[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 134 (Friday, July 12, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57148-57150]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-15365]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 14890-005]


Southeast Oklahoma Power Corporation; 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 
an Original License and Commencing Pre-filing Process.
    b. Project No.: 14890-005.
    c. Dated Filed: May 7, 2024.
    d. Submitted by: Southeast Oklahoma Power Corporation (SEOPC).
    e. Name of Project: Pushmataha County Pumped Storage Hydroelectric 
Project (Pushmataha Project).
    f. Location: The proposed project would be located along the 
Kiamichi River in Pushmataha County, Oklahoma, approximately 5 miles 
south of Talihina, Oklahoma, and would include a transmission line 
extending through Pushmataha and McCurtain Counties, Oklahoma, and Red 
River and Lamar Counties, Texas, to its proposed point of 
interconnection in Paris, Texas. The project would entail the 
construction of a new 886-foot-long upper dam, with a 599.55-acre upper 
reservoir; a 13,615-foot-long lower dam, with an 887.37-acre lower 
reservoir; a 40-acre re-regulating reservoir; a concrete pump station/
powerhouse, with a total installed capacity of 1,200 MW; and a 99.96-
mile-long, 345 kV transmission line. Initial fill water and make-up 
water would be provided via a concrete intake channel on the Kiamichi 
River.
    g. Filed Pursuant to: 18 CFR part 5 of the Commission's 
Regulations.
    h. Applicant Contact: Johann Tse, Southeast Oklahoma Power 
Corporation, 6208 Sandpebble Court, Dallas, Texas 75254; (469) 951-
3088; [email protected].
    i. FERC Contact: Kristine Sillett at (202) 502-6575, or email at 
[email protected].
    j. Cooperating Agencies: Federal, State, Tribal, and local 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: 
(a) the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 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 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 Southeast Oklahoma Power 
Corporation 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. Southeast Oklahoma Power Corporation 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 at 
[email protected], or call toll-free, (866) 208-3676, or for 
TYY, (202) 502-8659. The PAD may also be viewed at 
www.greenvaultenergy.net, and copies are available for review at the 
Antlers and Idabel public libraries in Oklahoma, and the Red River 
County and Paris public libraries in Texas.
    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.
    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].
    o. With this notice, we are soliciting comments on the PAD and 
Commission

[[Page 57149]]

staff's Scoping Document 1 (SD1), as well as study requests. All 
comments on the PAD and SD1, as well as 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 Support. 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. All filings must clearly identify the project name and docket 
number on the first page: Pushmataha Project (P-14890-005).
    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 September 6, 2024.
    p. Scoping Process: In accordance with 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''). The NEPA 
document will consider both site-specific and cumulative environmental 
effects, and reasonable alternatives to the proposed action. The 
Commission's scoping process will help determine the required level of 
analysis and satisfy the NEPA scoping requirements, irrespective of 
whether the Commission prepares an EA or EIS.

Scoping Meetings

    Commission staff will hold five public scoping meetings to receive 
input on the scope of the environmental issues that should be analyzed 
in the NEPA document (a daytime and evening meeting in Paris, Texas, a 
daytime and evening meeting in Talihina, Oklahoma, and one virtual 
meeting). Daytime scoping meetings will focus on resource agency, 
Native American Tribes, and non-governmental organization (NGO) 
concerns, while the evening scoping meetings will focus on receiving 
input from the public. We invite all interested agencies, Native 
American Tribes, NGOs, and individuals to attend one of these meetings 
to assist us in identifying the scope of environmental issues that 
should be analyzed in the NEPA document. Additionally, each meeting 
will include a virtual review of the proposed project site. The dates, 
times, and locations of these meetings are as follows:

Paris, Texas

Daytime Scoping Meeting *
    Date: Wednesday, August 7, 2024.
    Time: 9:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m. CDT.
    Place: Love Civic Center (North Hall).
    Address: 2025 S Collegiate Dr., Paris, Texas 75460.
Evening Scoping Meeting *
    Date: Wednesday, August 7, 2024.
    Time: 6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m. CDT.
    Place: Love Civic Center (North Hall).
    Address: 2025 S Collegiate Dr., Paris, Texas 75460.

Talihina, Oklahoma

Evening Scoping Meeting *
    Date: Thursday, August 8, 2024.
    Time: 6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m. CDT.
    Place: Talihina Junior High Auditorium.
    Address: 600 1st St., Talihina, Oklahoma 74571.
Daytime Scoping Meeting *
    Date: Friday, August 9, 2024.
    Time: 9:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m. CDT.
    Place: Talihina Junior High Auditorium.
    Address: 600 1st St., Talihina, Oklahoma 74571.

Virtual Scoping Meeting

    Date: Thursday, August 15, 2024.
    Time: 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. CDT (10:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. EDT).
    Information: A scoping meeting will be held virtually. (You will be 
able to connect to the meeting using a computer or a telephone.) If you 
plan to attend the virtual meeting, please RSVP via email to 
[email protected] on or before August 11, 2024 and, in the 
days before the meeting, you will receive specific instructions on how 
to attend. In your email, please indicate if you would like to speak. 
Please do not send comments to this email address.
    * For the in-person meetings there is no need to RSVP. People will 
be admitted until the capacity of the meeting space is reached.
    Copies of SD1, outlining the subject areas to be addressed in the 
NEPA document, were distributed to the individuals and entities on the 
Commission's mailing list, as well as Southeast Oklahoma Power 
Corporation's distribution list and those who have included their 
address in comments filed on the proposed project through July 1, 2024. 
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, based on the scoping process.

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 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

    The meetings will be recorded by a stenographer and become part of 
the Commission's formal record on the project.
    Agencies, Native American Tribes, NGOS, and individuals are 
encouraged to attend the meetings and to assist the staff in defining 
and clarifying the issues to be addressed in the NEPA document.


[[Page 57150]]


    Dated: July 8, 2024.
Debbie-Anne A. Reese,
Acting Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2024-15365 Filed 7-11-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P