Northern States Power Company; Notice of Application Accepted for Filing, Soliciting Motions To Intervene and Protests, Ready for Environmental Analysis, and Soliciting Comments, Recommendations, Terms and Conditions, and Prescriptions, 83681-83682 [2024-23941]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
• Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 201 (Thursday, October 17, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 83681-83682]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-23941]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 2587-066]


Northern States Power Company; Notice of Application Accepted for 
Filing, Soliciting Motions To Intervene and Protests, Ready for 
Environmental Analysis, and Soliciting Comments, Recommendations, Terms 
and Conditions, and Prescriptions

    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.: 2587-066.
    c. Date Filed: December 30, 2022.
    d. Applicant: Northern States Power Company (Northern States).
    e. Name of Project: Superior Falls Hydroelectric Project (project).
    f. Location: On the Montreal River in Gogebic County, Michigan and 
Iron County, Wisconsin.
    g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act, 16 U.S.C. 791(a)-825(r).
    h. Applicant Contact: Donald R. Hartinger, Director--Renewable 
Operation, 414 Nicollet Mall FL 2, Minneapolis, MN 55401; telephone at 
(651) 261-7668; email at [email protected].
    i. FERC Contact: Nicholas Ettema, Project Coordinator, Great Lakes 
Branch, Division of Hydropower Licensing; telephone at (312) 596-4447; 
email at [email protected].
    j. Deadline for filing motions to intervene and protests, comments, 
recommendations, terms and conditions, and prescriptions: 60 days from 
the issuance date of this notice; reply comments are due 105 days from 
the issuance date of this notice.
    The Commission strongly encourages electronic filing. Please file 
motions to intervene and protests, comments, recommendations, terms and 
conditions, and prescriptions 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 
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, 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, MD 20852. All filings must clearly 
identify the project name and docket number on the first page: Superior 
Falls Hydroelectric Project (P-2587-066).
    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 has been accepted for filing and is now ready 
for environmental analysis.
    l. Project Description: The project includes a dam that consists 
of: (1) a 42-foot-long spillway; (2) a 22-foot-long section with an 18-
foot-long Tainter gate; (3) an 18.6-foot-long section with an 11.5-
foot-long ogee spillway with a crest elevation of 740.2 feet National 
Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929 (NGVD 29), a 5-foot-long sluice gate, 
and a 4-foot-long sluice gate; (4) a 40.5-foot-long section with two 
16-foot-long Tainter gates; and (5) a 70-foot-long non-overflow section 
with a 23-foot-long intake structure with a 15-foot-long gate and a 
trashrack with 1-inch clear bar spacing. The 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 
1,697-foot-long conduit with a surge tank, and then to two 207-foot-
long penstocks. From the penstocks, water is conveyed to a 32-foot-
long, 62-foot-wide powerhouse that contains two 825-kilowatt (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 tailrace. The project creates an 
approximately 1,900-foot-long bypassed reach of the Montreal River.
    Project recreation facilities include: (1) a hand-carry boat 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 1,400 feet downstream of the dam; (3) a

[[Page 83682]]

fishing area on the eastern shoreline of the tailrace; and (4) a 
parking area and access trails for the scenic overlook and fishing 
area.
    Electricity generated at the powerhouse is transmitted to the 
electric grid via a 200-foot-long, 2.4-kilovolt (kV) overhead 
transmission line and a 2.4/34.5-kV step-up transformer. The minimum 
and maximum hydraulic capacities of the powerhouse are 25 and 220 cubic 
feet per second (cfs), respectively. The average annual energy 
production of the project from 2017 through 2021 was 11,436.4 megawatt-
hours.
    The current license requires Northern States to: (1) operate in a 
run-of-river mode, such that outflow from the project approximates 
inflow; (2) maintain a minimum impoundment surface elevation of 739.7 
feet NGVD 29; (2) limit non-emergency impoundment drawdown rates to a 
maximum of 1 foot per 24 hours for the first 48 hours and 0.5 foot per 
24 hours thereafter, with the rate being evenly spread across the time 
period; (3) release an aesthetic flow of 8 cfs to the bypassed reach 
from the Saturday before Memorial Day to October 15, except on weekends 
and holidays, when an aesthetic flow of 20 cfs is released from 8:00 
a.m. to 8:00 p.m. The current license also requires Northern States to 
implement a plan to monitor flows in the bypassed reach, a recreation 
plan to operate and maintain the recreation facilities, a wildlife 
management plan to protect any federally and state listed species, and 
a plan to avoid or minimize disturbances to the quality of the existing 
visual resources of the project area.
    Northern States proposes to revise the project boundary around the 
impoundment to follow a contour elevation of 740.2 feet NGVD 29, and 
include approximately 4 acres of land east of the impoundment. The 
proposed changes would result in a reduction in the total acreage of 
the project boundary upstream of the project dam, from 296.4 acres to 
22.2 acres. Downstream of the project dam, Northern States proposes to: 
(1) add 3.9 acres of land and water near the powerhouse; (2) remove 35 
acres of land east of State Highway 122; and (4) remove 11.1 acres of 
land on the western shoreline of the bypassed reach.
    Northern States proposes to: (1) continue to operate the projects 
in run-of-river mode, maintain a minimum impoundment elevation of 739.7 
feet NGVD 29, and release minimum aesthetic flows; (2) develop an 
operation compliance monitoring plan; (3) develop an invasive species 
management plan that includes biennial surveys for invasive species; 
(4) protect bald eagles by scheduling any ground-disturbing activities 
at recreation sites to occur between August 1 and January 15 for any 
work within 660 feet of any eagle nest; (5) avoid the removal of trees 
greater than 3 inches in diameter from June 1 through July 31, and 
follow the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's guidance to protect the 
northern long-eared bat and tricolored bat; (6) continue to maintain 
project recreation facilities, but relocate the existing hand-carry 
boat take-out site and parking area on the western shoreline of the 
impoundment to the eastern shoreline of the impoundment, approximately 
300 feet upstream of the dam; (7) install new directional signage for 
the new boat take-out site and update recreation and safety signage to 
comply with Part 8 of the Commission's regulations; and (8) develop a 
historic properties management plan that includes shoreline erosion 
surveys every 5 years.
    m. A copy of the application can be viewed on the Commission's 
website 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 (i.e., P-2587). For assistance, contact 
FERC Online Support.
    n. Anyone may submit comments, a protest, or a motion to intervene 
in accordance with the requirements of Rules of Practice and Procedure, 
18 CFR 385.210, .211, and .214. In determining the appropriate action 
to take, the Commission will consider all protests or other comments 
filed, but only those who file a motion to intervene in accordance with 
the Commission's Rules may become a party to the proceeding. Any 
comments, protests, or motions to intervene must be received on or 
before the specified comment date for the particular application.
    All filings must (1) bear in all capital letters the title 
``PROTEST,'' ``MOTION TO INTERVENE,'' ``COMMENTS,'' ``REPLY COMMENTS,'' 
``RECOMMENDATIONS,'' ``TERMS AND CONDITIONS,'' or ``PRESCRIPTIONS;'' 
(2) set forth in the heading the name of the applicant and the project 
number of the application to which the filing responds; (3) furnish the 
name of the person submitting the filing; and (4) otherwise comply with 
the requirements of 18 CFR 385.2001 through 385.2005. All comments, 
recommendations, terms and conditions or prescriptions must set forth 
their evidentiary basis and otherwise comply with the requirements of 
18 CFR 4.34(b). Agencies may obtain copies of the application directly 
from the applicant. A copy of any protest or motion to intervene must 
be served upon each representative of the applicant specified in the 
particular application. A copy of all other filings in reference to 
this application must be accompanied by proof of service on all persons 
listed on the service list prepared by the Commission in this 
proceeding, in accordance with 18 CFR 4.34(b) and 385.2010.
    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].
    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.
    o. The applicant must file no later than 60 days following the date 
of issuance of this notice: (1) a copy of the water quality 
certification; (2) a copy of the request for certification, including 
proof of the date on which the certifying agency received the request; 
or (3) evidence of waiver of water quality certification.
    p. Procedural Schedule: The application will be processed according 
to the following schedule. Revisions to the schedule will be made as 
appropriate.

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                Milestone                           Target date
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Filing of Comments, Recommendations,      December 2024.
 Terms and Conditions, and Prescriptions.
Filing of Reply Comments................  January 2025.
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    q. Final amendments to the application must be filed with the 
Commission no later than 30 days from the issuance date of this notice.

    Dated: October 10, 2024.
Debbie-Anne A. Reese,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2024-23941 Filed 10-16-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P