Northern States Power Company; Notice of Scoping Meetings and Environmental Site Reviews and Soliciting Scoping Comments, 60201-60203 [2023-18872]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
• Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 168 (Thursday, August 31, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60201-60203]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-18872]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 2610-012; Project No. 2587-066]


Northern States Power Company; Notice of Scoping Meetings and 
Environmental Site Reviews and Soliciting Scoping Comments

    Take notice that the following hydroelectric applications have been 
filed with the Commission and are available for public inspection.
    a. Type of Applications: Subsequent Minor (P-2610-012), New Major 
License (P-2587-066).
    b. Project Nos.: P-2610-012 and P-2587-066.
    c. Date Filed: December 30, 2022.
    d. Applicant: Northern States Power Company, a Wisconsin 
Corporation.
    e. Names of Projects: Saxon Falls Hydroelectric Project (Saxon 
Project) and Superior Falls Hydroelectric Project (Superior Project).
    f. Location: The projects are located on the Montreal River in 
Gogebic County, Michigan and Iron County, Wisconsin near the cities of 
Ironwood, Michigan and Hurley, Wisconsin.
    g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act 16 U.S.C. 791(a)-825(r).
    h. Applicant Contact: Matthew Miller, Hydro License Consultant, 
Northern States Power Company, 1414 West Hamilton Avenue, P.O. Box 8, 
Eau Claire, Wisconsin 54702-0008; telephone at (715) 737-1353 or email 
at [email protected].
    i. FERC Contact: Nicholas Ettema, telephone at (312) 596-4447; or 
email at [email protected].
    j. Deadline for filing scoping comments: October 28, 2023.
    The Commission strongly encourages electronic filing. Please file 
scoping comments 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], (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: 
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, 
MD 20852. All filings must clearly identify the following on the first 
page: Saxon Project No. 2610-012, and/or Superior Project No. 2587-066.
    The Commission's Rules of Practice and Procedure require all 
interveners 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 intervener 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.

[[Page 60202]]

    k. The applications are not ready for environmental analysis at 
this time.
    l. Project Descriptions:

Saxon Project

    The Saxon Project consists of an Ambursen-type buttress concrete 
dam that includes: (1) a 250-foot-long non-overflow earthen embankment; 
(2) a 57-foot-long non-overflow concrete section; (3) a 31-foot-long 
non-overflow concrete section with a 19-foot-long, 36.6-foot-high 
intake structure equipped with a flap gate and a trashrack with 1-inch 
clear bar spacing; (4) a 30-foot-long concrete section with a 13-foot-
high steel Tainter gate; (5) a 127-foot-long spillway section with a 
crest elevation of 997.0 feet National Geodetic Vertical Dam of 1929 
(NGVD 29); and (6) a 23.5-foot-long north abutment section.
    The Saxon Project's dam creates an impoundment with a surface area 
of approximately 70 acres at an elevation of 997.0 feet NGVD 29. From 
the impoundment, water flows through the intake structure to a 1,607-
foot-long steel conduit, a surge tank, and two steel penstocks. From 
the penstocks, water is conveyed to a powerhouse that contains two 750-
kilowatt (kW) horizontal turbine-generator units, for a total installed 
capacity of 1,500 kW. Water is discharged from the powerhouse directly 
to the Montreal River. The Saxon Project creates an approximately 
2,400-foot-long bypassed reach of the Montreal River. A minimum flow 
pipe extends from the 31-foot-long non-overflow section of the dam to 
provide flow to the bypassed reach.
    Electricity generated at the powerhouse is transmitted to the 
electric grid via an approximately 1,000-foot-long, 2.4-kilovolt (kV) 
overhead transmission line, a 2.4/34.5-kV step-up transformer, and a 
12-mile-long, 34.5-kV transmission line.
    Project recreation facilities include: (1) a canoe take-out site, 
boat ramp, and parking area on the southern shore of the impoundment; 
and (2) a tailwater access site and parking area on the southern 
shoreline of the Montreal River, opposite of the powerhouse.
    Northern States Power operates the project in run-of-river mode, 
such that project outflow approximates inflow to the impoundment. The 
current license requires Northern States Power to: (1) minimize 
fluctuations of the impoundment surface elevation; (2) maintain a 
minimum impoundment elevation of 997.0 feet NGVD 29 from ice-out 
through June 1 each year; and (3) from June 2 through ice-out, maintain 
an impoundment elevation between a minimum of 996.5 and a maximum of 
997.0 feet NGVD 29. The current license also requires Northern States 
Power to release a minimum flow of 5 cubic feet per second (cfs) or 
inflow, whichever is less, to the bypassed reach from ice-out through 
October 31 (ice-free season) each year, to protect aquatic and 
aesthetic resources. The average annual energy production of the Saxon 
Project from 2017 through 2021 was 10,015.3 MWh.
    Northern States Power proposes to revise the Saxon Project boundary 
around the impoundment to follow a contour elevation of 997.0 feet NGVD 
29, which would result in a reduction in the total acreage of the 
project boundary upstream of the project dam, from 159 acres to 71.7 
acres. Additionally, Northern States Power proposes to add 2.7 acres of 
land to the project boundary near the dam and remove 20 acres of land 
from the project boundary along the bypassed reach and river downstream 
of the powerhouse.
    Northern States Power proposes to continue operating the Saxon 
Project in run-of-river mode and maintain water surface elevations as 
described above with the exception of the maximum impoundment elevation 
of the Saxon Project from June 2 through ice-out. In addition, Northern 
States Power proposes to release a minimum aesthetic flow of 5 cfs or 
inflow, whichever is less, from the Saturday before Memorial Day to 
October 15, except on weekends and holidays, when a minimum aesthetic 
flow of 10 cfs or inflow, whichever is less, would be released from 
8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Superior Project

    The Superior Project consists of an Ambursen-type buttress concrete 
dam that includes: (1) a west abutment section; (2) a 45-foot-long 
section with a 41.4-foot-long west spillway; (3) a 22-foot-long section 
with a west steel Tainter gate; (4) an 18.6-foot-long section with an 
11.5-foot-long east ogee spillway section with a crest elevation of 
740.2 feet NGVD 29, and two sluice gates; (5) a 40.5-foot-long section 
with two 16-foot-long, 18-foot-high east steel Tainter gates; (6) a 70-
foot-long non-overflow section with a 23-foot-long, 29.25-foot-high 
intake structure equipped with a timber headgate and a trashrack with 
1-inch clear bar spacing; and (7) an east abutment section.
    The Superior Project's dam creates an impoundment with a surface 
area of 16.3 acres at an elevation of 740.2 feet NGVD 29. From the 
impoundment, water flows through the intake structure to a 7-foot-
diameter, 1,697-foot-long concrete conduit, a 28-foot-diameter, 41-
foot-high concrete and steel surge tank, and two 4.5-foot-diameter, 
207-foot-long steel penstocks. From the penstocks, water is conveyed to 
a 32-foot-long, 62-foot-wide concrete powerhouse that contains two 825-
kW horizontal Francis turbine-generator units, for a total installed 
capacity of 1,650 kW. Water is discharged from the powerhouse to an 
approximately 80-foot-long, 55-foot-wide tailrace. The Superior Project 
creates an approximately 1,900-foot-long bypassed reach of the Montreal 
River.
    Electricity generated at the powerhouse is transmitted to the 
electric grid via a 200-foot-long, 2.4-kV overhead transmission line 
and a 2.4/34.5-kV step-up transformer located in a substation 
approximately 150 feet west of the powerhouse.
    Recreation facilities at the Superior Project include: (1) a canoe 
take-out site and an associated 5-vehicle parking area on the western 
shoreline of the impoundment, approximately 1,050 feet upstream of the 
dam; (2) a scenic overlook site on the eastern shoreline of the 
bypassed reach, approximately 480 feet upstream of the tailrace; (3) a 
fishing area on the eastern shoreline of the tailrace; and (4) a 
parking area and access trails for the scenic overlook and fishing 
area.
    Northern States Power proposes to reduce the total acreage of the 
project boundary upstream of the project dam from 296.4 acres to 22.2 
acres. Additionally, Northern States Power proposes to add 3.9 acres of 
land near the powerhouse to the project boundary, remove 35 acres of 
land east of State Highway 122, and remove 11.1 acres of land along the 
bypassed reach.
    Northern States Power proposes to continue operating the Superior 
Project in run-of-river mode and maintain water surface elevations and 
minimum flows as described above.
    m. Copies of the applications can be viewed on the Commission's 
website at https://www.ferc.gov using the ``eLibrary'' link. Enter the 
project's docket number excluding the last three digits in the docket 
number field to access the document. For assistance, contact FERC 
Online Support.
    You may also register 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, please 
contact FERC Online Support at [email protected].
    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

[[Page 60203]]

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].
    n. Scoping Process: Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy 
Act (NEPA), Commission staff intends to 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 an EIS.

Scoping Meetings

    Commission staff will hold two public scoping meetings for the 
projects to receive input on the scope of the environmental issues that 
should be analyzed in the NEPA document. An evening meeting will be 
held at 7:00 p.m. on September 27, 2023, at the City Hall of Hurley, 
Wisconsin, and will focus on receiving input from the public. A daytime 
meeting will be held at 9:00 a.m. on September 28, 2023, at the same 
location, and will focus on the concerns of resource agencies, non-
governmental organizations (NGOs), and Indian Tribes. We invite all 
interested agencies, Indian Tribes, non-governmental organizations, and 
individuals to attend one or both of these meetings. The times and 
locations of these meetings are as follows:

Evening Scoping Meeting

Date: Wednesday, September 27, 2023
Time: 7:00 p.m. (CDT)
Place: City Hall of Hurley
Address: 405 5th Avenue North, Hurley, WI 54534

Daytime Scoping Meeting

Date: Thursday, September 28, 2023
Time: 9:00 a.m. (CDT)
Place: City Hall of Hurley
Address: 405 5th Avenue North, Hurley, WI 54534

    Copies of the Scoping Document (SD1) outlining the proposed project 
and subject areas to be addressed in the NEPA document were distributed 
to the parties on the Commission's mailing list. Copies of the SD1 will 
be available at the scoping meeting or may be viewed on the web at 
https://www.ferc.gov using the ``eLibrary'' link (see item m above).

Environmental Site Reviews

    The applicant and Commission staff will conduct environmental site 
reviews of the projects. All interested individuals, agencies, Indian 
Tribes, and NGOs are invited to attend. All participants are 
responsible for their own transportation to the sites and during the 
site visits. Please RSVP via email to [email protected] 
or notify Matthew Miller at 715-737-1353 on or before Friday, September 
22, 2023, if you plan to attend the environmental site reviews. The 
times and locations of the environmental site reviews are as follows:

Saxon Falls and Superior Falls Hydroelectric Projects

Date: Wednesday, September 27, 2023
Time: 10:00 a.m. (CDT)
Place: Superior Falls Hydroelectric Project

    Participants will meet at the Superior Falls parking lot for the 
powerhouse of the Superior Project, which is located on Lake Superior 
Rd, immediately adjacent to the west side of Lake County Park (Latitude 
46.56494/Longitude-90.41523). Immediately following the site review at 
the Superior Project, participants will proceed to the Saxon Project. 
All participants are responsible for their own transportation and must 
wear sturdy, closed-toe shoes, or boots.

Objectives

    At the scoping meetings, Commission staff will: (1) summarize the 
environmental issues tentatively identified for analysis in the NEPA 
document; (2) solicit from the meeting participants all available 
information, especially quantifiable data, on the resources at issue; 
(3) encourage statements from experts and the public on issues that 
should be analyzed in the NEPA document, including viewpoints in 
opposition to, or in support of, the staff's preliminary views; (4) 
determine the resource issues to be addressed in the NEPA document; and 
(5) identify those issues that require a detailed analysis, as well as 
those issues that do not require a detailed analysis.

Procedures

    The meetings are recorded by a 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: August 25, 2023.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2023-18872 Filed 8-30-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P