Erie Boulevard Hydropower, L.P.; Notice Soliciting Scoping Comments, 30305-30306 [2023-10064]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
• Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 91 (Thursday, May 11, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30305-30306]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-10064]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 15000-003]


Erie Boulevard Hydropower, L.P.; Notice Soliciting Scoping 
Comments

    Take notice that the following hydroelectric application has been 
filed with the Commission and is available for public inspection.
    a. Type of Application: New Major License.
    b. Project No.: 15000-003.
    c. Date filed: June 30, 2022.
    d. Applicant: Erie Boulevard Hydropower, L.P. (Erie).
    e. Name of Project: Franklin Falls Hydroelectric Project (Franklin 
Falls Project or project).
    f. Location: The existing project is located on the Saranac River, 
in the town of St. Armand in Essex County and the town of Franklin in 
Franklin County, New York.
    g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act, 16 U.S.C. 791(a)-825(r).
    h. Applicant Contact: Steven Murphy, Director, U.S. Licensing, Erie 
Boulevard Hydropower, L.P., 33 West 1st Street South, Fulton, New York 
13069; phone: (315) 598-6130; email: 
[email protected]; and Patrick Storms, Director of 
Operations, Erie Boulevard Hydropower, L.P., 800 Starbuck Avenue, Suite 
201, Watertown, New York 13601; phone: (315) 779-2410; email: 
[email protected].
    i. FERC Contact: Joshua Dub at (202) 502-8138, or 
[email protected].
    j. Deadline for filing scoping comments: June 5, 2023.\1\
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    \1\ The Commission's Rules of Practice and Procedure provide 
that if a deadline falls on a Saturday, Sunday, holiday, or other 
day when the Commission is closed for business, the deadline does 
not end until the close of business on the next business day. 18 CFR 
385.2007(a)(2). Because the 30-day deadline falls on a Sunday (i.e., 
June 4, 2023), the deadline is extended until the close of business 
on Monday, June 5, 2023.
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    The Commission strongly encourages electronic filing. Please file 
scoping comments using the Commission's eFiling system at https://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/efiling.asp. Commenters can submit brief 
comments up to 6,000 characters, without prior registration, using the 
eComment system at https://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/ecomment.asp. You 
must include your name and contact information at the end of your 
comments. 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, please send a paper copy via 
U.S. Postal Service to: Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy 
Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE, Room 1A, Washington, DC 
20426. Submissions sent via any other carrier must be addressed to: 
Kimberly D. Bose, 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: 
Franklin Falls Hydroelectric Project (P-15000-003).
    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 is not ready for environmental analysis at this 
time.
    l. The Franklin Falls Project consists of the following existing 
facilities: (1) a 148-foot-long, 45-foot-high concrete overflow-type 
dam with a crest elevation of 1,462.88 feet \2\ topped with 2-foot-high 
flashboards; (2) a reservoir with a surface area of 479 acres and a 
gross storage capacity of 5,580 acre-feet at a pool elevation of 
1,464.88 feet; (3) an integrated 28-foot-long gated intake structure 
located on the dam's south side; (4) a 10.5-foot-diameter, 300-foot-
long steel penstock that bifurcates into two 10-foot-diameter, 38-foot-
long penstocks; (5) a 43-foot-high surge tank with a 20-foot-diameter 
steel shaft; (6) a powerhouse containing two turbine-generator units 
having a total rated capacity of 2.12 megawatts; (7) two 85-

[[Page 30306]]

foot-long, 2.3-kilovolt (kV) generator leads; (8) a 2.3/46-kV step-up 
transformer bank; (9) a 300-foot-long, 46-kV transmission line; (10) a 
tailrace; and (11) appurtenant facilities.
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    \2\ All elevations are in National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 
1929.
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    The Franklin Falls Project operates in a modified run-of-river 
mode. If inflow exceeds the hydraulic capacity of the units, the 
project operates continuously at full load. When the inflow is less 
than the hydraulic capacity of the project, the project is operated in 
a run-of-river mode utilizing pondage as needed for daily flow 
regulation and to suit power requirements of the New York Independent 
System Operator. The project has an average annual generation of 10,349 
megawatt-hours.
    Erie does not propose changes to project facilities or operation. 
Erie proposes to continue to: (1) provide a minimum base flow of 245 
cubic feet per second (cfs) or inflow, whichever is less, from March 1 
through June 1 from the Franklin Falls powerhouse; and from June 2 to 
March 1 reservoir inflow is released from the powerhouse, as needed for 
the downstream Saranac Project No. 4472 to maintain a minimum base flow 
of 165 cfs, or inflow, whichever is less; (2) limit the maximum total 
drawdown of the Franklin Falls impoundment to 2 feet below the top of 
the flashboards, or 1 foot below the spillway crest when flashboards 
are not in use (Erie annually installs flashboards at Franklin Falls by 
the first week of June, unless flow conditions warrant otherwise); (3) 
provide a minimum flow to the bypassed reach of 125 cfs or inflow, 
whichever is less, from March 31 through May 31 for the protection of 
walleye spawning and incubation (the release schedule may be modified 
on a year-to-year basis based on water temperatures and the presence/
absence of walleye, upon mutual agreement between Erie and the New York 
State Department of Environmental Conservation); and (4) operate and 
maintain the hand-carry boat launch and canoe portage.
    Erie proposes to modify the project boundary by removing 
approximately 1.12 acres along the northern shoreline of the project 
impoundment that are not needed for project operation and adding 
approximately 0.14 acre to include the project's existing hand-carry 
boat launch. In addition, Erie proposes to implement its proposed bald 
eagle management plan, invasive species management plan, and 
impoundment drawdown plan.
    m. In addition to publishing the full text of this document in the 
Federal Register, the Commission provides all interested individuals an 
opportunity to view and/or print the contents of this document via the 
internet through the Commission's Home Page (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 (P-15000). At 
this time, the Commission has suspended access to the Commission's 
Public Access Room. For assistance, contact FERC at 
[email protected] or call toll-free, (886) 208-3676 or TTY, 
(202) 502-8659.
    n. You may also register online at https://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/esubscription.asp to be notified via email of new filings and issuances 
related to this or other pending projects. For assistance, contact FERC 
Online Support.
    o. Scoping Process:
    Commission staff will prepare either an environmental assessment 
(EA) or an environmental impact statement (EIS) that describes and 
evaluates the probable effects, if any, of the licensee's proposed 
action and alternatives. The EA or EIS will consider environmental 
impacts and reasonable alternatives to the proposed action. The 
Commission's scoping process will help determine the required level of 
analysis and satisfy the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) 
scoping requirements, irrespective of whether the Commission prepares 
an EA or an EIS. At this time, we do not anticipate holding on-site 
scoping meetings. Instead, we are soliciting written comments and 
suggestions on the preliminary list of issues and alternatives to be 
addressed in the NEPA document, as described in scoping document 1 
(SD1), issued May 5, 2023.
    Copies of SD1 outlining the subject areas to be addressed in the 
NEPA document were distributed to the parties on the Commission's 
mailing list and the applicant's distribution list. Copies of SD1 may 
be viewed on the web at 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, call 1-866-
208-3676 or for TTY, (202) 502-8659.

    Dated: May 5, 2023.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2023-10064 Filed 5-10-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P