FERC: Revised Schedule for Blue Earth County Environmental Assessment
Summary
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has revised the schedule for the environmental assessment of Blue Earth County's application to surrender its hydroelectric project exemption. The deadline for issuing the environmental assessment has been extended to August 10, 2026, to allow for further review of updated information.
What changed
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has issued a notice revising the schedule for the environmental assessment (EA) concerning Blue Earth County's application to surrender its exemption for the Rapidan Hydroelectric Project (No. 3071). The original anticipated schedule for issuing the EA was April 1, 2026. Due to the need to fully consider updated information filed on February 24, 2026, the Commission staff has extended the deadline for issuing the EA to August 10, 2026. The EA will be issued for a 30-day comment period.
This revision primarily impacts the timeline for the regulatory process. Regulated entities and interested parties should note the new issuance date for the EA and be prepared to submit comments within the subsequent 30-day period. No new compliance obligations are imposed by this notice, but awareness of the revised timeline is necessary for those monitoring or participating in the proceeding.
Source document (simplified)
Notice
Blue Earth County; Notice of Revised Schedule for Environmental Assessment
A Notice by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on 03/19/2026
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- Public Inspection Published Document: 2026-05426 (91 FR 13301) Document Headings ###### Department of Energy
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
- [Project No. 3071-008] On March 18, 2025, [1 ] and supplemented on April 24, 2025 and February 24, 2026, Blue Earth County, Minnesota (exemptee) filed an application for surrender of exemption for the Rapidan Hydroelectric Project No. 3071. The project is located on the Blue Earth River, in Blue Earth County, Minnesota. The project does not occupy federal lands.
On September 30, 2025, Commission staff issued a notice of intent to prepare an environmental assessment (EA) to evaluate the effects of the proposed surrender. The notice included an anticipated schedule for issuing the EA by April 1, 2026. Commission staff is continuing to review the application including the most recent information filed on February 24, 2026. In order for staff to fully consider this updated information, Commission staff is revising the schedule to issue the EA [2 ] by August 10, 2026. The EA will be issued for a 30-day comment period. All comments filed on the EA will be reviewed by staff and considered in the Commission's final decision on the proceeding. Further revisions to the schedule may be made as appropriate.
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 OPP@ferc.gov.
Any questions regarding this notice may be directed to Diana Shannon at (202) 502-6136, or by email at diana.shannon@ferc.gov.
(Authority: 18 CFR 2.1.)
Dated: March 16, 2026.
Debbie-Anne A. Reese,
Secretary.
Footnotes
1.
The March 18, 2025 filing supersedes the exemptee's original surrender application filed on April 14, 2023.
The unique identification number for documents relating to this environmental review is EAXX-019-20-000-1758885949.
Back to Citation [FR Doc. 2026-05426 Filed 3-18-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P
Published Document: 2026-05426 (91 FR 13301)
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