Green Mountain Power Company; Notice of Intent To File License Application, Filing of Pre-Application Document (Pad), Commencement of Pre-Filing Process and Scoping, Request for Comments on the Pad and Scoping Document, and Identification of Issues and Associated Study Requests

• Citation: 91 FR 62723
• Published date: 02 October 2026
• FR Document: 2026-20241
• Pages: 62723-62725
• Section: Notices
• Issuer: Energy Department,Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 190 (Friday, October 2, 2026)

[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 190 (Friday, October 2, 2026)]
                [Notices]
                [Pages 62723-62725]
                From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
                [FR Doc No: 2026-20241]
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                DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
                Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
                [Project No. 2737-029]
                Green Mountain Power Company; Notice of Intent To File License
                Application, Filing of Pre-Application Document (Pad), Commencement of
                Pre-Filing Process and Scoping, Request for Comments on the Pad and
                Scoping Document, and Identification of Issues and Associated Study
                Requests
                 a. Type of Filing: Notice of Intent to File License Application for
                a New License and Commencing Pre-filing Licensing Process.
                 b. Project No.: 2737-029.
                 c. Dated Filed: July 31, 2026.
                 d. Submitted By: Green Mountain Power Corporation (GMP).
                 e. Name of Project: Middlebury Lower Hydroelectric Project.
                 f. Location: The project is located on Otter Creek in Addison
                County, Vermont.
                 g. Filed Pursuant to: 18 CFR part 5 of the Commission's
                regulations.
                 h. Potential Applicant Contact: Mr. John Tedesco, Generation
                Project Coordinator, Green Mountain Power Corporation, 163 Acorn Lane,
                Colchester, VT 05446; (802) 655-8753 or email at
                [email protected].
                 i. FERC Contact: Erin Mocko, Project Coordinator, Great Lakes
                Branch, Division of Hydropower Licensing; telephone at (202) 502-8107;
                email at [email protected].
                 j. Cooperating agencies: Federal, state, local, and tribal agencies
                with jurisdiction and/or special expertise with respect to
                environmental issues that wish to cooperate in the preparation of the
                environmental
                [[Page 62724]]
                document should follow the instructions for filing such requests
                described in item o below. Cooperating agencies should note the
                Commission's policy that agencies that cooperate in the preparation of
                the environmental document cannot also intervene. See 94 FERC ] 61,076
                (2001).
                 k. With this notice, we are initiating informal consultation with:
                (a) the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Oceanic and
                Atmospheric Administration--Fisheries under section 7 of the Endangered
                Species Act and the joint agency regulations thereunder at 50 CFR, part
                402; and (b) the Vermont State Historic Preservation Officer, as
                required by section 106, National Historic Preservation Act, and the
                implementing regulations of the Advisory Council on Historic
                Preservation at 36 CFR 800.2.
                 l. With this notice, we are designating GMP as the Commission's
                non-federal representative for carrying out informal consultation
                pursuant to section 7 of the Endangered Species Act and section 106 of
                the National Historic Preservation Act.
                 m. GMP filed with the Commission a Pre-Application Document (PAD),
                including a proposed process plan and schedule, pursuant to 18 CFR 5.6
                of the Commission's regulations.
                 n. A copy of the PAD is available for review on the Commission's
                website (http://www.ferc.gov), using the ``eLibrary'' link. Enter the
                docket number, excluding the last three digits of the sub-docket in the
                docket number field to access the document. For assistance, contact
                FERC Online Support at [email protected], (866) 208-3676 (toll
                free), or (202) 502-8659 (TTY). A copy is also available via the
                contact in paragraph h.
                 You may register online at https://ferconline.ferc.gov/FERCOnline.aspx to be notified via email of new filings and issuances
                related to this or other pending projects. For assistance, contact FERC
                Online Support.
                 For public inquiries and assistance with making filings such as
                interventions, comments, or requests for rehearing, contact the Office
                of Public Participation at (202) 502-6595 or [email protected].
                 o. With this notice, we are soliciting comments on the PAD and
                Commission staff's Scoping Document 1 (SD1), as well as study requests.
                All comments on the PAD and SD1, and study requests should be sent to
                the address above in paragraph h. In addition, all comments on the PAD
                and SD1, study requests, requests for cooperating agency status, and
                all communications to and from Commission staff related to the merits
                of the potential application must be filed with the Commission.
                 The Commission strongly encourages electronic filing. Please file
                documents using the Commission's eFiling system at https://ferconline.ferc.gov/FERCOnline.aspx. Commenters can submit brief
                comments up to 10,000 characters, without prior registration, using the
                eComment system at https://ferconline.ferc.gov/QuickComment.aspx. You
                must include your name and contact information at the end of your
                comments. For assistance, please contact FERC Online Support. In lieu
                of electronic filing, you may submit a paper copy. Submissions sent via
                the U.S. Postal Service must be addressed to: Debbie-Anne A. Reese,
                Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE,
                Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426. Submissions sent via any other carrier
                must be addressed to: Debbie-Anne A. Reese, 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: Middlebury Lower Hydroelectric Project (P-2737-029).
                 All filings with the Commission must bear the appropriate heading:
                ``Comments on Pre-Application Document,'' ``Study Requests,''
                ``Comments on Scoping Document 1,'' ``Request for Cooperating Agency
                Status,'' or ``Communications to and from Commission Staff.'' Any
                individual or entity interested in submitting study requests,
                commenting on the PAD or SD1, and any agency requesting cooperating
                status must do so by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, November 30,
                2026.
                 p. Scoping Process: In accordance with the National Environmental
                Policy Act (NEPA), Commission staff will prepare either an
                environmental assessment (EA) or an environmental impact statement
                (EIS) (collectively referred to as the ``NEPA document''). The NEPA
                document will consider the environmental effects of the proposed action
                and reasonable alternatives to the proposed action. The Commission's
                scoping process will help determine the required level of analysis and
                satisfy the NEPA scoping requirements, irrespective of whether the
                Commission prepares an EA or EIS.
                Scoping Sessions
                 Commission staff will hold two scoping sessions for the project to
                receive input on the scope of the NEPA document. A daytime session will
                focus on concerns of resource agencies, Tribes, and non-governmental
                organizations (NGO); and an evening session will focus on input from
                the public. We invite all interested agencies, Indian Tribes, NGOs, and
                the public to attend one or both sessions to assist staff in
                identifying the scope of environmental issues that should be analyzed
                in the NEPA document. The dates and times of the scoping sessions are
                listed below.
                Morning Scoping Session
                 Date: Tuesday, October 27, 2026
                 Time: 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.
                 Location: Green Mountain Power Corporation, 121 Cady Rd.,
                Middlebury VT 05753.
                Evening Scoping Session
                 Date: Tuesday, October 27, 2026.
                 Time: 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
                 Location: Green Mountain Power Corporation, 121 Cady Rd.,
                Middlebury VT 05753.
                 Copies of SD1, outlining the subject areas to be addressed in the
                environmental document, were mailed to the individuals and entities on
                the Commission's mailing list. Copies of SD1 may be viewed on the web
                at http://www.ferc.gov, using the ``eLibrary'' link. Follow the
                directions for accessing information in paragraph n. Based on all oral
                and written comments, a Scoping Document 2 (SD2) may be issued. SD2 may
                include a revised process plan and schedule, as well as a list of
                issues, identified through the scoping process.
                Site Visit
                 A site visit of the project will be conducted at 81 Seymour St Ext,
                Middlebury, VT 05753, on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, from 12:30 p.m. to
                1:30 p.m.
                 All interested individuals, agencies, Tribes, and NGOs are invited
                to attend. Participants should meet at 2:30 p.m. at 19 Water St,
                Weybridge VT 05753. Please contact John Tedesco at (803) 324-7318 or
                via email at [email protected] on or before October
                23, 2026, if you plan to attend.
                Scoping Session Procedures
                 Agencies, Indian Tribes, NGOs, and individuals with environmental
                expertise and concerns are encouraged to attend the sessions and to
                assist the staff in defining and clarifying the issues to be addressed
                in the NEPA document. Individual oral comments will be taken on a one-
                on-one basis with a court reporter (with Commission staff present).
                This format is designed to receive the maximum number of oral comments
                in a convenient way during the timeframe allotted. If you wish to
                [[Page 62725]]
                speak, Commission staff will hand out numbers in the order of your
                arrival. If all individuals who wish to provide comments have had an
                opportunity to do so, Commission staff may conclude the session a half
                hour earlier than the scheduled time. Please see appendix A of the SD1
                for additional information on the session format and conduct.
                 Scoping comments will be recorded by the court reporter and become
                part of the public record for this proceeding. Transcripts will be
                publicly available on FERC's eLibrary system. If a significant number
                of people are interested in providing oral comments in the one-on-one
                settings, a time limit may be implemented for each commentor.
                 It is important to note that the Commission provides equal
                consideration to all comments received, whether filed in writing or
                provided orally at a scoping session. Although there will not be a
                formal presentation, Commission staff will be available throughout the
                scoping sessions to answer your questions about the environmental
                review process. Representatives from GMP will also be present to answer
                project-specific questions.
                (Authority: 18 CFR 2.1.)
                 Dated: September 29, 2026.
                Debbie-Anne A. Reese,
                Secretary.
                [FR Doc. 2026-20241 Filed 10-1-26; 8:45 am]
                BILLING CODE 6717-01-P