[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 123 (Wednesday, June 26, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 53417-53419]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-13931]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 2674-037]


Green Mountain Power Corporation; Notice of Intent To File 
License Application, Filing of Pre-Application Document (PAD), 
Commencement of 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 Process.
    b. Project No.: 2674-037.
    c. Date Filed: May 1, 2024.
    d. Submitted By: Green Mountain Power Corporation (GMP).
    e. Name of Project: Vergennes Hydroelectric Project.
    f. Location: The project is located on Otter Creek in the City of 
Vergennes in Addison County, Vermont.
    g. Filed Pursuant to: 18 CFR part 5 of the Commission's 
Regulations.
    h. Applicant Contact: John Tedesco, Generation Project Coordinator, 
Green Mountain Power Corporation, 163 Acorn Lane, Colchester, VT 05446; 
telephone at (802) 655-8753; email at 
[email protected].
    i. FERC Contact: Taconya D. Goar, Project Coordinator, Great Lakes 
Branch, Division of Hydropower Licensing; telephone at (202) 502-8394; 
email 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

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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: 
(a) the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration Fisheries under section 7 of the Endangered 
Species Act and the joint agency regulations thereunder at 50 CFR part 
402; and (b) the State Historic Preservation Office, 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 GMP as the Commission's 
non-Federal representative for carrying out informal consultation 
pursuant to section 7 of the Endangered Species Act and section 106 of 
the National Historic Preservation Act.
    m. GMP filed with the Commission a Pre-Application Document (PAD), 
including a proposed process plan and schedule, pursuant to 18 CFR 5.6 
of the Commission's regulations.
    n. A copy of the PAD may be viewed 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] or call toll-free, (866) 208-3676 or TTY, 
(202) 502-8659.
    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 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. You 
must include your name and contact information at the end of your 
comments. For assistance, please contact FERC Online Support at 
[email protected] or call toll-free, (866) 208-3676 or TTY, 
(202) 502-8659. 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, Maryland 20852. The first page of any 
filing should include docket number P-2674-037.
    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 August 19, 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 [email protected].
    q. Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), 
Commission staff will prepare either an environmental assessment (EA) 
or an environmental impact statement (EIS) (collectively referred to as 
the ``NEPA document'') that describes and evaluates the probable 
effects, including an assessment of the site-specific and cumulative 
effects, if any, of the proposed action and alternatives. The 
Commission's scoping process will help determine the required level of 
analysis and satisfy the NEPA scoping requirements, irrespective of 
whether the Commission issues an EA or EIS.

Scoping Meetings

    Commission staff will hold two scoping meetings for the project to 
receive input on the scope of the NEPA document. A daytime meeting will 
be held at 9:00 a.m. on July 18, 2024, at the Vergennes Opera House in 
Vergennes, Vermont, and will focus on the concerns of Indian Tribes, 
resource agencies, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). An 
evening meeting will be held at 6:00 p.m. on July 18, 2024, at the 
Vergennes Opera House in Vergennes, Vermont, and will focus on 
receiving input from the public. We invite all interested agencies, 
Indian Tribes, non-governmental organizations, and individuals to 
attend one or both meetings. The times and locations of these meetings 
are as follows:

Daytime Scoping Meeting

    Date: Thursday, July 18, 2024.
    Time: 9:00 a.m. EST.
    Place: Vergennes Opera House.
    Address: 120 Main Street, 2nd Floor, Vergennes, VT 05491.
    Phone: (802) 655-8753.

Evening Scoping Meeting

    Date: Thursday July 18, 2024.
    Time: 6:00 p.m. EST.
    Place: Vergennes Opera House.
    Address: 120 Main Street, 2nd Floor, Vergennes, VT 05491.
    Phone: (802) 655-8753.
    Copies of the SD1 outlining the proposed date and subject areas to 
be addressed in the NEPA document were distributed to the individuals 
and entities on the Commission's mailing list and GMP's distribution 
list. Copies of SD1 may be viewed on the web at http://www.ferc.gov, 
using the ``eLibrary'' link. Follow the directions for accessing 
information in paragraph n above. 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 potential applicant and Commission staff will conduct an 
environmental site visit of the project. All interested individuals, 
agencies, Tribes, and NGOs are invited to attend. Please RSVP Mr. John 
Tedesco of Green Mountain Power Corporation via email at 
[email protected] or by phone at (802) 655-8753 on or 
before July 11, 2024, if you plan to attend the environmental site 
visit. The time and location of the environmental site visit is as 
follows:

Vergennes Project Site Visit

    Date: Thursday July 18, 2024.
    Time: 12:00 p.m. EST.
    Place: Vergennes Falls Park.

[[Page 53419]]

    Address: 103 Mechanic Street, Vergennes, VT 05491.
    Participants should meet at the Vergennes Falls Park public parking 
lot, located at 103 Mechanic Street, Vergennes. From there, 
participants will walk approximately 0.20 mile to the project. All 
participants are responsible for their own transportation to the 
Vergennes Falls Park public parking lot, and should wear sturdy, 
closed-toe shoes or boots.

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 Indian 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 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: June 18, 2024.
Debbie-Anne A. Reese,
Acting Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2024-13931 Filed 6-25-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P