72056 Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 201 / Thursday, October 19, 2023 / Notices 

Issue Scoping Document 2 ................................................................................................................................................. August 2024. 

Issue Notice of Ready for Environmental Analysis ............................................................................................................ August 2024. 

Dated: October 13, 2023. 

Kimberly D. Bose, 

Secretary. 

[FR Doc. 2023–23105 Filed 10–18–23; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6717–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

Federal Energy Regulatory 

Commission 

[Project No. 2514–029] 

Appalachian Power Company; Notice 

of Application Accepted for Filing, 

Soliciting Motions To Intervene and 

Protests, Ready for Environmental 

Analysis, and Soliciting Comments, 

Recommendations, Preliminary Terms 

and Conditions, and Preliminary 

Fishway 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.: 2514–029. 

c. Date filed: February 28, 2022. 

Supplemented on February 28, 2023. 

d. Applicant: Appalachian Power 

Company (Appalachian). 

e. Name of Project: Byllesby-Buck 

Hydroelectric Project (Byllesby-Buck 

Project or project). 

f. Location: On the New River in 

Carroll County, Virginia. 

g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power 

Act 16 U.S.C. 791(a)–825(r). 

h. Applicant Contact: Ms. Elizabeth 

Parcell, Process Supervisor, American 

Electric Power Service Corporation, 40 

Franklin Road SW, Roanoke, Virginia 

24011, (540) 985–2441, ebparcell@

aep.com. 

i. FERC Contact: Jody Callihan at 

(202) 502–8278 or email at 

jody.callihan@ferc.gov. 

j. Deadline for filing motions to 

intervene and protests, comments, 

recommendations, preliminary terms 

and conditions, and preliminary 

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, protests, comments, 

recommendations, preliminary terms 

and conditions, and preliminary 

fishway prescriptions using the 

Commission’s eFiling system at http://

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 http://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 

FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov, (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, 

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: 

Byllesby-Buck Hydroelectric Project (P– 

2514–029). 

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. 

The Council on Environmental 

Quality (CEQ) issued a final rule on 

April 20, 2022, revising the regulations 

under 40 CFR parts 1502, 1507, and 

1508 that federal agencies use to 

implement the National Environmental 

Policy Act (NEPA) (see National 

Environmental Policy Act Implementing 

Regulations Revisions, 87 FR 23453–70). 

The final rule became effective on May 

20, 2022. Commission staff intends to 

conduct its NEPA review in accordance 

with CEQ’s new regulations. 

l. The Byllesby-Buck Project consists 

of two developments (Byllesby and 

Buck) that have a combined total 

installed capacity of 26.1 megawatts 

(MW). The Byllesby Development is 

located 3 river miles upstream of the 

Buck Development. The project had an 

average annual generation of 92,820 

megawatt-hours (MWh) between 2016 

and 2020. 

The Byllesby Development consists 

of: (1) a 64-foot-high, 528-foot-long 

concrete dam, sluice gate, and main 

spillway section topped with four 

sections of 9-foot-high flashboards, five 

sections of 9-foot-high inflatable 

Obermeyer crest gates, and six bays of 

10-foot-high Tainter gates; (2) an 

auxiliary spillway including six sections 

of 9-foot-high flashboards; (3) a 239-acre 

impoundment with a gross storage 

capacity of 2,000 acre-feet; (4) a 

powerhouse containing four turbinegenerator units with a total installed 

capacity of 18.0 megawatts (MW); (5) a 

control house and switchyard; and (6) 

appurtenant facilities. 

The Buck Development consists of: (1) 

a 42-foot-high, 353-foot-long concrete 

dam and sluice gate; (2) a 1,005-footlong, 19-foot-high spillway section 

topped with twenty sections of 9-foothigh flashboards, four sections of 9-foothigh inflatable crest gates, and six bays 

of 10-foot-high Tainter gates; (3) a 66- 

acre impoundment with a gross storage 

capacity of 661 acre-feet; (4) a 

powerhouse containing three turbinegenerator units with a total installed 

capacity of 8.1 MW; (5) two 2-mile-long 

overhead 13.2-kilovolt transmission 

lines extending from the Buck 

powerhouse to the Byllesby control 

house; and (6) appurtenant facilities. 

The Byllesby-Buck Project is currently 

operated in a run-of-river (ROR) mode, 

with the Byllesby impoundment 

maintained between elevations of 

2,078.2 feet and 2,079.2 feet National 

Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929 (NGVD 

29) and the Buck impoundment 

maintained between elevations of 

2,002.4 feet and 2,003.4 feet NGVD 29. 

A minimum flow of 360 cubic feet per 

second (cfs), or project inflow if less, is 

provided downstream of each 

powerhouse. There is a bypassed reach 

at each development (590 feet long at 

Byllesby and 4,100 feet long at Buck), 

but there is currently no dedicated 

minimum flow for either of the 

bypassed reaches, which receive leakage 

flow of approximately 11 cfs (Byllesby) 

and 17 cfs (Buck). Article 406 of the 

current license specifies the downramping rates and procedures currently 

required at the Buck Development to 

minimize stranding of adult walleye (in 

the bypassed reach) following large spill 

events that occur during the spawning 

season (late winter through spring). 

Appalachian proposes to continue 

operating the project in a ROR mode 

and providing a 360-cfs minimum flow 


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Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 201 / Thursday, October 19, 2023 / Notices 72057 

downstream of each powerhouse 

(Byllesby and Buck). In addition, 

Appalachian proposes to release a 

continuous, year-round minimum flow 

of 35 cfs into the Byllesby bypassed 

reach. At the Buck Development, 

Applachian proposes to modify the 

existing down-ramping procedures and 

provide a seasonal minimum flow of 

100 cfs in the bypassed reach (from 

February 15 through May 15 of each 

year) to increase habitat connectivity 

and water depths in the reach to provide 

adult walleye with additional escape 

routes during the spawning season. In 

addition to these measures, 

Appalachian proposes environmental 

measures for the protection and 

enhancement of other aquatic resources 

as well as terrestrial, recreation, and 

cultural resources. 

Appalachian also proposes to upgrade 

three (of the four) turbine-generator 

units at the Byllesby Development and 

two (of the three) turbine-generator 

units at the Buck Development. The 

proposed upgrades are expected to 

increase the total installed capacity from 

26.1 MW to 29.8 MW and the project’s 

average annual generation by 25,927 

MWh. In addition, Appalachian 

proposes to replace three flashboard 

sections at the Byllesby Development 

and six flashboard sections at the Buck 

Development with inflatable 

(Obermeyer) crest gates. Lastly, 

Appalachian proposes to add to the 

current project boundary: (1) the 

Byllesby control house and switchyard 

and (2) two 2-mile-long, overhead 13.2- 

kilovolt transmission lines that extend 

from the Buck powerhouse to the 

Byllesby control house. 

m. This filing may be viewed on the 

Commission’s website at http:// 

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. You may 

also register online at http:// 

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, call 1–866–208–3676 or 

email FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov, for 

TTY, call (202) 502–8659. Agencies may 

obtain copies of the application directly 

from the applicant. 

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,’’ 

‘‘PRELIMINARY TERMS AND 

CONDITIONS,’’ or ‘‘PRELIMINARY 

FISHWAY 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, address, 

and telephone number of the person 

protesting or intervening; 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 in the service list 

prepared by the Commission in this 

proceeding, in accordance with 18 CFR 

4.34(b) and 385.2010. 

o. Procedural Schedule: 

The application will be processed 

according to the following schedule. 

Revisions to the schedule may be made 

as appropriate. 

Milestone Target date 

Filing of Comments, Recommendations, Preliminary Terms and Conditions, and Preliminary Fishway Prescriptions ... December 12, 2023. 

Filing of Reply Comments ................................................................................................................................................. January 26, 2024. 

p. Final amendments to the 

application must be filed with the 

Commission no later than 30 days from 

the issuance date of this notice. 

q. 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 OPP@

ferc.gov. 

Dated: October 13, 2023. 

Kimberly D. Bose, 

Secretary. 

[FR Doc. 2023–23100 Filed 10–18–23; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6717–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

Federal Energy Regulatory 

Commission 

[Docket No. CP23–519–000] 

Rio Bravo Pipeline Company, LLC; 

Notice of Schedule for the Preparation 

of an Environmental Assessment for 

the Rio Bravo Pipeline Route 

Amendment 

On July 20, 2023, Rio Bravo Pipeline 

Company, LLC (Rio Bravo) filed an 

application in Docket No. CP23–519– 

000 requesting a Certificate of Public 

Convenience and Necessity pursuant to 

Section 7(c) of the Natural Gas Act to 

construct and operate certain natural gas 

pipeline facilities. The proposed project 

is known as the Rio Bravo Pipeline 

Route Amendment (Amendment), and 

would involve four minor route 

adjustments to the previously 

authorized route for the Rio Bravo 

Pipeline, as well as incorporate several 

minor design changes. 

On August 1, 2023, the Federal 

Energy Regulatory Commission 

(Commission or FERC) issued its Notice 

of Application for the Amendment. 

Among other things, that notice alerted 

agencies issuing federal authorizations 

of the requirement to complete all 

necessary reviews and to reach a final 

decision on a request for a federal 

authorization within 90 days of the date 

of issuance of the Commission staff’s 

environmental document for the 

Amendment. 


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