2024-08995. Idaho Power Company; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment

On February 14, 2023, Idaho Power Company filed an application for a new major license for the 67.5-megawatt American Falls Hydroelectric Project (American Falls Project; FERC No. 2736). The American Falls project is located on the Snake River in Power County, Idaho, near the city of American Falls, about 25 miles southwest of Pocatello. The project is located at the American Falls Dam, owned and operated by the United States Bureau of Reclamation. The project occupies 7.37 acres of United States land administered by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation in Power County, Idaho.

In accordance with the Commission's regulations, on February 7, 2024, Commission staff issued a notice that the project was ready for environmental analysis (REA Notice). Based on the information in the record, including comments filed on the REA Notice, 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 American Falls 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 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 [phone] or [e-mail].

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	October 2024.
Comments on draft EA due	November 2024.
Commission issues final EA	April 2025.1

Any questions regarding this notice may be directed to Golbahar Mirhosseini at [e-mail].

Dated: April 22, 2024.

Debbie-Anne A. Reese,

Acting Secretary.

Footnotes

1.  The Council on Environmental Quality's (CEQ) regulations under 40 CFR 1501.10(b)(1) (2022) require that EAs be completed within 1 year of the Federal action agency's decision to prepare an EA. See National Environmental Policy Act, 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq., as amended by section 107(g)(1)(B)(iii) of the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023, Pub. L. 118-5, sec. 4336a, 137 Stat. 42.