Document ID: FERC-2023-1235-0001
Agency: ferc
Document Type: Notice
Title: Environmental Impact Statements; Availability, etc.: Brookfield White Pine Hydro, LLC, Merimil LP, Hydro-Kennebec, LLC; Proposed Project Relicense, Interim Species Protection Plan, and Final Species Protection Plan
Posted Date: 2023-09-22T04:00Z

[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 183 (Friday, September 22, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Page 65382]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-20569]

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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project Nos. 2322-069; 2322-071; 2325-100; 2574-092; 2611-091]

Brookfield White Pine Hydro, LLC, Merimil Limited Partnership, 
Hydro-Kennebec, LLC; Notice of Revised Procedural Schedule for 
Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Project Relicense, 
Interim Species Protection Plan, and Final Species Protection Plan

    On January 31, 2020, Brookfield White Pine Hydro, LLC filed an 
application for a new license to continue to operate and maintain the 
8.65-megawatt (MW) Shawmut Hydroelectric Project No. 2322 (Shawmut 
Project). On June 1, 2021, in a separate compliance proceeding for the 
Shawmut Project, Brookfield White Pine Hydro, LLC filed an Interim 
Species Protection Plan (Interim Plan) for Atlantic salmon and 
requested Commission approval to amend the current Shawmut license to 
incorporate the Interim Plan. The Interim Plan includes measures to 
protect endangered Atlantic salmon until the Commission issues a 
decision on the relicense application for the Shawmut Project.
    Also on June 1, 2021, Brookfield Power US Asset Management, LLC 
(Brookfield), on behalf of the affiliated licensees for the 6.915-MW 
Lockwood Hydroelectric Project No. 2574, 15.433-MW Hydro-Kennebec 
Hydroelectric Project No. 2611, and 15.98-MW Weston Hydroelectric 
Project No. 2325, filed a Final Species Protection Plan (Final Plan) 
for Atlantic salmon, Atlantic sturgeon, and shortnose sturgeon and 
requested Commission approval to amend the three project licenses to 
incorporate the Final Plan. All four projects are located on the 
Kennebec River, in Kennebec and Somerset Counties, Maine.
    On November 23, 2021, Commission staff issued a notice of intent to 
prepare a draft and final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to 
evaluate the effects of relicensing the Shawmut Project and amending 
the licenses of all four projects to incorporate the measures in the 
Interim and Final Plans. The notice of intent included a schedule for 
preparing a draft and final EIS. The schedule was updated on February 
15, 2023, in response to Brookfield's filing of supplemental 
information for the Final Plan, Interim Plan, and License Application.
    On March 29, 2023, Commission staff initiated Tribal consultation 
with potentially affected Indian Tribes on the proposed license 
amendments. The Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians filed comments and 
recommendations on May 4, 2023, and the Penobscot Indian Nation filed 
comments and recommendations on May 1, 2023, and August 17, 2023. The 
EIS will consider the comments and recommendations from the Tribes. 
Therefore, by this notice, Commission staff is updating the procedural 
schedule for completing a draft and final EIS.
    The revised schedule is shown below. Further revisions to the 
schedule may be made as appropriate.

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               Milestone                           Target date
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Issue Draft EIS........................  March 2024.
Issue Final EIS........................  September 2024.
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    Any questions regarding this notice may be directed to Matt Cutlip 
at (503) 552-2762, or by email at [email protected].

    Dated: September 18, 2023.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2023-20569 Filed 9-21-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P