[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 182 (Thursday, September 19, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 76823-76824]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-21294]


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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 and Revising the Processing Schedule

    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. On 
January 5, 2024, the Commission issued a notice indicating that staff 
intended to prepare a draft and final Environmental Assessment (EA). 
However, upon further review, staff intends to prepare a single 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 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

[[Page 76824]]

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].
    By this notice, Commission staff is updating the procedural 
schedule for completing the EA. The revised schedule is shown below. 
Further revisions to the schedule may be made as appropriate.

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               Milestone                           Target date
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commission issues EA...................  December 2024.\1\
Comments on EA.........................  January 2024.
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\1\ The Council on Environmental Quality's (CEQ) regulations under 40
  CFR 1501.10(b)(1) (2023) 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,
  Pub. L. 118-5, 4336a, 137 Stat. 42.

    Any questions regarding this notice may be directed to Golbahar 
Mirhosseini at [email protected].

    Dated: September 12, 2024.
Debbie-Anne A. Reese,
Acting Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2024-21294 Filed 9-18-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P