74270 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 177 / Thursday, September 12, 2024 / Notices 

paragraph containing proprietary, 

privileged, or trade secret information 

must be clearly marked with [[double 

brackets]] or highlighting. Submissions 

containing CBI should be sent to: 

FASST@hq.doe.gov. 

Signing Authority 

This document of the Department of 

Energy was signed on September 6, 

2024, by Helena Fu, Director, Office of 

Critical and Emerging Technologies, 

pursuant to delegated authority from the 

Secretary of Energy. That document 

with the original signature and date is 

maintained by DOE. For administrative 

purposes only, and in compliance with 

requirements of the Office of the Federal 

Register, the undersigned DOE Federal 

Register Liaison Officer has been 

authorized to sign and submit the 

document in electronic format for 

publication, as an official document of 

the Department of Energy. This 

administrative process in no way alters 

the legal effect of this document upon 

publication in the Federal Register. 

Signed in Washington, DC, on September 

9, 2024. 

Treena V. Garrett, 

Federal Register Liaison Officer, U.S. 

Department of Energy. 

[FR Doc. 2024–20676 Filed 9–11–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6450–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

Federal Energy Regulatory 

Commission 

[Project No. 14787–004] 

Black Canyon Hydro, LLC; Notice of 

Application Accepted for Filing, 

Scoping Meetings, and Environmental 

Site Review; Soliciting Motions To 

Intervene and Protests; and 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: Original major 

license. 

b. Project No.: 14787–004. 

c. Date Filed: January 18, 2023. 

d. Applicant: rPlus Hydro, LLLP, on 

behalf of Black Canyon Hydro, LLC 

(BCH). 

e. Name of Project: Seminoe Pumped 

Storage Project (Seminoe Project or 

project). 

f. Location: The proposed project 

would be located at the U.S. Bureau of 

Reclamation’s (Reclamation) Seminoe 

Reservoir on the North Platte River in 

Carbon County, Wyoming, 

approximately 35 miles northeast of 

Rawlins, Wyoming. The project would 

occupy 1,025.94 acres of land managed 

by the Bureau of Land Management 

(BLM) and 77.00 acres managed by 

Reclamation. 

g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power 

Act 16 U.S.C. 791(a)–825(r). 

h. Applicant Contact: Lars Dorr, 

Program Manager for rPlus Hydro, 

LLLP. Address: Black Canyon Hydro, 

LLC c/o rPlus Hydro, LLLP 201 S. Main 

St. Suite 2100 Salt Lake City, Utah 

84111. Phone: (858) 925–3743. Email: 

ldorr@rplusenergies.com. 

i. FERC Contact: Michael Tust at (202) 

502–6522; or email at michael.tust@

ferc.gov. 

j. Deadline for filing scoping 

comments and motions to intervene and 

protests: November 5, 2024. 

The Commission strongly encourages 

electronic filing. Please file scoping 

comments and motions to intervene and 

protests 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/Quick

Comment.aspx. 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: 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, Maryland 20852. All 

filings must clearly identify the project 

name and docket number on the first 

page: Seminoe Pumped Storage Project 

(P–14787–004). 

The Commission’s Rules of Practice 

and Procedure 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 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. 

k. This application has been accepted 

for filing, but is not ready for 

environmental analysis at this time. 

l. Project Description: The Seminoe 

Project would utilize Reclamation’s 

existing 1,017,280 acre-feet Seminoe 

reservoir on the North Platte River as 

the lower reservoir and would include 

the following new facilities: (1) a 8,498- 

foot-long circumference, 20-foot wide, 

65 to 180-foot-high, roller-compacted 

concrete dam impounding a 10,800- 

acre-foot upper reservoir at a crest 

elevation of 7,445 feet; (2) the dam 

would have a 200-foot-long concrete, 

ungated, ogee crest emergency spillway 

with a crest elevation of 7,446 feet; (3) 

a 75-foot-diameter, covered bell-mouth 

intake set near the southwestern edge of 

the upper reservoir at elevation of 7,295 

feet; (4) an approximately 680-foot-long, 

32-foot-diameter concrete linedheadrace tunnel connecting to a 615- 

foot-long, 24-foot-diameter aboveground 

steel conduit which would extend 

underground for an additional 2,470 feet 

before discharging to a 30-foot-diameter 

vertical, concrete-lined shaft; (5) the 

vertical shaft then connects to a 165- 

foot-long, 17-foot-diameter concrete, 

steel-lined penstock and then to the 

pump-turbines; (6) three pump-turbines 

each rated at 324 megawatts (MW) for a 

combined total generating capacity of 

972 MW located in the underground 

powerhouse (machine hall); (7) an 

approximately 4,350 foot-long, concrete 

tailrace channel discharging water to a 

lower intake structure within the 

existing Seminoe Reservoir at normal 

maximum water surface elevation of 

6,357 feet; (8) a transformer cavern 

containing 18 kilovolt (kV) generator 

step-up transformers for each unit, and 

a gas-insulated switchgear switchyard; 

(9) power would be transmitted from the 

transformer gallery via 765-foot-long 

horizontal tunnel to a vertical cable 

shaft up to a take-off structure at the 

surface, and then via two separate, 500 

kV, overhead primary transmission lines 

extending to the 500 kV interconnection 

at Aeolus Substation, approximately 30 

miles to the southeast of Seminoe 

Reservoir; (10) an approximately 32- 

foot-diameter main access tunnel would 

provide access to the machine hall; (11) 

a 15-foot-wide, 16-foot-high surge 

chamber access tunnel lined with 

shotcrete; (12) an approximately 2.6- 

mile-long access road around the 

reservoir; (13) a 40-foot-wide road to the 

main access tunnel portal, including a 

new bridge over the tailrace of Seminoe 

Dam; and (14) appurtenant facilities. In 

addition, portions of Western Area 

Power Administration’s Miracle MileSnowy Range 1 115 kV and Miracle 

Mile-Snowy Range 2 230 kV 

transmission lines would be relocated 

around the upper reservoir. 

Additionally, the existing Bennett 

Mountain Road (also called Dry Lake 

Road) for accessing the proposed upper 

reservoir site and a section of an 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1
Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 177 / Thursday, September 12, 2024 / Notices 74271 

existing powerline road for accessing 

the proposed lower intake structure at 

Seminoe Reservoir would be upgraded 

(i.e., widened to 24 feet and realigned in 

places to reduce steep grades) to 

accommodate two-way traffic and heavy 

equipment. 

BCH would draw 13,400 acre-feet of 

water from Seminoe Reservoir to 

initially fill the new upper reservoir and 

would need 672 acre-feet of water each 

year to replenish water lost through 

evaporation. BCH states it would either 

make contractual arrangements or 

potentially purchase an additional water 

right for the annual refill water. BCH 

states that generation would depend on 

grid conditions and market demands but 

that the project is designed to generate 

for up to approximately 10 hours each 

day at maximum generating capacity of 

972 MW, or for longer durations at 

reduced generating output. In generating 

mode, the project would have an 

estimated maximum operating flow rate 

of 12,600 cubic feet per second (cfs) at 

maximum hydraulic capacity with all 

three turbine units operating. In 

pumping mode, the project would have 

an estimated maximum pumping flow 

rate of 10,500 cfs with all three pumps 

operating against an upper reservoir 

minimum operating elevation of 7,350 

feet. The pumping capacity decreases to 

8,298 cfs at the upper reservoir 

maximum operating elevation of 7,445 

feet. The full pumping cycle to recharge 

the upper reservoir is estimated at 

approximately 14.6 hours and the 

maximum generation is 13 hours. 

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 (see item j above). 

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 (see item 

j above). 

n. Anyone may submit a protest or a 

motion to intervene in accordance with 

the requirements of Rules of Practice 

and Procedure, 18 CFR 385.210, 

385.211, and 385.214. In determining 

the appropriate action to take, the 

Commission will consider all protests 

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 protests or 

motions to intervene must be received 

on or before the specified deadline date 

for the particular application. 

When the application is ready for 

environmental analysis, the 

Commission will issue a public notice 

requesting comments, 

recommendations, terms and 

conditions, or prescriptions. 

All filings must (1) bear in all capital 

letters the title ‘‘PROTEST’’ or 

‘‘MOTION TO INTERVENE;’’ (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. 

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. 

o. 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. 

p. 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 issues an 

environmental assessment or an 

environmental impact statement. 

Scoping Meetings 

In addition to written comments 

solicited by this notice, Commission 

staff will hold three public scoping 

meetings at the times and locations 

noted below. All interested individuals, 

resource agencies, Native American 

Tribes, and NGOs are invited to attend 

any of the meetings to assist 

Commission staff in identifying the 

scope of environmental issues that 

should be analyzed in the NEPA 

document. The times and locations of 

these meetings are as follows: 

Daytime Scoping Meeting 

Date: Tuesday, September 24, 2024. 

Time: 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. MDT. 

Location: Hilton Garden Inn Casper. 

Address: 1150 N Poplar Street, 

Casper, Wyoming 82601. 

Evening Scoping Meeting 

Date: Tuesday, September 24, 2024. 

Time: 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. MDT. 

Location: Hilton Garden Inn Casper. 

Address: 1150 N Poplar Street, 

Casper, Wyoming 82601. 

Evening Scoping Meeting 

Date: Wednesday, September 25, 

2024. 

Time: 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. MDT. 

Location: Jeffrey Memorial 

Community Center. 

Address: 315 W Pine Street, Rawlins, 

Wyoming 82301. 

Scoping Document 1 (SD1), which 

outlines the subject areas to be 

addressed in the environmental 

document, was mailed to the 

individuals and entities on the 

Commission’s mailing list. Copies of 

SD1 will be available at the scoping 

meetings, or may be viewed on the web 

at http://www.ferc.gov, using the 

‘‘eLibrary’’ link. Follow the directions 

for accessing information in paragraph 

m. 

Environmental Site Review 

BCH and Commission staff will 

conduct an environmental site review of 

the project beginning at 8:00 a.m. on 

Wednesday, September 25, 2024. All 

interested individuals, resource 

agencies, Native American Tribes, and 

NGOs are invited to attend the site 

review. Participants will initially meet 

in the lobby at the Hilton Garden Inn at 

1150 N Poplar Street, Casper, Wyoming 

82601 before traveling to the site. The 

applicant will provide a detailed site 

visit agenda that includes 

approximately 7 stops, and will take up 

to 8 hours to complete. Attendees are 

responsible for their own vehicle 

transport and should wear appropriate 

outdoor clothing. The existing road to 

the upper reservoir site is steep and 

rocky; therefore, attendees wishing to 

see the upper reservoir site should plan 

on driving their own 4x4, high 

clearance, off-road capable vehicle to 

access that particular site. Please contact 

Lars Dorr, Program Manager at rPlus at 

(858) 925–3743 or via email at ldorr@

rplusenergies.com no later than Friday 

September 20, 2024, to register for the 

environmental site review. 

Meeting Procedures 

Individuals, NGOs, Native American 

Tribes, and agencies with 

environmental expertise and concerns 

are encouraged to attend the meetings 

and to assist the staff in defining and 

clarifying the issues to be addressed in 

the NEPA document. At the start of each 

meeting, Commission staff will provide 

a brief overview of the meeting format 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1
74272 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 177 / Thursday, September 12, 2024 / Notices 

1The appendix referenced in this notice will not 

appear in the Federal Register. Copies of the 

appendix were sent to all those receiving this notice 

in the mail and are available at www.ferc.gov using 

the ‘‘eLibrary’’ link. For assistance, contact FERC at 

FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov or call toll free, (886) 

208–3676 or TTY (202) 502–8659. 

and objectives. Individual oral 

comments will be taken on a one-on-one 

basis with a court reporter (with 

Commission staff present). This format 

is designed to receive the maximum 

number of oral comments in a 

convenient way during the timeframe 

allotted. If you wish to speak, 

Commission staff will hand out 

numbers in the order of your arrival. If 

all individuals who wish to provide 

comments have had an opportunity to 

do so, Commission staff may conclude 

the meeting a half hour earlier than the 

scheduled time. Please see appendix 1 

for additional information on the 

session format and conduct.1

Scoping comments will be recorded 

by the court reporter and become part of 

the public record for this proceeding. 

Transcripts will be publicly available on 

FERC’s eLibrary system. If a significant 

number of people are interested in 

providing oral comments in the one-onone settings, a time limit of 5 minutes 

may be implemented for each 

commentor. 

It is important to note that the 

Commission provides equal 

consideration to all comments received, 

whether filed in writing or provided 

orally at a scoping session. Although 

there will not be a formal presentation, 

Commission staff will be available 

throughout the scoping session to 

answer your questions about the 

environmental review process. 

Representatives from BCH will also be 

present to answer project-specific 

questions. 

q. Procedural Schedule: The 

application will be processed according 

to the following anticipated processing 

schedule. Revisions to the schedule will 

be made as appropriate. The schedule 

for issuing draft and final NEPA 

documents is consistent with the 

Commission’s Notice of Revised 

Schedule issued January 10, 2024: 

Scoping Document 1 Issued—September 

2024 

Acceptance and Scoping Notice 

Issued—September 2024 

Scoping Document 1 Comments Due— 

November 2024 

Issue Scoping Document 2 (if needed)— 

December 2024 

Issue Notice of Ready for Environmental 

Analysis—December 2024 

Comments, Recommendations and 

Agency Terms and Conditions/ 

Prescriptions Due—February 2025 

Applicant’s Reply Comments Due— 

March 2025 

Commission Issues Draft NEPA 

Document—August 2025 

Commission Issues Final NEPA 

Document—March 2026 

Dated: September 6, 2024. 

Debbie-Anne A. Reese, 

Acting Secretary. 

Appendix 1 

FERC Session Format and Conduct 

Session Format 

FERC is conducting the session to solicit 

your scoping comments. There will not be a 

formal presentation by Commission staff; 

however, FERC staff is available to answer 

questions about the environmental review 

process. The session format is as follows: 

• Tickets are handed out on a ‘‘first come, 

first serve’’ basis starting at the time listed in 

the Notice. 

• Individuals are called in ticket number 

order to provide oral comments to be 

transcribed by a court reporter for the public 

record. 

• Time limits on oral comments may be 

enforced to ensure that all those wishing to 

comment have the opportunity to do so 

within the designated session time. 

• Additional materials about FERC and the 

environmental review process are available at 

information stations at the session. 

Session Conduct 

Proper conduct will help the sessions 

maintain a respectful atmosphere for 

attendees to learn about the FERC 

Environmental Review Process and to be able 

to provide comments effectively. 

• Loudspeakers, lighting, oversized visual 

aids, or other visual or audible disturbances 

are not permitted. 

• Disruptive video and photographic 

equipment may not be used. 

• Conversations should be kept to a 

reasonable volume. Attendees should be 

respectful of those providing oral comments 

to the court reporters. 

• Recorded interviews are not permitted 

within the session space. 

• FERC reserves the right end the session 

if disruptions interfere with the opportunity 

for individuals to provide oral comments or 

if there is a safety or security risk. 

[FR Doc. 2024–20768 Filed 9–11–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6717–01–P 

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION 

AGENCY 

[FRL–12091–01–R8] 

Clean Air Act Operating Permit 

Program; Order on Petition for 

Objection to State Operating Permit for 

Mountain Coal Company—West Elk 

Mine 

AGENCY: Environmental Protection 

Agency (EPA). 

ACTION: Notice of final order on petition. 

SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection 

Agency (EPA) Administrator signed an 

order dated May 24, 2024, granting in 

part and denying in part a petition dated 

January 30, 2024, from Center for 

Biological Diversity and WildEarth 

Guardians. The petition requested that 

the EPA object to a Clean Air Act (CAA) 

operating permit issued by the Colorado 

Department of Public Health and 

Environment (CDPHE) to Arch Coal, Inc. 

for its West Elk Coal Mine located in 

Gunnison County, Colorado. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Julia 

Witteman, EPA Region 8, telephone 

number: (303) 312–6156, email address: 

witteman.julia@epa.gov. The final order 

and petition are available electronically 

at: https://www.epa.gov/title-voperating-permits/title-v-petitiondatabase. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The EPA 

received a petition from the Center for 

Biological Diversity and WildEarth 

Guardians dated January 30, 2024, 

requesting that the EPA object to the 

issuance of operating permit no. 

20OPGU411, issued by CDPHE to Arch 

Coal, Inc. in Gunnison County Colorado. 

On December 8, 2023, the EPA 

Administrator issued an order granting 

in part and denying in part the petition. 

The order itself explains the basis for 

the EPA’s decision. 

Sections 307(b) and 505(b)(2) of the 

CAA provide that a petitioner may 

request judicial review of those portions 

of an order that deny issues in a 

petition. Any petition for review shall 

be filed in the United States Court of 

Appeals for the appropriate circuit no 

later than November 12, 2024. 

KC Becker, 

Regional Administrator, Region 8. 

[FR Doc. 2024–20673 Filed 9–11–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P 

FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS 

COMMISSION 

[OMB 3060–1261; FR ID 243492] 

Information Collection Being Reviewed 

by the Federal Communications 

Commission Under Delegated 

Authority 

AGENCY: Federal Communications 

Commission. 

ACTION: Notice and request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: As part of its continuing effort 

to reduce paperwork burdens, and as 

required by the Paperwork Reduction 

Act (PRA) of 1995, the Federal 

Communications Commission (FCC or 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1