2020-15865. Walden Hydro, LLC; 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: New Major License.

b. Project No.: 4428-011.

c. Date filed: May 29, 2020.

d. Applicant: Walden Hydro, LLC.

e. Name of Project: Walden Hydroelectric Project.

f. Location: On the Wallkill River, in the Village of Walden, Orange County, New York. 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: Ms. Elise Anderson, Senior Environmental Permitting Specialist, Walden Hydro, LLC, Enel Green Power North America, Inc., 100 Brickstone Square, Suite 300, Andover, MA 01810; Phone at [phone] or email at [e-mail].

i. FERC Contact: Samantha Pollak at [phone], or [e-mail].

j. Deadline for filing motions to intervene and protests: September 14, 2020.

The Commission strongly encourages electronic filings of comments, protests and interventions in lieu of paper using the eFiling link at http://www.ferc.gov. Persons unable to file electronically may mail similar pleadings to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE, Washington, DC 20426. Hand delivered submissions in docketed proceedings should be delivered to Health and Human Services, 12225 Wilkins Avenue, Rockville, Maryland 20852.

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 Walden Project consists of the following existing facilities: (1) A 417-foot-long, V-shaped concrete dam topped with 2-foot-high flashboards; (2) an impoundment with a surface area of 69 acres at the normal pool elevation of 321.3 feet National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929 (NGVD29); (3) an intake structure consisting of a 252-foot-long, 56-foot-wide, 18-foot-deep canal forebay; (4) four 40-foot-long steel penstocks; (5) a 60-foot-long, 45-foot-wide, 29-foot-high powerhouse containing three horizontal double-runner Francis turbine units with ratings of 980 kilowatts (kW), 630 kW, and 500 kW, respectively for a total rated capacity of 2,110 kW; (6) a 30-foot-long, 37-foot-wide tailrace; (7) a 230-foot-long bypassed reach consisting primarily of bedrock; (8) a transmission line; (9) a substation with a single-phase 12.5-kilovolt transformer; and (10) appurtenant facilities.

The project operates in a run-of-river mode with a minimum flow of 31 cubic feet per second. The project has an average annual generation of 3,333 megawatt-hours between 2012 and 2019.

m. The Commission provides all interested persons with an opportunity to view and/or print the EA 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, due to the proclamation declaring a National Emergency concerning the Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19), issued by the President on March 13, 2020. For assistance, contact FERC Online Support at [e-mail] or toll-free at [phone], or for TTY, [phone].

You may also register online at https://ferconline.ferc.gov/​eSubscription.aspx 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: November 2020.

Request Additional Information (if necessary): January 2021.

Issue Scoping Document 2 (if necessary): February 2021.

Issue Notice of Ready for Environmental Analysis: February 2021.

Commission issues EA: September 2021.

Comments on EA: October 2021.

Dated: July 16, 2020.

Nathaniel J. Davis, Sr.,

Deputy Secretary.