2023-09245. Green Mountain Power Corporation; Notice of Application Accepted for Filing and Soliciting Motions To Intervene and Protests

Take notice that the following hydroelectric application has been filed with the Commission and is available for public inspection.

a. Type of Application: Subsequent Minor License.

b. Project No.: 2489–049.

c. Date filed: October 31, 2022.

d. Applicant: Green Mountain Power Corporation.

e. Name of Project: Cavendish Hydroelectric Project (Cavendish Project or project).

f. Location: On the Black River, in the town of Cavendish, in Windsor County, Vermont. The project does not occupy any federal land.

g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act, 16 U.S.C. 791(a)–825(r).

h. Applicant Contact: John Tedesco, Green Mountain Power Corporation, 2152 Post Road, Rutland, VT 05701; Phone at (802) 655–8753, or email at [e-mail].

i. FERC Contact: Adam Peer at (202) 502–8449, or [e-mail].

j. Deadline for filing motions to intervene and protests: 60 days from the issuance date of this notice.

The Commission strongly encourages electronic filing. Please file using the Commission's eFiling system at https://ferconline.ferc.gov/​FERCOnline.aspx. For assistance, please contact FERC Online Support at [e-mail], (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: Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE, Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426. Submissions sent via any other carrier must be addressed to: Kimberly D. Bose, 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: Cavendish Hydroelectric Project (P–2489–049).

The Commission's Rules of Practice require all intervenors 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 intervenor 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 but is not ready for environmental analysis at this time.

l. The existing Cavendish Project consists of: (1) a 3,000 foot-long, 10-acre impoundment with a gross storage capacity of 18.4-acre-feet at a normal water surface elevation of 884.13 feet National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929 (NGVD 29); (2) a 111-foot-long concrete gravity dam that consists of: (a) a 90-foot-long by 25-foot-high north spillway section topped with a 6-foot-high inflatable flashboard system; and (b) a 21-foot-long by 6-foot-high south spillway section topped with 2.5-foot-high steel flashboards; (3) an 18-inch wide downstream fish passage chute located on the north side of the spillway; (4) a concrete intake structure equipped with a mechanically operated headgate, and a trash rack with 2-inch clear bar spacing; (5) a 178-foot-long concrete and rock tunnel that carries flows from the intake to a penstock; (6) a 6-foot-diameter, 1,090-foot-long steel penstock; (7) a 64-foot-long by 34-foot-wide powerhouse containing three turbine-generator units with a combined capacity of 1.44 megawatts; (8) a 100-foot-long transmission line that runs from the powerhouse to a substation within the project boundary; and (9) appurtenant facilities. The project creates a 1,570-foot-long bypassed reach of the Black River.

The current license requires Green Mountain Power Corporation to: (1) operate the project in run-of-river mode; (2) maintain the impoundment water level no lower than 6 inches below the crest of the flashboards; (3) release a continuous minimum flow of 10 cubic feet per second (cfs) to the bypassed reach; and (4) release downstream flows of at least 42 cfs from June 1 to September 30, at least 83 cfs from October 1 to March 31, and at least 332 cfs from April 1 to May 31 when refilling the impoundment after project maintenance or flashboard installation. If inflows are insufficient to meet the downstream flows during impoundment refill, Green Mountain Power Corporation is required to release 90 percent of instantaneous inflow through the turbines. The project generates about 4,864 megawatt-hours annually.

Green Mountain Power Corporation proposes to: (1) continue operating the project in run-of-river mode; (2) maintain a stable impoundment water level at the top of the flashboard crest; (3) continue releasing a continuous minimum flow of 10 cfs to the bypassed reach; and (4) release 90 percent of instantaneous inflow through the turbines at all times when refilling the impoundment.

m. In addition to publishing the full text of this document in the Federal Register , the Commission provides all interested persons an opportunity to view and/or print the contents of this document via the internet through the Commission's Home Page ( http://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. At this time, the Commission has suspended access to the Commission's Public Reference Room. For assistance, contact FERC Online Support at [e-mail] or call toll-free, (886) 208–3676 or TTY, (202) 502–8659.

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. Anyone may submit a protest or a motion to intervene in accordance with the requirements of Rules of Practice and Procedure, 18 CFR 385.210, 385.211, and 385.214. In determining the appropriate action to take, the Commission will consider all protests filed, but only those who file a motion to intervene in accordance with the Commission's Rules may become a party to the proceeding. Any protests or motions to intervene must be received on or before the specified deadline date for the particular application.

All filings must (1) bear in all capital letters the title “PROTEST” or “MOTION TO INTERVENE;” (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 protesting or intervening; and (4) otherwise comply with the requirements of 18 CFR 385.2001 through 385.2005. Agencies may obtain copies of the application directly from the applicant. A copy of any protest or motion to intervene must be served upon each representative of the applicant specified in the particular application.

o. Procedural schedule: The application will be processed according to the following schedule. Revisions to the schedule will be made as appropriate.

Issue Scoping—Document 1 for comments June 2023

Scoping Document 1 comments due—July 2023

Request Additional Information (if necessary)—August 2023

Issue Scoping Document 2 (if necessary)—September 2023

Issue Notice of Ready for Environmental Analysis—December 2023

Dated: April 26, 2023.

Kimberly D. Bose,

Secretary.