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[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 27 (Tuesday, February 11, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 9323-9324]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2025-02429]

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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 14634-008]

New England Hydropower Company, LLC; Notice of Application 
Tendered for Filing With the Commission and Soliciting Additional Study 
Requests and Establishing Procedural Schedule for Licensing

    Take notice that the following hydroelectric application has been 
filed with the Commission and is available for public inspection.
    a. Type of Application: Original Minor License.
    b. Project No.: 14634-008.
    c. Date Filed: January 21, 2025.
    d. Applicant: New England Hydropower Company, LLC (NEHC).
    e. Name of Project: Ashton Dam Hydroelectric Project (project).
    f. Location: On the Blackstone River in Providence County, Rhode 
Island.
    g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act 16 U.S.C. 791(a)-825(r).
    h. Applicant Contact: Mr. Michael Kerr, New England Hydropower 
Company, LLC, 100 Cummings Center, Suite 451C, Beverly, MA 01915; Phone 
at (978) 360-2547, or email at [email protected]; or Carol 
Wasserman, New England Hydropower Company, LLC, 100 Cummings Center, 
Suite 451C, Beverly, MA 01915; Phone at (339) 293-3157, or email 
[email protected].
    i. FERC Contact: John Baummer at (202) 502-6837, or 
[email protected].
    j. Cooperating Agencies: Federal, State, local, and Tribal agencies 
with jurisdiction and/or special expertise with respect to 
environmental issues that wish to cooperate in the preparation of the 
environmental document should follow the instructions for filing such 
requests described in item l below. Cooperating agencies should note 
the Commission's policy that agencies that cooperate in the preparation 
of the environmental document cannot also intervene. See, 94 FERC ] 
61,076 (2001).
    k. Pursuant to section 4.32(b)(7) of 18 CFR of the Commission's 
regulations, if any resource agency, Indian Tribe, or person believes 
that an additional scientific study should be conducted in order to 
form an adequate factual basis for a complete analysis of the 
application on its merit, the resource agency, Indian Tribe, or person 
must file a request for a study with the Commission not later than 60 
days from the date of filing of the application, and serve a copy of 
the request on the applicant.
    l. Deadline for filing additional study requests and requests for 
cooperating agency status: March 22, 2025.
    The Commission strongly encourages electronic filing. Please file 
additional study requests and requests for cooperating agency status 
using the Commission's eFiling system at https://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/efiling.asp. 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, 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, MD 20852. All filings must clearly identify 
the project name and docket number on the first page: Ashton Dam 
Hydroelectric Project (P-14634-008).
    m. The application is not ready for environmental analysis at this 
time.
    n. The proposed Ashton Dam Hydroelectric Project would consist of: 
(1) an existing stone masonry gravity dam that includes: (a) a western 
abutment section; (b) a 203-foot-long western spillway section with a 
crest elevation of 73.6 feet North American Vertical Datum of 1988 
(NAVD 88); (c) an 18-foot-long stone masonry pier that includes two 4-
foot-wide, 8-foot-high existing openings that would be modified to 
close the openings; (d) an existing 54-foot-long eastern spillway 
section that would be replaced with a new 54-foot-long concrete section 
that includes: (i) two new 19.8-foot-wide, horizontal steel trashracks 
sloped at 8 degrees to inflow with 0.5-inch clear bar spacing; (ii) two 
new 19.7-foot-wide, 60.8-foot-long concrete penstocks, and (iii) four 
new hinged, adjustable Obermeyer metal crest gates installed on top of 
the new concrete structure with a crest elevation of 73.6 feet NAVD 88; 
and (e) an eastern abutment section; (2) an existing impoundment with a 
surface area of 35 acres at an elevation of 73.6 feet NAVD 88; (3) four 
new submersible StreamDiver Kaplan turbine-generator units (three 224-
kilowatt [kW] and one 121-kW generators) located in the openings of the 
new concrete structure, with a total installed capacity of 793 kW; (4) 
a new 15.4-foot-long, 8.6-foot-high draft tube and a new 16.9-foot-
long, 6.7-foot-high draft tube; (5) a new 60-foot-long, 41-foot-wide 
concrete tailrace and an approximately 30- to 45-foot-long, 44.3-foot-
wide concrete apron; (6) a new 35-foot-long, 16-foot-wide control 
building located on the eastern shoreline of the Blackstone River; (7) 
a new 1,000 kilo-volt-amperes step-up transformer located on a new 6-
foot-long, 5.3-foot-wide concrete pad; (8) a new 1,410-foot-long 
transmission line consisting of an 820-foot-long underground segment 
and a 590-foot-long overhead segment connecting the project to the 
distribution system owned by the Rhode Island Energy; (9) a new access 
road and parking area; and (10) appurtenant facilities.
    In addition to the new facilities listed above, NEHC proposes to: 
(1) operate the project in a run-of-river mode with an estimated annual 
energy production of approximately 3,100 megawatt-hours; (2) release a 
continuous minimum flow of 100 cubic feet per second or inflow 
whichever is less, over the western spillway; (3) install a downstream 
fish passage facility between the crest gates on top of the new 
concrete structure; (4) install an upstream eel passage facility at the 
project dam; (5) develop an erosion control plan; (6) implement Best 
Management Practices to control erosion and sedimentation during 
construction; (7) develop a contaminated sediment management and 
disposal plan; (8) monitor water quality post construction; (9) restore 
and improve an existing canoe portage upstream and downstream of the 
dam; (10) develop an invasive species management plan; (11) develop an 
historic properties management plan; (12) install interpretive historic 
signage for educational purposes at the project; and (13) develop a 
project operation and maintenance plan.
    o. Copies of the application 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

[[Page 9324]]

document (P-14634). For assistance, contact FERC Online Support at 
[email protected] or call tollfree, (866) 208-3676 or (202) 
502-8659 (TTY).
    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.
    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, 
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].
    p. Procedural Schedule: The application will be processed according 
to the following preliminary schedule. Revisions to the schedule will 
be made as appropriate.

Milestone--Target Date
Issue Deficiency Letter (if necessary)--March 2025
Request Additional Information--March 2025
Issue Acceptance Letter--July 2025
Issue Scoping Document 1 for comments--July 2025
Request Additional Information (if necessary)--August 2025
Issue Scoping Document 2--October 2025
Issue Notice of Ready for Environmental Analysis--October 2025

    Dated: February 4, 2025.
Debbie Anne A. Reese,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2025-02429 Filed 2-10-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P
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