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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 244 (Thursday, December 19, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 103807-103809]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-30063]

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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 3451-047]

Beaver Falls Municipal Authority; Notice of Application 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.

[[Page 103808]]

    b. Project No.: 3451-047.
    c. Date filed: August 1, 2022.\1\
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    \1\ The Commission's Rules of Practice and Procedure provide 
that if a deadline falls on a Saturday, Sunday, holiday, or other 
day when the Commission is closed for business, the deadline does 
not end until the close of business on the next business day. 18 CFR 
385.2007(a)(2). Because the deadline for filing a license 
application fell on a Sunday (i.e., July 31, 2022), the deadline was 
extended until the close of business on Monday, August 1, 2022.
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    d. Applicant: Beaver Falls Municipal Authority (Beaver Falls).
    e. Name of Project: Townsend Water Power Project (Townsend Project 
or project).
    f. Location: The project is located on the Beaver River, in the 
Borough of New Brighton in Beaver County, Pennsylvania.
    g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act, 16 U.S.C. 791(a)-825(r).
    h. Applicant Contact: James Riggio, General Manager, Beaver Falls 
Municipal Authority, P.O. Box 400, Beaver Falls, PA 15010; (724) 846-
2400.
    i. FERC Contact: Claire Rozdilski at (202) 502-8259; or email at 
[email protected].
    j. Deadline for filing 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 
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, please send a paper copy via the U.S. Postal Service to: 
Debbie-Anne A. Reese, 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, 
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: Townsend Water Power 
Project (P-3451-047).
    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.
    k. This application has been accepted and is ready for 
environmental analysis at this time.
    l. The project facilities consist of: (1) a 450-foot-long and 13-
foot-high dam, constructed of rock-filled timber cribs encased in 
concrete, with a 350-foot-long spillway and an average dam crest 
elevation of 698.63 feet; \2\ (2) an approximately 25-acre reservoir 
with a gross storage capacity of 200 acre-feet at normal water surface 
elevation of 698.78 feet; (3) a short entrance channel excavated in 
rock near the left dam abutment that directs water to an intake 
structure with 17-foot-wide trashracks with 5-inch clear bar spacing; 
(4) a 52-foot-long by 46-foot-wide concrete powerhouse; (5) two double-
regulated open-pit type turbine-generator units each rated at 2,500 
kilowatts (kW) for a total installed capacity of 5,000 kW; (6) an 
approximately 230-foot-long tailrace, excavated in rock at a normal 
tailwater elevation of 681.17 feet; (7) a 500-foot-long, 23-kilovolt 
(kV) transmission line owned by Duquesne Light Company; (8) 4.16-kV 
generator leads, a 60-foot-long section of 5-kV underground cable 
leading to a 4.16/23-kV transformer in an outdoor substation; and (9) 
appurtenant facilities. The average annual generation was 19,524 
megawatt-hours for the period from 2015 to 2019.
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    \2\ All vertical elevations herein are referenced in National 
Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929.
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    The Townsend Project operates in a run-of-river mode with a 
continuous minimum flow of 304 cubic feet per second (cfs), or inflow, 
whichever is less, conveyed to the bypassed reach for the protection of 
aquatic resources. The flow for operating a single unit is 600 cfs and 
minimum river flow for the project operation is 904 cfs. There is 
minimal to no available usable storage behind the dam and if river flow 
is less than 904 cfs, all water is spilled over the dam. The project is 
typically operated automatically, but manual operation may occur during 
dynamic high-water events. The project is returned to automatic 
operation when flow decreases.
    m. This filing may 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.
    All filings must (1) bear in all capital letters the title 
``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 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. Each filing 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 at [email protected].
    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, contact FERC 
Online Support.
    n. The applicant must file no later than 60 days from the issuance 
date 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 a 
waiver of water quality certification.
    o. Procedural schedule: The application will be processed according 
to the following schedule. Revisions to the schedule will be made as 
appropriate.

[[Page 103809]]

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               Milestones                          Target date
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Deadline for filing comments,            February 10, 2025.
 recommendations, terms and conditions,
 and prescriptions.
Deadline for filing reply comments.....  March 27, 2025.
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    p. Final amendments to the application must be filed with the 
Commission no later than 30 days from the issuance date of this notice.

    Dated: December 12, 2024.
Debbie-Anne A. Reese,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2024-30063 Filed 12-18-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P
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