[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 94 (Monday, May 16, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Page 29742]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-10470]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 4784-106]


Topsham Hydro Partners Limited Partnership (L.P.); Notice of 
Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment

    On August 31, 2020, Topsham Hydro Partners Limited Partnership 
(L.P.) (Topsham Hydro) filed an application for a new license for the 
12.3-megawatt Pejepscot Hydroelectric Project (Pejepscot Project; FERC 
No. 4784) on the Androscoggin River in Sagadahoc, Cumberland, and 
Androscoggin Counties in the village of Pejepscot and the town of 
Topsham, Maine. The project does not affect federal lands.
    In accordance with the Commission's regulations, on April 19, 2021, 
Commission staff issued a notice that the project was ready for 
environmental analysis (REA Notice). Subsequently, Topsham Hydro filed 
Settlement Agreements for Modified Prescriptions for Fishways executed 
by and between the licensee and the U.S. Department of Commerce's 
National Marine Fisheries Service and the U.S. Department of Interior's 
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on February 18, 2022, and February 24, 
2022, respectively. Comments on the settlement agreements were due on 
March 26 and 30, 2022. Comments were filed on the settlement 
agreements.
    Based on the information in the record, including our review of the 
settlement agreements and comments on the settlement agreements, staff 
does not anticipate that licensing the project would constitute a major 
federal action significantly affecting the quality of the human 
environment. Therefore, staff intends to prepare a draft and final 
Environmental Assessment (EA) on the application to relicense the 
Pejepscot Project.
    The EA will be issued and circulated for review by all interested 
parties. All comments filed on the EA will be analyzed by staff and 
considered in the Commission's final licensing decision.
    The application will be processed according to the following 
schedule. Revisions to the schedule may be made as appropriate.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                 Milestone                           Target date
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commission issues draft EA................  June 2022.
Comments on draft EA due..................  July 2022.
Commission issues final EA................  November 2022 \1\
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\1\ The Council on Environmental Quality's (CEQ) regulations under 40
  CFR 1501.10(b)(1) require that EAs be completed within 1 year of the
  federal action agency's decision to prepare an EA. This notice
  establishes the Commission's intent to prepare a draft and final EA
  for the Pejepscot Hydroelectric Project. Therefore, in accordance with
  CEQ's regulations, the final EA must be issued within 1 year of the
  issuance date of this notice.

    Any questions regarding this notice may be directed to Ryan Hansen 
at (202) 502-8074 or at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#88faf1e9e6a6e0e9e6fbede6c8eeedfaeba6efe7fe"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="90e2e9f1febef8f1fee3f5fed0f6f5e2f3bef7ffe6">[email protected]</span></a>.

    Dated: May 10, 2022.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2022-10470 Filed 5-13-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P


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