Fall River Rural Electric Cooperative, Inc.; 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.: 5089–027.

c. Date Filed: August 31, 2021.

d. Applicant: Fall River Rural Electric Cooperative, Inc. (Fall River).

e. Name of Project: Felt Hydroelectric Project (project).

f. Location: On the Teton River, near the town of Tetonia, in Teton County, Idaho. The project occupies 114.4 acres of Federal land administered by the Bureau of Land Management.

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

h. Applicant Contact: Nicholas Josten, 2742 Saint Charles Ave., Idaho Falls, Idaho 83404; (208) 528–6152.

i. FERC Contact: John Matkowski at (202) 502–8576, or john.matkowski@ferc.gov.

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 motions to intervene and protests using the Commission's eFiling system at https://ferconline.ferc.gov/FERCOnline.aspx. For assistance, please contact FERC Online Support at FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov, (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: Felt Hydroelectric Project (P–5089–027).

The Commission's Rules of Practice and Procedure require all interveners 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 intervener 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 for filing, but is not ready for environmental analysis at this time.

l. The existing Felt Project consists of: (1) a 122.5-foot-long, 12-foot-high concrete dam that includes the following sections: (a) 25-foot-wide sluiceway section with a 4-foot-wide fish ladder and a 14-foot-wide corrugated steel radial gate and (b) a 96-foot-wide uncontrolled overflow spillway with a crest elevation of 5,530-feet mean sea level (msl); (2) a 7-acre impoundment with a storage capacity of 28 acre-feet at a normal water surface elevation of 5,530-feet msl; (3) a 178-foot-long, 8.5-foot-deep fish screen structure equipped with a bar rack with 3/8 -inch clear bar spacing and diamond mesh screen; (4) three intake openings located behind the fish screen each equipped with 10-foot-wide intake gates and 10-foot-wide trash racks with 3-inch clear bar spacing; (5) three, 8-foot-square unlined rock tunnels connecting the intakes to penstocks and consisting of: (a) a 179-foot-long Tunnel No. 1 connecting to a 280-foot-long, 78-inch-diameter steel penstock that bifurcates into two, 180-foot-long, 60-inch-diameter steel penstocks that connect to Powerhouse No. 1; and (b) a 177-foot-long Tunnel No. 2 and a 196-foot-long Tunnel No. 3 each connecting to a 1,750-foot-long, 96-inch-diameter steel penstock that connects to Powerhouse No. 2; (6) an 83-foot-long, 26-foot-wide, 13-foot-high reinforced concrete Powerhouse No. 1 containing two horizontal Francis turbine-generator units with a combined generating capacity of 1,950 kilowatts (kW); (7) a 36-foot-long, 36-foot-wide, 25-foot-high reinforced concrete Powerhouse No. 2 containing two vertical Francis turbine-generator units with a combined generating capacity of 5,500 kW; (8) two tailrace channels discharging to the Teton River from Powerhouses No. 1 and No. 2; (9) a 1,500-foot-long, 4.16 kilovolt (kV) overhead transmission line connecting Powerhouse No. 1 to a transformer located next to Powerhouse No. 2; (10) a 2,000-foot-long, 24.9 kV overhead transmission line leading from the transformer to the interconnection point; and (11) appurtenant facilities.

The project operates in run-of-river mode and generates an average of 33,100 megawatt-hours per year. A continuous minimum flow is released below the dam according to the following schedule: 20 cubic feet per second (cfs) from July 1 to March 14 and 50 cfs from March 15 to June 30.

Fall River proposes to remove 42 acres of land from the current project boundary.

m. A copy of the application is available for review 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. For assistance, contact FERC at FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov or call toll free, (886) 208–3676 or TTY (202) 502–8659.

You may also 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.

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 (202)502–6595, or OPP@ferc.gov.

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.

When the application is ready for environmental analysis, the Commission will issue a public notice requesting comments, recommendations, terms and conditions, or prescriptions.

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—January 2024

Comments on Scoping Document 1 Due—February 2024

Issue Scoping Document 2 (if necessary)—March 2024

Issue Notice of Ready for Environmental Analysis—April 2024