-foot-diameter steel pipe conveys flow from the intake 
structure to the bypassed reach immediately downstream of the dam.
    Project recreation facilities include: (1) a boat access site and 
canoe portage take-out site at the north embankment of the dam; (2) an 
approximately 2,260-foot-long canoe portage trail; (3) a canoe put-in 
site approximately 90 feet downstream of the powerhouse; and (4) a 
tailrace fishing area.
    Electricity generated at the project is transmitted to the electric 
grid via a 220-foot-long, 2.4-kilovolt (kV) transmission line and a 
2.4/69-kV step-up transformer. The minimum and maximum hydraulic 
capacities of the powerhouse are 50 and 350 cfs, respectively. The 
average annual energy production of the project from 2017 through 2022, 
was 4,927 megawatt-hours.
    The current license requires Northern States to: (1) operate in a 
run-of-river mode, such that outflow from the project approximates 
inflow and the impoundment is maintained at an

[[Page 52457]]

elevation of 710.4 to 711.6 feet NGVD 29; (2) manage any non-emergency 
drawdown so the reservoir drawdown rate does not exceed 12 inches per 
24 hours for the first 48 hours and 6 inches per 24 hours after that; 
(3) release a minimum flow of 16 cubic feet per second (cfs) or inflow, 
whichever is less, to the bypassed reach; and (4) implement an 
operation compliance monitoring plan, land management plan, fly ash/
cinders monitoring plan, and purple loosestrife monitoring plan.
    Northern States does not propose to add any new project facilities. 
However, Northern States proposes to revise the project boundary around 
the impoundment to follow a contour elevation of 711.6 NGVD 29, which 
would result in a reduction in the total acreage of the project 
boundary upstream of the dam from 76.5 to 39.9 acres. Additionally, 
Northern States proposes the following changes to the project boundary: 
(1) remove approximately 38.8 acres of land north of the project's 
access road and approximately 12 acres of land northeast of the 
powerhouse; (2) add approximately 0.3 acre of land associated with the 
substation that includes the project's transformer; (3) add 
approximately 0.6 acre of land associated with the project's access 
road; (4) add approximately 1.3 acres of water in the White River 
downstream of the project; and (5) add approximately 0.3 acre of land 
east of the south earthen embankment.
    Northern States proposes to: (1) continue operating the project in 
a run-of-river mode and maintaining the surface elevation of the 
impoundment between 710.4 and 711.6 feet NGVD 29; (2) continue 
releasing a minimum flow of 16 cfs or inflow, whichever is less, to the 
bypassed reach at all times; (3) develop an operation compliance 
monitoring plan; (4) conduct shoreline erosion surveys every ten years; 
(5) develop an invasive species monitoring plan; (6) pass woody debris 
from the impoundment to the bypassed reach; (7) replace recreational 
signage; (8) maintain project recreation facilities; (9) protect bats 
by restricting building and tree maintenance; (10) protect wood turtles 
by restricting herbicide use; (11) avoid vegetation management and 
construction activities within 660 feet of bald eagle nests during the 
nesting season; and (12) develop a historic properties management plan 
to protect historic properties.
    m. A copy of the application can 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 (i.e., P-2444). For assistance, contact 
FERC Online Support.
    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,'' ``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 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. 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 on the service list prepared by the Commission in this 
proceeding, in accordance with 18 CFR 4.34(b) and 385.2010.
    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].
    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.
    o. 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.
    p. 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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Filing of Comments, Recommendations,     August 2024.
 Terms and Conditions, and
 Prescriptions.
        Filing of Reply Comments         September 2024.
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    q. Final amendments to the application must be filed with the 
Commission no later than 30 days from the issuance date of this notice.

    Dated: June 14, 2024.
Debbie-Anne A. Reese,
Acting Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2024-13720 Filed 6-21-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P