[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 108 (Friday, June 6, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 24113-24114]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2025-10270]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Project No. 1889-085; Project No. 2485-071]
FirstLight MA Hydro LLC, Northfield Mountain LLC; Notice of
Availability of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the
Turners Falls Hydroelectric and Northfield Mountain Pumped Storage
Projects and Public Comment Sessions Soliciting Comments
In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969
\1\ and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's (Commission)
regulations, 18 CFR part 380, the Office of Energy Projects has
reviewed the applications for relicense for the Turners Falls
Hydroelectric Project (Turners Falls Project) (FERC No. 1889) and
Northfield Mountain Pumped Storage Project (Northfield Mountain
Project) (FERC No. 2485) and has prepared a draft environmental impact
statement (EIS) for the projects. The projects are located on the
Connecticut River near the towns of Turners Falls and Northfield
(respectively) in Franklin County, Massachusetts.
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\1\ National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, amended (Pub. L.
91-190. 42 U.S.C. 4321-4347, as amended by Pub. L. 94-52, July 3,
1975, Pub. L. 94-83, August 9, 1975, Pub. L. 97-258, 4(b), September
13, 1982, Pub. L. 118-5, June 3, 2023).
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The draft EIS contains staff's analysis of the applicants'
proposals and the alternatives for relicensing the Turners Falls and
Northfield Mountain projects. The draft EIS documents the views of
governmental agencies, non-governmental organizations, affected Native-
American tribes, the public, the license applicants, and Commission
staff.
The Commission provides all interested persons with an opportunity
to view and/or print the draft EIS via the internet through the
Commission's Home Page (https://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 toll-free at
(866) 208-3676, or for TTY, (202) 502-8659.
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.
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].
All comments must be filed on or before 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on
July 29, 2025.
The Commission strongly encourages electronic filing. Please file
comments using the Commission's eFiling system at https://ferconline.ferc.gov/eFiling.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, 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,
Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 12225 Wilkins Avenue,
Rockville, Maryland 20852. The first page of any filing should include
docket numbers P-1889-085 and P-2485-071.
[[Page 24114]]
Anyone may intervene in this proceeding based on this draft EIS (18
CFR 380.10). You must file your request to intervene as specified
above.\2\ You do not need intervenor status to have your comments
considered.
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\2\ Interventions may also be filed electronically via the
internet in lieu of paper. See the previous discussion on filing
comments electronically.
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In addition to or in lieu of sending written comments, you are
invited to attend a public comment session that will be held to receive
comments on the draft EIS. Commission staff will hold two sessions for
the purpose of receiving comments on the draft EIS. All interested
individuals and entities will be invited to attend one or both of the
sessions. The dates and times of the sessions are listed below.
Evening Comment Session
Date: Wednesday, July 16, 2025.
Time: 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Location: Greenfield Community College, One College Drive,
Greenfield, Massachusetts 01301.
Daytime Comment Session
Date: Wednesday, July 16, 2025.
Time: 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
Location: Greenfield Community College, One College Drive,
Greenfield, Massachusetts 01301.
The sessions will begin promptly at their respective start times
listed above. There will not be a formal presentation by Commission
staff when the session opens, and you may arrive any time after the
scheduled start time. Individual oral comments will be taken on a one-
on-one basis with a court reporter (with Commission staff present).
This format is designed to receive the maximum number of oral comments
in a convenient way during the timeframe allotted. If you wish to
speak, Commission staff will hand out numbers in the order of your
arrival. If a significant number of people are interested in providing
oral comments with the court reporter, a time limit may be implemented
for each commentor. Although there will not be a formal presentation,
Commission staff will be available throughout the comment session to
answer your questions about the environmental review process. Please
see the attachment to this notice for additional information on the
session format and conduct.
The primary goal of these comment sessions is to have you identify
the specific environmental issues and concerns with the draft EIS.
Comments will be recorded by the court reporter and become part of the
public record for this proceeding. Transcripts will be publicly
available on FERC's eLibrary system.
It is important to note that the Commission provides equal
consideration to all comments received, whether filed in writing or
provided orally at a public comment session. Interested parties who
choose not to speak or who are unable to attend the draft EIS comment
sessions may provide written comments and information to the Commission
as described above.
For further information, contact Steve Kartalia at (202) 502-6131,
or [email protected].
Dated: May 30, 2025.
Debbie-Anne A. Reese,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2025-10270 Filed 6-5-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P