Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 223 / Tuesday, November 21, 2023 / Notices 81075 

participation of distributed energy 

resources. Ensuring the adequate supply 

of electric energy to service loads during 

peak hours and during extreme weather 

conditions is also becoming more 

challenging in many regions of North 

America. 

What should the Commission’s top 

reliability priorities be for the next one 

to three years? What are potential 

actions the Commission could take to 

improve reliability regarding these 

priorities? 

(a) What trends and risks identified in 

NERC’s 2023 State of Reliability Report 

and the 2023 ERO Reliability Risk 

Priorities Report warrant the most 

attention and effort? 

(b) Resource adequacy traditionally 

has been characterized in terms of 

planning reserve margin, which assesses 

the excess generating capacity required 

to meet peak load. NERC and industry 

have recently been discussing the 

notion of energy adequacy, which 

assesses whether there is sufficient 

energy—power over time—to meet 

customers’ energy needs. Is energy 

adequacy a more appropriate metric to 

characterize reliability risks given the 

changing grid? 

(c) NERC has highlighted essential 

reliability services (e.g., frequency 

response, voltage control, and ramping 

capability) as core to maintaining 

reliable operation of the grid. How does 

the changing resource mix and 

characteristics of load affect the needed 

amount and provision of these essential 

reliability services? What actions, and 

by whom, are necessary to ensure 

adequate levels of these services? 

(d) The electric grid is undergoing its 

most significant changes in a century. 

How should reliability oversight adapt 

to this change? Is the existing reliability 

oversight model flexible and agile 

enough to help lead the change? 

(e) In recent years, reliance on natural 

gas as a fuel for electric generation has 

steadily increased. At the Commission’s 

recommendation, the North American 

Energy Standards Board (NAESB) held 

forums between August 2022 and July 

2023 to discuss the growing 

interdependence between the natural 

gas and electric sectors. NAESB issued 

recommendations to enhance market 

coordination to address challenges 

posed by this growing interdependence. 

Should the Commission prioritize 

pursuing any specific NAESB 

recommendation? 

(f) Wildfires are no longer considered 

only a California or Western states issue 

for grid reliability, as drought 

conditions are expanding into 

additional regions including MISO, 

ERCOT and SPP creating further 

reliability impacts. What preparations 

have you taken (or are you considering) 

to address emerging wildfire and 

drought reliability risks in your region? 

2. CIP Reliability Standards and the 

Evolving Grid 

Cybersecurity vulnerabilities and 

threats continue to evolve at a pace that 

tests utility cybersecurity programs. 

These quickly evolving threats present a 

challenge when assessing whether 

security controls, including the CIP 

Reliability Standards, adequately 

respond to the latest cyber risks. Most 

utilities and other electric sector 

stakeholders with mature cybersecurity 

programs implement an overarching 

cybersecurity program to oversee all 

aspects of their cybersecurity activities, 

including identification of the assets to 

be protected, staffing, technology 

selection and procurement, and 

compliance with the CIP Reliability 

Standards. However, ongoing and 

anticipated changes to the 

interconnected electric grid, such as the 

shift in the types of energy sources used 

to generate electricity may disrupt cyber 

programs. Utilities are digitizing their 

grids while managing an increasing 

number of grid-connected devices. As a 

consequence, utilities require more 

advanced tools to process and analyze 

large amounts of data for grid planning, 

operations, and security. These changes 

are also leaving uncertainty as to where 

these digital assets will fit into the 

cybersecurity regulatory framework and 

what tools can be used to effectively 

manage them or even what the future 

may bring as cyberattacks continue to 

grow in sophistication. 

(a) Discuss the primary security issues 

facing electric utilities and describe the 

prioritization of resources and 

investment. What are some lessons 

learned and best practices? 

(b) With regard to evolving cyber 

threats, describe how your cybersecurity 

program identifies and responds to such 

conditions. When responding, how do 

you assess the risk posed to your 

systems by the threats? 

(c) Describe the benefits and 

challenges of implementing and 

maintaining a cybersecurity program as 

the resource mix continues to evolve. 

How does this program interact with 

actions to comply with the CIP 

Reliability Standards? How does such a 

program help to identify and prioritize 

security concerns, and what actions are 

taken to address those concerns, 

including the application of best 

practices? 

(d) Describe how supply chain 

security and the use of third-party 

systems, such as cloud services, are 

addressed in your risk assessments and 

implemented in the cybersecurity 

program. What concerns still exist 

related to supply chain and third-party 

systems? 

(e) What additional actions can the 

Commission, NERC, and industry take 

to further protect the grid from security 

threats, both physical and cyber? 

3. Reliability Implications of EPA’s 

Proposed Rule on ‘‘Greenhouse Gas 

Standards and Guidelines for Fossil 

Fuel-Fired Power Plants’’ 

On May 23, 2023, the EPA issued a 

notice of proposed rulemaking under 

section 111 of the Clean Air Act. The 

proposed rule would set New Source 

Performance Standards for new power 

plants that run on fossil gas. 

(a) Will the rule, if implemented as 

proposed, affect electric reliability? In 

what ways? 

(b) What tools and processes should 

the Commission, other federal and state 

agencies, and industry consider in order 

to implement the proposed rule? What 

authority should the Commission and 

other federal and state agencies have in 

order to address potential reliability 

issues that could arise during 

implementation of the proposed rule? 

(c) What existing processes for 

coordination will enable federal and 

state agencies, planning entities, and 

industry stakeholders to share ongoing 

developments relevant to the 

implementation of the proposed rule? 

(d) What specific tools are currently 

available to agencies to consider 

impacts to retail consumers? Are there 

additional tools that should be 

developed to consider these issues? 

[FR Doc. 2023–25672 Filed 11–20–23; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6717–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

Federal Energy Regulatory 

Commission 

[Project No. 5679–041] 

Energy Stream, LLC; 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: Subsequent 

Minor License. 

b. Project No.: 5679–041. 

c. Date Filed: July 15, 2022. 


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81076 Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 223 / Tuesday, November 21, 2023 / Notices 

d. Applicant: Energy Stream, LLC. 

e. Name of Project: M.S.C. 

Hydroelectric Project (project). 

f. Location: On the Quinebaug River 

in Windham County, Connecticut. 

g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power 

Act, 16 U.S.C. 791(a)–825(r). 

h. Applicant Contact: Mr. Rolland 

Zeleny, Energy Stream, LLC, 18 

Washington St., Suite 18, Canton, MA 

02021; Phone at (603) 498–8089, or 

email at indigoharbor@yahoo.com. 

i. FERC Contact: John Baummer at 

(202) 502–6837, or john.baummer@

ferc.gov. 

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. 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: Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory 

Commission, 888 First Street NE, Room 

1A, Washington, DC 20426. 

Submissions sent via any other carrier 

must be addressed to: 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: M.S.C. Hydroelectric 

Project (P–5679–041). 

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. The M.S.C. Project consists of the 

following existing facilities: (1) a 296- 

foot-long, 14.3-foot-high granite block 

and concrete dam that includes: (a) an 

approximately 38-foot-long headgate 

structure with four aluminum sluice 

gates that are each 4 feet wide by 10 feet 

high; (b) a 115-foot-long granite block 

spillway section with a concrete cap, 

16-inch-high flashboards, and a crest 

elevation of 287.80 feet mean sea level 

(msl) at the top of the flashboards; (c) a 

5-foot-wide abutment at the northwest 

end of the spillway; (d) a 7-foot-wide 

pier at the at the southwest end of the 

spillway; (e) a 91-foot-long auxiliary 

concrete gravity spillway section with a 

crest elevation of 288.70 feet msl; (f) an 

8-foot-wide abutment at the southwest 

end of the auxiliary spillway; and (g) a 

32-foot-long retaining wall section with 

a 10-foot-wide, 10-foot-high stoplog gate 

and a crest elevation of 289.7 feet msl; 

(2) an impoundment with a surface area 

of 52 acres at an elevation of 287.8 feet 

msl; (3) a 38-foot-wide, 24-foot-long 

stone and concrete forebay downstream 

of the headgate structure; (4) a 19-footwide, 11-foot-high intake structure at 

the downstream end of the forebay with 

a 19-foot-wide, 16.5-foot-high trashrack 

with 1.6-inch clear bar spacing; (5) a 2- 

foot-wide, 3-foot-high low-level outlet 

gate adjacent to the trashrack; (6) a 30- 

foot-long, 14-foot-wide steel and 

reinforced concrete powerhouse 

containing a 400-kilowatt (kW) Kaplan 

turbine-generator unit and a 112-kW 

Francis turbine-generator unit, for a 

total installed capacity of 512 kW; (7) a 

50-foot-long, 26-foot-wide tailrace; (8) 

three 50-foot-long, 2.4-kilovolt (kV) lead 

lines that connect the generators to three 

2.4/23-kV step-up transformers, which 

connect to the regional grid; and (9) 

appurtenant facilities The project 

creates an approximately 65-foot-long 

bypassed reach of the Quinebaug River. 

Article 401 of the current license 

requires Energy Stream, LLC to operate 

the project in a run-of-river mode, such 

that project outflow approximates 

inflow. Energy Stream, LLC maintains 

the impoundment at the flashboard crest 

elevation of 288.74 feet msl. To protect 

aquatic resources, Article 26 of the 

current license requires Energy Stream, 

LLC to release a continuous minimum 

flow of 144 cubic feet per second (cfs) 

or inflow to the impoundment, 

whichever is less, into the downstream 

reach, as measured immediately below 

the tailrace. Article 402 of the current 

license specifies seasonal minimum 

flow releases to the downstream reach 

when refilling the impoundment 

following emergency or maintenance 

drawdowns, including 90 percent of 

impoundment inflow. 

Article 404 of the current license 

requires Energy Stream, LLC to provide 

upstream and downstream passage for 

American eels. Upstream passage for 

American eels is provided from June 15 

to September 1 by netting placed over 

the dam and ramps extending to the 

crest of the flashboards. Downstream 

American eel passage is provided from 

September 1 through November 15, on 

rainy nights and three nights after rain 

events, through a notch in the 

flashboards located on the west side of 

the spillway, and a low-level outlet gate. 

The minimum and maximum 

hydraulic capacities of the powerhouse 

are 40 and 545 cfs, respectively. The 

average annual generation of the project 

was approximately 2,885 megawatthours from 2017 through 2021. 

Energy Stream, LLC is not proposing 

any changes to project facilities or 

operation. 

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. 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, 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 


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Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 223 / Tuesday, November 21, 2023 / Notices 81077 

1 40 CFR 1501.10 (2020). 

2The Commission’s deadline applies to the 

decisions of other federal agencies, and state 

agencies acting under federally delegated authority, 

that are responsible for federal authorizations, 

permits, and other approvals necessary for 

proposed projects under the Natural Gas Act. Per 

18 CFR 157.22(a), the Commission’s deadline for 

other agency’s decisions applies unless a schedule 

is otherwise established by federal law. 

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. 

You may also register online at 

https://www.ferc.gov/ferc-online/ 

overview 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. Please note that the 

certification request must comply with 

40 CFR 121.5(b), including 

documentation that a pre-filing meeting 

request was submitted to the certifying 

authority at least 30 days prior to 

submitting the certification request. 

Please also note that the certification 

request must be sent to the certifying 

authority and to the Commission 

concurrently. 

p. Procedural Schedule: The 

application will be processed according 

to the following schedule. Revisions to 

the schedule will be made as 

appropriate. 

Milestone Target date 

Filing of Comments, Recommendations, Terms and 

Conditions, and Fishway Prescriptions.

January 2024. 

Filing of Reply Comments ........ February 2024. 

q. Final amendments to the 

application must be filed with the 

Commission no later than 30 days from 

the issuance date of this notice. 

r. 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: November 14, 2023. 

Kimberly D. Bose, 

Secretary. 

[FR Doc. 2023–25675 Filed 11–20–23; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6717–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

Federal Energy Regulatory 

Commission 

[Docket No. CP23–544–000] 

Northern Border Pipeline Company; 

Notice of Schedule for the Preparation 

of an Environmental Assessment for 

the Bison Xpress Project 

On September 15, 2023, Northern 

Border Pipeline Company (Northern 

Border) filed an application in Docket 

No. CP23–544–000 requesting 

authorization and a Certificate of Public 

Convenience and Necessity under 

sections 7(b) and 7(c) of the Natural Gas 

Act and part 157 of the Commission’s 

regulations to construct and operate 

certain natural gas pipeline facilities 

located in McKenzie, Dunn, and Morton 

Counties, North Dakota. The proposed 

project is known as the Bison XPress 

Project (Project) and would create 

300,000 dekatherms per day (Dth/d) of 

incremental mainline capacity to 

Northern Border’s interconnection with 

Bison Pipeline, LLC. Northern Border 

would abandon the capacity by lease to 

Wyoming Interstate Company, LLC. 

On October 2, 2023, the Federal 

Energy Regulatory Commission 

(Commission or FERC) issued its Notice 

of Application for the Project. 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 Project. 

This notice identifies Commission 

staff’s intention to prepare an 

environmental assessment (EA) for the 

Project and the planned schedule for the 

completion of the environmental 

review.1

Schedule for Environmental Review 

Issuance of EA April 8, 2024 

90-day Federal Authorization Decision 

Deadline 2 July 7, 2024 

If a schedule change becomes 

necessary, additional notice will be 

provided so that the relevant agencies 

are kept informed of the Project’s 

progress. 

Project Description 

Northern Border’s proposed Bison 

XPress Project consists of the 

replacement and expansion of 

compression facilities at Northern 

Border’s existing compressor stations 

including Arnegard (No. 4) in McKenzie 

County, North Dakota; Manning (No. 5) 

in Dunn County, North Dakota; and 

Glen Ullin (No. 6) in Morton County, 

North Dakota. Upon completion, the 

Bison XPress Project would (a) replace 

and expand existing compressor 

facilities with new, more modern and 

efficient compression facilities; (b) 

create 300,000 Dth/d of incremental 

mainline natural gas capacity from 

receipt points between Northern 

Border’s Culbertson Compressor Station 

and Glen Ullin Compressor Station to its 

interconnection with Bison Pipeline, 

LLC in Morton County, North Dakota 

(Kurtz Delivery Point); and (c) introduce 

standby horsepower on Northern 

Border’s system. Northern Border plans 

to abandon 100 percent of the capacity 

by lease to Wyoming Interstate 

Company, LLC. Applications by Bison 

Pipeline, LLC (Docket No. CP23–543– 

000) and Wyoming Interstate Company, 

LLC and Fort Union Gas Gathering, LLC 

(Docket No. CP23–545–000) are 

associated projects being evaluated 

under the applicable Commission 

regulations. 

Background 

On October 30, 2023, the Commission 

issued a Notice of Scoping Period 

Requesting Comments on 

Environmental Issues for the Proposed 

Bison Express Project (Notice of 

Scoping). The Notice of Scoping was 

sent to affected landowners; federal, 

state, and local government agencies; 

elected officials; environmental and 

public interest groups; Native American 

tribes; other interested parties; and local 

libraries and newspapers. The 

Commission has currently received 23 

comments from environmental 

organizations, two Dunn County 

representatives, two North Dakota State 

Senators, the North Dakota Petroleum 

Council, the North Dakota Chamber of 

Commerce, North Dakota Board of 

Commissioners for Mackenzie, Morton, 

and Dunn Counties, North Dakota 

Industrial Commission, the Western 

Dakota Energy Association, community 


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