BILLING CODE 6717-01-P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Project No. 1971-135]
Idaho Power Company; Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Assessment
On October 6 and 7, 2022, and supplemented October 21, 2022, March 17, 2023,
April 10, 2023, and July 17, 2023, Idaho Power Company filed an application for a noncapacity amendment of its license for the Hells Canyon Project No. 1971. The project is
located on the Snake River in Adams and Washington counties, Idaho, and in Baker,
Wallowa, and Malheur counties, Oregon. Federal lands administered by the U.S. Forest
Service and the Bureau of Land Management (Payette and Wallowa-Whitman National
Forests and Hells Canyon National Recreational Area) are included within the project
boundary.
The licensee proposes to perform maintenance work on the turbines and
generators at the Oxbow Development of the project. The work would increase the
authorized installed capacity of the project from 1,222,300 kilowatts (kW) to
1,252,065 kW. To facilitate the turbine and generator maintenance work, the licensee is
also proposing to: 1) extend the existing erection deck to the east; and 2) provide an area
for additional parking and a job trailer. The deck extension would be approximately
100 feet by 84 feet and would necessitate relocating the septic drain field for the Oxbow
power plant and increasing the amount of security fencing. The total disturbance area to
the east of the existing erection deck would be approximately 0.75 acre. The licensee
planned to commence construction of the erection deck in 2023 and begin the
maintenance work on the first unit in 2025. The licensee would take a single unit off-line

periodically between September 2025 and September 2029. The licensee is not
proposing any changes to project operations nor has the licensee proposed variances to
license conditions to complete the work. None of the work for the turbine and generator
maintenance would involve in-water work and the licensee would use best management
practices for all construction work.
On April 10, 2023, the Commission issued a public notice for the proposed
amendment. On April 28, May 1, May 5, May 9, May 10, and May 10, 2023, the State of
Oregon by and through the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, Oregon
Department of Fish and Wildlife, Oregon Water Resources Department, National Marine
Fisheries Service, the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, and the
State of Idaho,1 respectively, filed notices of intervention. On May 11, 2023, the
Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission and Upper Snake River Tribes
Foundation, Inc. filed untimely motions to intervene, which were granted on March 7,
2024. On May 11, 2023, the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs
filed comments. On October 24, 2023, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service filed a letter
with the Commission concurring with Commission staff’s determination that the
proposed action may affect but is not likely to adversely affect bull trout or bull trout
critical habitat.
This notice identifies Commission staff’s intention to prepare an environmental
assessment (EA) for the project. The planned schedule for the completion of the EA is

1 On

behalf of the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, the Idaho Water Resources
Board, and the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality .

October 30, 2024.2 Revisions to the schedule may be made as appropriate. The EA will
be issued and made available for review by all interested parties. All comments filed on
the EA will be reviewed by staff and considered in the Commission’s final decision on
the proceeding.
With this notice, the Commission is inviting federal, state, local, and Tribal
agencies with jurisdiction and/or special expertise with respect to environmental issues
affected by the proposal that wish to cooperate in the preparation of the environmental
assessment to contact staff for further instructions. Cooperating agencies should note the
Commission's policy that agencies that cooperate in the preparation of any environmental
document cannot also intervene. See 94 FERC ¶ 61,076 (2001).
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 to 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.

2 42

U.S.C. 4336a(g)(1)(B) requires lead federal agencies to complete EAs within 1
year of the agency’s decision to prepare an EA. This notice establishes the
Commission’s intent to prepare an EA for the project; therefore, the EA must be issued
within 1 year of the issuance date of this notice.

Any questions regarding this notice may be directed to Jeremy Jessup at 202-5026779 or Jeremy.Jessup@ferc.gov.
Dated: June 14, 2024.
Debbie-Anne A. Reese,
Acting Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2024-13721 Filed: 6/21/2024 8:45 am; Publication Date: 6/24/2024]