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New Comments to FERC on Connecticut River Relicensing

Through April 22, 2024, many people are commenting to the FERC on the overall FirstLight application.  This is a sampling of some of those recent comments, generally from individuals rather than organizations.  More detailed comments will often have their own post.

 

CT River Hydro Relicensing – June ’22 Delegation notes

The following are notes as of a 6/9/22 meeting that members of the legislative delegation had with EEA and DEP.

  1. Updates from EEA/DEP since last call, especially focused on timing

    1. Timing still appears to be August for the Ready for Environmental Assessment**. EEA/DEP has not heard anything further from FERC that would indicate them moving forward any faster. DEP is lining up what they need, assuming the process will start around then.

    2. There are still negotiations going on re: comprehensive assessment. Those negotiations seem to be productive.

  2. MEPA Involvements

    1. MEPA Director Tori Kim is reviewing the previous determination and looking at whether a MEPA filing will be needed. Director Kim was actively looking at it when they spoke earlier in the week. DEP’s impression is that Director Kim would like to have a decision well before the August clock starts.

  3. DEP public-facing website on the relicensing

    1. DEP has developed a website with information both about the process and with links to FirstLight’s website for easy access to the information they are required to post. They added a mailing list feature so constituents can elect to receive email updates from DEP on the process. They plan for the website to be live in the next couple of weeks.

  4. Public meetings

    1. DEP is contracting with the UMass Donahue Institute to hold public meetings. Donahue will help with the public outreach and with an economic analysis.

    2. There will be four public meetings

      1. An introductory meeting, mainly a presentation of what’s in the application and about the process

      2. A listening session coinciding with the public comment period

      3. A presentation as DEP has processed the application to report back on what their direction is with the 401 WQC

      4. As they’re finalizing it, letting people know what’s in it and why

    3. It’s important that people submit comments during the formal public comment period because this establishes their rights to appeal, even though they’ll continue to have dialogue after that period.

** FERC issues the “Ready for Environmental Assessment (REA)” at which point, FirstLight will submit their application for a 401 Water Quality Certificate (WQC) to DEP, which will then start the one-year clock for DEP to issue the 401 WQC.

Water Cools the Planet

Monday, March 25, 6:30-8:00 pm,
Second Congregational Church, Court Square Greenfield, MA

The first of three events RE: Working with Nature to Restore our Climate 

Working with Nature to Restore our Climate is the theme of Greening Greenfield’s spring series of free in-person events. The first event, Water Cools the Planet, will be held Monday, March 25, 6:30-8pm, at the Second Congregational Church on Court Square in Greenfield.

“In this series, we will look into some novel ways of thinking that can help restore biodiversity and mitigate climate change,” says Dorothea Sotiros, avid gardener and Greening Greenfield member.

“I am particularly interested in the powerful role that water, plants and soil play in building climate resilience at home and beyond.”

The March 25 event will be kicked off by watching Water Cools the Planet, the first part of Regenerating Life, a beautiful documentary. This film offers fascinating insights into the role of water and plants, especially trees, in nurturing and balancing our climate.

John Feldman, writer, editor, and narrator shares his quest for a deeper understanding of what regulates the temperature of our planet, beyond carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide.  He introduces us to scientists who are exploring many aspects of our Earth who share their insights.

A 30-minute discussion, facilitated by Mary Westervelt, educator, with a Master’s in Environmental Studies, will follow the showing of the film.

 Water Cools the Planet will be followed by a viewing and discussion of Life Sustains the Climate, the second segment of Regenerating Life, on April 1.

The final event of the series will be held on Earth Day, April 22. Rachel Lindsay, Ecologist, Gardener and Lead Designer at Regenerative Design Group, will introduce us to Soil-Smart Planning and how we can protect soil health and increase climate reliance in our gardening efforts.

For more information about Greening Greenfield and how to support our programs such as Housing Greenfield, and the planting of native habitat in Greenfield, please visit www.GreeningGreenfieldMA.org.

Housing Greenfield Meeting Notes – March 12, 2024

Present: Susan Worgaftik, Peg Hall, Mary McClintock, Dorothy McIver, Chuck Green, Edie Heinemann, Pamela Goodwin, Dave Chichester, Stephanie Duclos, Rosa Tobin, Judy Draper, Erin Forbush, Amy Clarke, Emily Greene, Louise Amyot, Nikki Garrett

Decisions and areas for further discussion were made are in red.

Updates

Status of 42 Cleveland Street—Alyssa Larose

RDI expects to close on the sale of the property by April 15th. All the funding needed to complete the project is in hand. Asbestos remediation will begin this spring. RDI will be looking for assistance in outreach to the neighborhood as things move forward. Alyssa will be in touch with us about this.

Status of Green River School—Susan Worgaftik

We still don’t know a lot yet. Glenn Johnson-Mussad has told us that the superintendent is working on the key paperwork. We may know more in April.

Hope Street—Nikki Garrett

The reorganized leadership group met at the end of February.  They are planning a community meeting soon. The owner of the Webb Building is now involved as is Anna Oltman, and Councilors Bullock and Garrett.

Winter 2024-2025 Shelter Planning—Amy Clarke

The Mayor called a meeting of all the service providers providing support services to the unhoused population. Although everyone was not there, the representation was very good and there was a spirit of cooperation in the air. The assessment of the 2023 winter is that there was some difficulty getting the word out about the overflow warming center at the Wells Street shelter and the involvement of the Sheriff’s Office in the effort was not successful. It was agreed that next winter we should move to a different model. There will be no extra room at the temporary shelter at Arch Street next winter. Fire Chief Strahan explained the legal difficulties with providing overnight shelter in city buildings. It was agreed that we need to find some alternative spaces for very cold nights. It was also agreed that the 10 degree above 0 threshold may be too low, especially if wind chill is not considered. There will be further discussion on this. There are some possibilities for future staffing.  At the next meeting we hope that things will be moved further along in the planning.

CDBG Hearing—Susan Worgaftik

There was good representation of people concerned about housing at the CDBG hearing. It was good to know that the city’s plan for these funds that will become available in the fall are for housing rehabilitation assistance, legal aid for homelessness prevention and outreach to unhoused residents of Greenfield.  For more information, see attachment.

Housing Bond Bill—Susan Worgaftik

The good news is that housing bond bill is out of the Housing Committee and has been moved to the Bonding Committee. The bad news is that there were no amendments to the bill. Those amendments will probably happen in the Ways and Means Committee hearings. We will let people know when those meetings come up so that we can once again write letters to key representatives and senators.  Senator Comerford and Reps. Blais and Whipps are on board. The key will be getting to the leadership of the House and the Senate and the Ways and Means Committee. More to come.

Discussions

Massachusetts Fair Housing Center—Rosa Tobin

In a whirlwind presentation, Rosa presented the jist of what the Massachusetts Fair Housing Center does.  Mass Fair Housing Center is the oldest such center in the Commonwealth and serves the 4 Western Massachusetts counties and Worcester County. Its services are focused on housing discrimination providing free legal services, information and advocacy regarding public policy and testing of housing violation. The key pieces of legislation that in helps enforce are the 1968 Fair Housing Act and a state housing anti-discrimination law which outlaws housing discrimination based on race, color, national origin, sex, familial status, children in the household, marital status, age, sexual expression, and status regarding public assistance.  Landlords cannot set special conditions or add additional costs for people they do not want to rent to, eg. Extra cost because children may cause more wear and tear on an apartment. If you know of someone who might benefit from these services, they can reach Rosa at rtobin@massfairhousing.org or can call their office. (See attachments) They also will work with folks to do housing counseling and search support for people with vouchers. They work closely with Community Legal Aid regarding legal assistance for housing on broader issues.

Recognition of Shelter and Outreach Workers—Susan Worgaftik, Erin Forbush

We established that we want to provide personalized thank you notes and include a gift certificate or gift card. There are 32 people who would receive these cards…16 from the Wells Street Shelter, 14 from the two family shelters, and 2 from Wildflower Alliance. Considering our available funds, slightly less than $300, though a couple of people said that they would put some additional money in, we agreed that the key places to ask for gift cards or certificates are the Garden Cinema, Ice Cream Alley or Shelburne Coffee Roasters. We will also check if the Greenfield Business Association is still using Greenfield Dollars. Once we have figured out what cards we can get, we will have a card writing party. Susan and Louise are investigating the options.

Housing Registration—Chuck Green

Chuck presented an analysis of what the options are that are being considered by the committee.   Overall, we are trying to find the best way to gather the address information for all rental units with the least involvement of other individuals or systems, but also figure out how to make that information available and updated as needed. The subgroup is meeting on March 12th to consider options.

Reports  (The following are the same as February. As there has been no change, they are repeated here for those who missed the February notes.)

Wells Street—Amy Clarke

The shelter is full and the 5 additional beds that the shelter will have until the end of March are also occupied. They are prepared for overflow for when the temperature is 25 degrees or lower.  Because the winter has been warm thus far there have been very few nights when the warming center has been in use. CSO also has a partnership with Eliot Homeless Services which also provides hotel rooms, if they are needed.

The Interfaith Council has supported hotel stays primarily in Orange and Athol for a total of 50-60 nights and 6-8 nights at the Red Roof Inn.  They have also purchased supplies for the warming center and a stipend for Larry to do outreach for the warming center.  They have also spent $6-7,000 preventing evictions or providing start-up funds so that people can get housing.

Family Shelter at the Family Inn and the Days Inn—Erin Forbush

The Days Inn shelter has now been in operation for 8-9 months and the families are starting to see themselves as part of the community.  Many are working and 30 of the 45 families now have vehicles.  English classes are continuing with the Center for New Americans.  Mass Hire has been helpful in providing job fairs and working with employers.  There is a regular flow of new migrant families.  Within 24 hours of one family finding housing another arrives.  There are still more than 700 families on the state’s waiting list.

Comments of John Hinton 03-13-2024

First Light FERC.docx

To: FERC From: John Sinton, Florence, MA

Re.: Relicensing of Northfield Mountain Pumped Storage Facility and Turners Falls Dam

My name is John Sinton of Florence, Massachusetts. For twenty-five years, I have been an active and now honorary member of the Board of Trustees of the Connecticut Conservancy (formerly the Watershed Council). I co-authored The Connecticut River Boating Guide, Source to Sea, published in 2008 and have been an advocate for the river since the year 2000. I have witnessed and participated in all the activities of the Connecticut River Conservancy including consistent efforts to increase migratory fish habitat and recreational opportunities.

I appreciate the efforts of First Light Power to expand recreational facilities and access. I applaud these initiatives, and only hope that there will be further improvements to help paddlers portage their boats.

Furthermore, summer minimum flows need to provide sufficient water for both fish and paddlers.

For decades, First Light Power has notoriously resisted improvements in fish passage and river habitat. First Light’s offer to synchronize hydro flows with fish passage and improved aquatic life are delayed well beyond a sensible time frame – another decade before new fish passage infrastructure? Insufficient flows to nourish juvenile fish and eggs? No invasive species management? Refusal to include CRC in recreation discussions unless they agree to First Light’s conditions?

It is long past time to require that First Light take responsibility as a publicly licensed company to ensure the public interest, and that includes the interests of the river’s biota. I urge the FERC to withhold relicensing until First Light agrees to improve its operations as requested by such organizations as CRC, AMC, and American Rivers.

Thank you for your time, John Sinton

124 Willow St.

Florence, MA 01062

Greenfield Rental Housing Inspection

  1. Improve health and safety of existing housing, especially for low-income residents.

  2. Put in place a system to proactively prevent problems, rather than always responding to them in crisis mode.

  3. Remove the primary burden of proof from tenants to report substandard housing, including health and safety issues, when tenants may have concerns over retaliation, regardless of the illegality of retaliation.

  4. Not impose undue burdens on compliant landlords, but level the playing field so that responsive landlords are not at a disadvantage compared to non-responsive landlords. Focus greatest resources on problem properties and repeat/worst offender landlords.

  5. Improve the efficiency and efficacy of the current system that now absorbs innumerable hours of staff time from health, building, fire, and police departments without showing improvements commensurate with said hours.

  6. Improve data collection and record keeping to demonstrate progress, increase ability to share information across departments and municipalities, provide accountability, and expose patterns and gaps.

FERC issues Ready for Environmental Analysis for Northfield Mountain

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

FEDERAL ENERGY REGULATORY COMMISSION

Northfield Mountain LLC Project No. 2485-071

NOTICE OF APPLICATION ACCEPTED FOR FILING, SOLICITING MOTIONS TO INTERVENE AND PROTESTS, READY FOR ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS, AND SOLICITING COMMENTS, RECOMMENDATIONS, PRELIMINARY TERMS AND CONDITIONS, AND PRELIMINARY FISHWAY PRESCRIPTIONS

(February 22, 2024)

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

  1. Type of Application: New Major License
  1. Project No.: 2485-071
  1. Date Filed: April 29, 2016; material amendment filed December 4, 2020
  1. Applicant: Northfield Mountain LLC (Northfield)
  1. Name of Project: Northfield Mountain Pumped Storage Project (project)
  1. Location: The project is located on the Connecticut River in Windham County, Vermont, Cheshire County, New Hampshire, and Franklin County, Massachusetts.
  1. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act 16 U.S.C. §§ 791(a) – 825(r)  
  1. Applicant Contact: Mr. Alan Douglass, Regulatory Compliance Manager, 99 Millers Falls Road, Northfield, MA 01360; (413) 659-4416 or alan.douglass@firstlightpower.com
  1. FERC Contact: Steve Kartalia, (202) 502-6131 or stephen.kartalia@ferc.gov
  2. Deadline for filing motions to intervene and protests, comments,

recommendations, preliminary terms and conditions, and preliminary fishway prescriptions: 60 days from the issuance date of this notice; reply comments are due 105 days from the issuance date of this notice.

The Commission strongly encourages electronic filing. Please file motions to intervene and protests, comments, recommendations, terms and conditions, and prescriptions using the Commission’s eFiling system at https://ferconline.ferc.gov/FERCOnline.aspx. Commenters can submit brief comments up to 6,000 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 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: Debbie-Anne A. Reese, Acting 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, Acting Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 12225 Wilkins Avenue, Rockville, Maryland 20852. The first page of any filing should include docket number P-2485-071.

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.

  1. This application has been accepted and is ready for environmental analysis at this time.

  1. Project Description: The Northfield Mountain Pumped Storage Project consists of: (1) a 1-mile-long, 30-foot-wide, 30- to 140-foot-high main dam that includes: (i) an intake structure with two 7-foot-wide, 9-foot-high sluice gates and an 8‑foot-diameter outlet pipe; and (ii) a 589-foot-long, 2-foot-diameter low-level outlet pipe; (2) a 425-foot-long, 25-foot-high dike (North dike); (3) a 2,800-foot-long, 45-foot-high dike (Northwest dike); (4) a 1,700-foot-long, 40-foot-long dike (West dike); (5) a 327‑foot-long, 10- to 20-foot-high gravity dam; (6) an ungated 550-foot-long, 6-foot-high spillway structure with a 20-foot-long notch at an elevation of 1,005.0 feet National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929 (NGVD 29); (7) a 286-acre impoundment (upper reservoir) with a useable storage volume of 12,318 acre-feet between elevations 938.0 feet and 1,000.5 feet NGVD 29; (8) a 2,110-acre impoundment (lower reservoir or Turners Falls impoundment); (9) a 1,890-foot-long, 130-foot-wide intake channel with a 63-foot-long, 9-foot-high submerged check dam and two 6-foot-wide, 2.75-foot-high sluice gates and two 18-foot-wide stoplogs; (10) a 200-foot-long, 55-foot-wide, 80-foot-high pressure shaft; (11) an 853-foot-long, 31-foot-diameter penstock; (12) two 22-foot-diameter, 100- to 150-foot-long penstocks; (13) four 340-foot-long, 9.5- to 14-foot-diameter penstocks; (14) a 328-foot-long, 70-foot-wide powerhouse that contains four reversible pump turbine-generator units with a total installed capacity of 1,166.8 megawatts (MW); (15) four 25-foot-long, 11-foot-diameter draft tubes that transition to a 20-foot-long, 17‑foot-diameter draft tube; (16) a 5,136-foot-long, 33-foot-wide, 31-foot-high horseshoe-shaped tailrace tunnel; (17) 35-foot-long, 40-foot-high trapezoid-shaped stoplogs with 74.3- to 99.5-foot-wide, 48-foot-high trashracks with 6-inch clear-bar spacing; (18) four 26-foot-long, 13.8-kilovolt (kV) generator leads that connect the turbine-generator units to four transformers; (19) two 3,000-foot-long, 345-kV transmission lines; and (20) appurtenant facilities.

The Northfield Mountain Pumped Storage Project generally operates in pumping mode when electricity demand is low and generating mode when electricity demand is high. In the summer and winter, the project generally operates in a peaking mode in the morning and late afternoon. In the spring and fall, the project may operate in a peaking mode one or two times a day depending on electricity demand. The existing license requires maintaining the upper reservoir between elevations 938.0 feet and 1,000.5 feet NGVD 29 (i.e., a maximum reservoir drawdown of 62.5 feet). Average annual generation at the Northfield Mountain Project from 2011–2019 was 889,845 MW-hours, and average annual energy consumption for pumping from 2011 to 2019 was 1,189,640 MW-hours.

Northfield proposes three changes to the current project boundary: (1) remove 0.2 acre of land associated with residential property; (2) remove 8.1 acres of land referred to as “Fuller Farm” that include residential and agricultural structures; and (3) add 135.5 acres of land that include recreation trails.

Northfield proposes to increase the maximum water surface elevation of the upper reservoir to 1,004.5 feet NGVD 29 and decrease the minimum water surface elevation of the upper reservoir to 920.0 feet NGVD 29 (i.e., a maximum reservoir drawdown of 84.5 feet) year-round. Northfield proposes to install a barrier net in the lower impoundment to prevent fish entrainment. Northfield also proposes to periodically dredge the upper reservoir and to construct new recreation access trails. The specific proposed changes are described in the amended application and the settlement agreements filed on March 31, 2023 and June 12, 2023.

  1. A copy of the application can be viewed on the Commission’s website at 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 Online Support.
  1. Anyone may submit comments, a protest, or a motion to intervene in accordance with the requirements of Rules of Practice and Procedure, 18 C.F.R. §§ 385.210, .211, and .214. In determining the appropriate action to take, the Commission will consider all protests or other comments 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 comments, protests, or motions to intervene must be received on or before the specified comment date for the particular application.

All filings must: (1) bear in all capital letters the title “PROTEST,” “MOTION TO INTERVENE,” “COMMENTS,” “REPLY COMMENTS,” “RECOMMENDATIONS,” “PRELIMINARY TERMS AND CONDITIONS,” or “PRELIMINARY FISHWAY PRESCRIPTIONS;” (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 submitting the filing; and (4) otherwise comply with the requirements of 18 CFR §§ 385.2001 through 385.2005. All comments, recommendations, terms and conditions, or prescriptions must set forth their evidentiary basis and otherwise comply with the requirements of 18 CFR § 4.34(b). 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. A copy of all other filings in reference to this application must be accompanied by proof of service on all persons listed on the service list prepared by the Commission in this proceeding, in accordance with 18 CFR §§ 4.34(b) and 385.2010.

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.

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.

  1. The applicant must file no later than 60 days following the date of issuance of this notice: (1) a copy of the water quality certification; (2) a copy of the request for certification, including proof of the date on which the certifying agency received the request; or (3) evidence of waiver of water quality certification.
  1. Procedural Schedule: The application will be processed according to the following schedule. Revisions to the schedule will be made as appropriate.

MILESTONE

TARGET DATE

Deadline for filing motions to intervene, protests, comments, recommendations, preliminary terms and conditions, and preliminary fishway prescriptions

April 2024

Deadline for filing reply comments

May 2024

  1. Final amendments to the application must be filed with the Commission no later than 30 days from the issuance date of this notice.

Debbie-Anne A. Reese,

Acting Secretary.

FERC issues Ready for Environmental Analysis for Turners Falls Hydro

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

FEDERAL ENERGY REGULATORY COMMISSION

FirstLight MA Hydro LLC Project No. 1889-085

NOTICE OF APPLICATION ACCEPTED FOR FILING, SOLICITING MOTIONS TO INTERVENE AND PROTESTS, READY FOR ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS, AND SOLICITING COMMENTS, RECOMMENDATIONS, PRELIMINARY TERMS AND CONDITIONS, AND PRELIMINARY FISHWAY PRESCRIPTIONS

(February 22, 2024)

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

  1. Type of Application: New Major License
  1. Project No.: 1889-085
  1. Date Filed: April 29, 2016; material amendment filed December 4, 2020
  1. Applicant: FirstLight MA Hydro LLC (FirstLight)
  1. Name of Project: Turners Falls Hydroelectric Project (project)
  1. Location: The project is located on the Connecticut River in Windham County, Vermont, Cheshire County, New Hampshire, and Franklin County, Massachusetts. The current project boundary includes the approximately 20-acre Silvio Conte Anadromous Fish Laboratory, which is administered by the U.S. Geological Survey.
  1. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act 16 U.S.C. §§ 791(a) – 825(r)  
  1. Applicant Contact: Mr. Alan Douglass, Regulatory Compliance Manager, 99 Millers Falls Road, Northfield, MA 01360; (413) 659-4416 or alan.douglass@firstlightpower.com
  1. FERC Contact: Steve Kartalia, (202) 502-6131 or stephen.kartalia@ferc.gov
  2. Deadline for filing motions to intervene and protests, comments,

recommendations, preliminary terms and conditions, and preliminary fishway prescriptions: 60 days from the issuance date of this notice; reply comments are due 105 days from the issuance date of this notice.

 

The Commission strongly encourages electronic filing. Please file motions to intervene and protests, comments, recommendations, terms and conditions, and prescriptions using the Commission’s eFiling system at https://ferconline.ferc.gov/FERCOnline.aspx. Commenters can submit brief comments up to 6,000 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 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: Debbie-Anne A. Reese, Acting 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, Acting Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 12225 Wilkins Avenue, Rockville, Maryland 20852. The first page of any filing should include docket number P‑1889-085.

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.

  1. This application has been accepted and is ready for environmental analysis at this time.
  1. Project Description: The Turners Falls Project consists of: (1) a 630-foot-long, 35-foot-high dam (Montague dam) that includes: (a) four 120-foot-wide, 13.25-foot-high bascule gates; and (b) a 170-foot-long fixed section with a crest elevation of 185.5 feet National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929 (NGVD 29); (2) a 493-foot-long, 55-foot-high dam (Gill dam) that includes: (a) three 40-foot-wide, 39-foot-high tainter gates; and (b) 97.3- and 207.5-foot-long fixed sections with crest elevations of 185.5 feet NGVD 29; (3) a 2,110-acre impoundment with a useable storage volume of 16,150 acre-feet between elevations 176.0 feet and 185.0 feet NGVD 29; (4) a 214-foot-long, 33-foot-high gatehouse that includes six 9-foot-wide, 10.66-foot-high gates and nine 9.5-foot-wide, 12.6-foot-high gates; (5) a 2.1-mile-long, 120- to 920-foot-wide, 17- to 30-foot-deep power canal; (6) a 700-foot-long, 100-foot-wide, 16- to 23-foot-deep branch canal; (7) the Station No.1 generating facility that includes: (a) eight 15-foot-wide bays with trashracks with 2.625-inch clear-bar spacing; (b) four 100-foot-long, 13.1- to 14-foot-diameter penstocks; (c) a 134-foot-long, 64-foot-wide powerhouse that contains five turbine-generator units with a total installed capacity of 5.693 megawatts (MW); (d) four 21-foot-long, 6.5-foot-diameter draft tubes; (e) five 40- to 70-foot-long, 2.4-kilovolt (kV) generator leads that connect the turbine-generator units to a generator bus; (f) a 110-foot-long, 2.4-kV generator lead that connects the generator bus to a substation; and (g) a 20-foot-long, 2.4-kV generator lead that connects the substation to three transformers; (8) the Cabot Station generating facility that includes: (a) an intake structure with 217-foot-wide, 31-foot-high trashracks with 0.94-inch and 3.56-inch clear-bar spacing; (b) six 70-foot-long penstocks; (c) a 235-foot-long, 79.5-foot-wide powerhouse that contains six turbine-generator units with a total installed capacity of 62.016 MW; (d) six 41-foot-long, 12.5- to 14.5-foot-diameter draft tubes; (e) six 80- to 250-foot-long, 13.8-kV generator leads that connect the turbine-generator units to a generator bus; (f) a 60-foot-long, 13.8-kV generator lead that connects the generator bus to the powerhouse roof; and (g) a 200-foot-long, 13.8-kV generator lead that connects to a transformer; (9) eight 13.6-foot-wide, 16.7-foot-high power canal spillway gates that are adjacent to Cabot Station; (10) a 16.2-foot-wide, 13.1-foot-high log sluice gate in the Cabot Station forebay with an 8-foot-wide weir for downstream fish passage; (11) a 200‑foot-long, 7-foot-diameter drainage tunnel (Keith Drainage Tunnel) and headgate; (12) a 955-foot-long, 5-foot-diameter lower drainage tunnel; (13) an 850-foot-long, 16‑foot-wide, 10-foot-high fishway (Cabot fishway); (14) a 500-foot-long, 10-foot-wide, 10-foot-high fishway (Spillway fishway); (15) a 225-foot-long, 16-foot-wide, 17.5-foot-high fishway (Gatehouse fishway); and (16) appurtenant facilities.

The Turners Falls Project operates in peaking and run-of-river modes, depending on inflows. Average annual generation from 2011–2019 was approximately 332,351 MW-hours.

FirstLight proposes three changes to the current project boundary: (1) remove 0.2 acre of land associated with residential property; (2) add 0.8 acre of land for recreational purposes; and (3) remove 20.1 acres of land associated with the U.S. Geological Survey’s Silvio Conte Anadromous Fish Laboratory.

FirstLight proposes to construct new fish passage facilities and recreational access trails. FirstLight also proposes changes to project operation that would generally reduce impoundment fluctuations and increase flow releases to the portion of the Connecticut River that is bypassed by the project. The specific proposed changes are described in the amended application and the settlement agreements filed on March 31, 2023 and June 12, 2023.

  1. A copy of the application can be viewed on the Commission’s website at 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 Online Support.
  1. Anyone may submit comments, a protest, or a motion to intervene in accordance with the requirements of Rules of Practice and Procedure, 18 C.F.R. §§ 385.210, .211, and .214. In determining the appropriate action to take, the Commission will consider all protests or other comments 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 comments, protests, or motions to intervene must be received on or before the specified comment date for the particular application.

All filings must: (1) bear in all capital letters the title “PROTEST,” “MOTION TO INTERVENE,” “COMMENTS,” “REPLY COMMENTS,” “RECOMMENDATIONS,” “PRELIMINARY TERMS AND CONDITIONS,” or “PRELIMINARY FISHWAY PRESCRIPTIONS;” (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 submitting the filing; and (4) otherwise comply with the requirements of 18 CFR §§ 385.2001 through 385.2005. All comments, recommendations, terms and conditions, or prescriptions must set forth their evidentiary basis and otherwise comply with the requirements of 18 CFR § 4.34(b). 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. A copy of all other filings in reference to this application must be accompanied by proof of service on all persons listed on the service list prepared by the Commission in this proceeding, in accordance with 18 CFR §§ 4.34(b) and 385.2010.

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.

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.

  1. The applicant must file no later than 60 days following the date of issuance of this notice: (1) a copy of the water quality certification; (2) a copy of the request for certification, including proof of the date on which the certifying agency received the request; or (3) evidence of waiver of water quality certification.
  1. Procedural Schedule: The application will be processed according to the following schedule. Revisions to the schedule will be made as appropriate.

MILESTONE

TARGET DATE

Deadline for filing motions to intervene, protests, comments, recommendations, preliminary terms and conditions, and preliminary fishway prescriptions

April 2024

Deadline for filing reply comments

May 2024

  1. Final amendments to the application must be filed with the Commission no later than 30 days from the issuance date of this notice.

Debbie-Anne A. Reese,

Acting Secretary.

Friends of Reusable Bags workshop back!

On Saturday, February 17, 2024, after what feels like a VERY long hiatus, the Friends of Reusable Bags of Greening Greenfield held a Bag-making workshop in the Markers’ Space in the new Greenfield Public Library.  It drew from a lively crowd of shoppers who were enjoying the monthly winter Farmer’s Market held on the first floor of the library.  Over 40 people attended, many families with kids, both hesitant and eager, to try their hands as making their own bags.  Everyone left with at least one bag and a smile on their faces.  A total of fifty bags were made and many of these were left as donations to be distributed at a variety of markets around town.