FERC - Revised Schedule for Environmental Assessment of Rapidan Hydroelectric Project

Regs.gov: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

Published March 16th, 2026

Detected March 21st, 2026

Summary

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has revised the schedule for its environmental assessment (EA) of Blue Earth County's application to surrender the Rapidan Hydroelectric Project. The EA issuance date has been extended to August 10, 2026, to allow for further review of updated information.

View original document View source feed page

What changed

FERC has announced a revised schedule for the environmental assessment (EA) concerning the surrender application for the Rapidan Hydroelectric Project No. 3071, located in Blue Earth County, Minnesota. The original anticipated schedule for issuing the EA by April 1, 2026, has been extended to August 10, 2026, to accommodate the review of updated information filed by Blue Earth County on February 24, 2026. This revised schedule includes a 30-day comment period for the EA.

While this notice primarily concerns an administrative schedule update for an ongoing environmental review, regulated entities and interested parties should note the new target date for the EA's issuance. The EA will be subject to public comment, and the feedback received will inform the Commission's final decision. No immediate compliance actions are required based on this schedule revision, but awareness of the updated timeline is important for any parties intending to participate in the comment period.

Source document (simplified)

Content

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. [FR Doc. 2026-05426 Filed 3-18-26; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6717-01-P